Podcasts about warners

American entertainment company

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Best podcasts about warners

Latest podcast episodes about warners

The Ankler Hot Seat
Oscar Week: Prestige and Panic

The Ankler Hot Seat

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 32:04


“It's a crazy irony that your reward for incredible artistic success in modern Hollywood is that you then get to lay off a bunch of your employees,” Prestige Junkie host Katey Rich tells Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey in the run-up to Sunday's Oscars, where two Warner Bros. films — Sinners and One Battle After Another — are going head-to-head for best picture right as Paramount Skydance is about to swallow the studio whole. “It really couldn't be a more perfect metaphor for how backward so many of the industry's priorities are.” Speaking of which, The Business of Television author and former head of business affairs at Paramount TV and Amazon Studios, Ken Basin, stops by to chat about the current state of dealmaking in television, how much the Paramount-Warner merger is going to weigh on day-to-day business (“Warners is effectively frozen”), and what Netflix should do with its $2.8 billion breakup fee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eye of the Duck
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Eye of the Duck

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026 274:49


Okay, Hobbitses, it's our last journey through Middle Earth! And Bilbo's first! Dom's back, and so is Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, and… Radagast the Brown?! Although this is our only episode on the Hobbit trilogy, we're not just covering UNEXPECTED JOURNEY this week. Listen in for some cross examination of the two (troubling) sequels, the many fan edits (especially the one from Maple Films), and Guillermo Del Toro's greatest unmade production. A very special thanks from Dom to all the listeners who reached out with support during his absence. And thanks to Stephen Hilger for pinch hitting! Next week, it's Jackson's final (?) narrative film, MORTAL ENGINES (2018) from director Christian Rivera. Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon show, After Hours https://www.patreon.com/EyeoftheDuckPod References: Special Features The Journey Back to Middle-Earth Riddles in the Dark - Gollum's Cave An Unexpected Party - Bag End A Short Rest - Rivendell & London The Battle of Moria Edge of the Wilderland Durin's Folk: Creating the Dwarves The People and Denizens of Middle-Earth Realms of the Third Age - Hobbiton Realms of the Third Age - Goblin Town The Songs of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Mr. Baggins: The 14th Member The Epic of Scene 88 Home is Behind, The World Ahead Maverick Movies: New Line Cinema and the Transformation of American Film by Daniel Herbert Cinefex #132 Production History Peter Jackson/Guillermo Del Toro Party Chat Legal Issues Settled for The Hobbit Comingsoon.net Guillermo del Toro Interview Lord of the Rings Writing Team Onboard TheOneRing.net Guillermo del Toro Interview Philipa Boyens on Guillermo del Toro's Hobbit Guillermo del Toro Officially Leaves The Hobbit Peter Jackson Wings The Hobbit Guillermo del Toro Gets Haunted The Hobbit Destroys New Zealand Film Industry Lindsay Ellis The Hobbit: The Desolation of Warners (3/2) Video A New Hobbit Film is Born Guillermo del Toro's Version of Bilbo Moviedrone Howard Shore Interview MGM Financial Troubles Imperil The Hobbit A Message From Guillermo Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich. This episode was edited by Michael Gaspari. This episode was researched by Parth Marathe. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich. You can purchase her work at francescavolerich.com/shop The "Adam's Blu-Ray Corner" theme was produced by Chase Sterling. Assistant programming and digital production by Nik Long. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd or join the conversation at Eye of the Discord. Learn more at eyeoftheduckpod.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Super Kelly Bros.
Paramount/Warners to end up with $79B in debt when (or if) the deal closes

Super Kelly Bros.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2026


The Ankler Hot Seat
The Paramount-Warners Plan They Won't Say Out Loud

The Ankler Hot Seat

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2026 35:35


Talk about whiplash: A week ago, a Netflix–Warner Bros. deal looked likely. Turns out, the winning combo may be… Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery. (Rolls right off the tongue.) That is — if it survives regulatory scrutiny, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta warning that the merger is “not a done deal.” Still, a swirl of questions remains — all driven by a strategy executives aren't quite saying out loud: cut billions in costs, merge the streaming platforms (creating clear winners and losers), squeeze what's left of the cable business for cash and use the scale of a combined studio to survive a rapidly shrinking TV ecosystem. And all that Middle East money? Sure, nothing to see here. Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey, Sean McNulty and Lesley Goldberg break it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Conway Jr. on Demand
That Mammoth Studio Merger is on! Plus, Why There's No Magic on Hallmark

Tim Conway Jr. on Demand

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2026 31:12 Transcription Available


Tim Conway Jr. Show Hour 1 (2.27) Today it’s hot as hell outside, so just live your life and be free from concerns regarding global warming — ’cause there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Warners signs the deal with Paramount, making it one big-ass studio. Netflix stock went through the roof, up almost 14%. Today, pop icon Neil Sedaka passed away at the age of 86. Remember a few weeks back, when a toddler fell out of an SUV as her mother was driving through an intersection? Well, that moment in Fullerton was captured on video and now the woman has now been arrested and charged, and she’s not allowed within five yards of her toddler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family Talk Weekends on Oneplace.com
An Incredible Football Journey

Family Talk Weekends on Oneplace.com

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2026 25:56


Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, have walked through trials that would test anyone's faith. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson welcomes the Warners to share their remarkable journey through career setbacks, family tragedy, and raising a son with disabilities. They also discuss how Brenda led Kurt to faith in Jesus, and why putting the Lord first transformed everything. Don't miss their inspiring story on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, right here at __________ on __________. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1091/29?v=20251111

Family Talk Weekends on Oneplace.com
An Incredible Football Journey

Family Talk Weekends on Oneplace.com

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2026 25:56


Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, have walked through trials that would test anyone's faith. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson welcomes the Warners to share their remarkable journey through career setbacks, family tragedy, and raising a son with disabilities. They also discuss how Brenda led Kurt to faith in Jesus, and why putting the Lord first transformed everything. Don't miss their inspiring story on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, right here at __________ on __________. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1091/29?v=20251111

Family Talk on Oneplace.com
An Incredible Football Journey

Family Talk on Oneplace.com

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2026 25:56


Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, have walked through trials that would test anyone's faith. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson welcomes the Warners to share their remarkable journey through career setbacks, family tragedy, and raising a son with disabilities. They also discuss how Brenda led Kurt to faith in Jesus, and why putting the Lord first transformed everything. Don't miss their inspiring story on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, right here at __________ on __________. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29?v=20251111

The Farm Podcast Mach II
Sussing Out the Warner Bros Merger Bids w/ Laura Shapiro & Recluse

The Farm Podcast Mach II

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2026 73:20


Warner Brother, Paramount/Comcast, Netflix, the WB merger bids, what would a merger mean for consumers?, why Warner Brothers is special, Netflix and movie theaters, David Zaslav (WB CEO), Zaslav as a new Robert Evans, Zaslav's mixed legacy at Warner Brothers, the legality of the mergers, was the Netflix merger ever intended to go through in the first place, the Netflix merger as a means of crippling its chief rival, are the cultures of Netflix and Warners compatible?, Paramount's links to Trump, the Paramount merger as a bid to destroy CNN, Jared Kushner/Saudi money behind the Paramount hostile takeover, Netflix's links to Obama, why the Obama/Netflix connection is overhyped, the Hollywood money model and price signals, Jane Fonda, Committee for the First Amendment, how deregulation has contributed to Hollywood's woes, could the merger attempts spur bipartisan opposition?, will a workable model for Hollywood's future come out of the discussions?, Rob ReinerMusic by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe
Fred Warners Return Is Actually Possible

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2025 10:18


Bonta Hill has a gut feeling, and this is NOT a report, that Fred Warner will play football again this year

Stuck In Development
219 - Something Wicked Will Not Be Coming This Way: Oscars x YouTube, Branch Shortlists, and Warners' Letter to Shareholders

Stuck In Development

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 38:25


Carl & Eitan spend most of the episode discussing 2 new developments in the Oscars metagame. First off, the Academy and Google announced that the Oscars telecast will be moving to YouTube in 2029. Next, many of the branches announced their shortlists for below-the-line categories. To round things out (and to move away from awards chatter!), the boys give a quick update on David Ellison's latest attempt to spend Daddy Ellison's money.

Super Kelly Bros.
Golden Globe nominations, what's happening with Warners and much more

Super Kelly Bros.

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2025


OH GOD, WHAT NOW? Formerly Remainiacs
Trump to Europe: “Drop Dead”

OH GOD, WHAT NOW? Formerly Remainiacs

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2025 61:11


America's new National Security Strategy is a hellish concoction of far-right obsessions, paranoid conspiracy thought, imperial fantasy, and outright aggression. European leaders are horrified but what are they going to do about it? Plus: Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee explains the UK's debt to GDP ratio using towers of custard creams and bourbons. But can you make politics too simple? And in the Extra Bit for Patreons, we talk about Netflix's real goal in trying to buy Warners: to kill off cinema. 

Cordkillers (All Audio)
Cordkillers 578: Netflix and the Chamber of Warners (with Andy Beach)

Cordkillers (All Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 68:15


Netflix moves to swallow Warner Bros.' studio and streaming business in a massive cash-and-stock deal, while Paramount mounts a hostile counterbid straight to shareholders. Meanwhile, the future of your watchlist is filling up fast with Peaky Blinders, Ghibli in 4K, the final season of The Boys, and more TV and movie shuffles on the horizon.This week on The FULL Experience: No FULL This WeekNext week: Taxi (524 - "Simka's Monthlies")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/sxW8jJnEGcQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cordkillers Only (Audio)
Cordkillers 578: Netflix and the Chamber of Warners (with Andy Beach)

Cordkillers Only (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 68:15


Netflix moves to swallow Warner Bros.' studio and streaming business in a massive cash-and-stock deal, while Paramount mounts a hostile counterbid straight to shareholders. Meanwhile, the future of your watchlist is filling up fast with Peaky Blinders, Ghibli in 4K, the final season of The Boys, and more TV and movie shuffles on the horizon.This week on The FULL Experience: No FULL This WeekNext week: Taxi (524 - "Simka's Monthlies")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/sxW8jJnEGcQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Spoilerin' Time (Audio)
Cordkillers 578: Netflix and the Chamber of Warners (with Andy Beach)

It's Spoilerin' Time (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 68:15


Netflix moves to swallow Warner Bros.' studio and streaming business in a massive cash-and-stock deal, while Paramount mounts a hostile counterbid straight to shareholders. Meanwhile, the future of your watchlist is filling up fast with Peaky Blinders, Ghibli in 4K, the final season of The Boys, and more TV and movie shuffles on the horizon.This week on The FULL Experience: No FULL This WeekNext week: Taxi (524 - "Simka's Monthlies")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/sxW8jJnEGcQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Calvary Chapel Lynchburg
Parenting and Marriage: A Conversation With the Warners | 12.03.2025

Calvary Chapel Lynchburg

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2025 81:00


Parenting and Marriage: A Conversation With the Warners | 12.03.2025 by Calvary Chapel Lynchburg

KFI Featured Segments
@ChrisIsOnTheAir - Netflix–Warners Shakeup & The Millennial Dating Crisis

KFI Featured Segments

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2025 38:17 Transcription Available


There's No Business Like Show Business and we are covering the Netflix and Warner Bros Deal, Stranger Things in Theaters, and other streaming service news. PLUS there has been an allowance increase with the kids these days. AND the new millennial dating crisis as we cross with Dr. Wendy Walsh on KFIAM-640.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kick it Forward Podcast
SPORT | SUCKED IN ENGLAND!!! Ashes Talkback, David Warners Fedora, Josh's Embarrassing TVC Update, & The Piastri F**king Is Over.

The Kick it Forward Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2025 82:25


⁠PLANE & BEER HATS HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SPORT: Harry goes Googoo Gaga for Lady Gaga. Josh's TVC Update. Giorgio's mates review his holiday performance. SUCKED IN ENGLAND, THAT'S 2-0!!! Ashes Talkback - controversial takes. NOTW - The tryhard Postecoglou, Leisel Jones on the dating apps! F1 - Zach Brown cringe awards. Basketball - Bryce Cotton goes NUCLEAR! ⁠⁠⁠PAT CUMMINS & TRAVIS HEAD YOUTUBE INTERVIEW HERE

New Books Network
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Dance
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books in Dance

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

New Books in Biography
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books in Biography

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

New Books in American Studies
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American West
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books in the American West

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

New Books in Economic and Business History
Chris Yogerst, "The Warner Brothers" (UP of Kentucky, 2023)

New Books in Economic and Business History

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 67:36


One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, and iconic superstars. In The Warner Brothers (UP of Kentucky, 2023), Chris Yogerst follows the siblings from their family's humble origins in Poland, through their young adulthood in the American Midwest, to the height of fame and fortune in Hollywood. With unwavering resolve, the brothers soldiered on against the backdrop of an America reeling from the aftereffects of domestic and global conflict. The Great Depression would not sink the brothers, who churned out competitive films that engaged audiences and kept their operations afloat―and even expanding. During World War II, they used their platform to push beyond the limits of the Production Code and create important films about real-world issues, openly criticizing radicalism and the evils of the Nazi regime. At every major cultural turning point in their lifetime, the Warners held a front-row seat. These days, the studio is best known as a media conglomerate with a broad range of intellectual property, spanning movies, TV shows, and streaming content. Despite popular interest in the origins of this empire, the core of the Warner Bros. saga cannot be found in its commercial successes. It is the story of four brothers―Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack―whose vision for Hollywood helped shape the world of entertainment as we know it. Paying close attention to the brothers' identities as cultural and economic outsiders, Yogerst chronicles how the Warners built a global filmmaking powerhouse. Equal parts family history and cinematic journey, The Warner Brothers is an empowering story of the American dream and the legacy four brothers left behind for generations of filmmakers and film lovers to come. Chris Yogerst is the author of Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures and From the Headlines to Hollywood: The Birth and Boom of Warner Bros. He appeared on the New Books Network to discuss the book in 2020. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Journal of American Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television, and the Hollywood Reporter. He currently serves as an associate professor of communication in the Department of Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Joel Tscherne is an Adjunct History Professor at Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate Faculty member at University of Arizona Global Campus. His Twitter handle is @JoelTscherne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe
Fred Warners Theoretical Return Theoretically Could Change Everything

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2025 13:23


It is not out of the realm of possibility that Fred Warner could return to action for the 49ers if they make the playoffs

The Ankler Hot Seat
BONUS EP: ‘The Rushfield Lunch' with Mike De Luca & Pam Abdy on Making Box Office History in the Face of ‘Surreal' Criticism

The Ankler Hot Seat

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2025 56:27


In this special bonus Ankler Agenda episode, Richard Rushfield chats with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy about their journey to Warners, their record-breaking year at the box office and why their strategy paid off on hits from ‘Sinners' to ‘Superman' — all in the face of relentless negative headlines about their bold and risk-taking slate. With a combined 70 years of making movies, these two have seen it all — hits and flops, unexpected wins and surprising losses. But even now, with so many signs pointing to the contrary — and the fate of their studio in doubt, as it's officially up for sale — they both retain a sense of hope and wonder for the best that Hollywood can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuck In Development
214 - The Ellison In The Room: Warner Bros. Acquisition Progress, Apple x F1, Kelce x Six Flags

Stuck In Development

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2025 33:04


Warners is for sale (again!), so Carl & Eitan look into the current state of bidding. They also debate the merits of Apple's new F1 deal and take a bemused look at Travis Kelce's Six Flags investment.

Movie Trivia Schmoedown
Warners REJECTS Paramount's Second Bid!

Movie Trivia Schmoedown

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 93:09


Warner Bros. has officially rejected Paramount's second merger bid, throwing Hollywood's studio landscape into even more chaos! Kristian Harloff breaks down what this means for the future of both companies and the movie industry as a whole. Plus, we dive into other big entertainment headlines: Vin Diesel teases a creative “Fast 11” budget solution that could save the franchise. The “Stranger Things” finale is heading to cinemas—what does that mean for Netflix's streaming strategy? “Heat 2” and a new “Jumanji” movie are set to film after landing major tax credits. Join Kristian Harloff and the team for your daily dose of movie news, rumors, and industry insights. Sponsors: RUGIET:  Ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to http://www.rugiet.com and use my promo code KRISTIAN for 15% off your first order. Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at http://www.trueclassic.com/KRISTIAN! #trueclassicpod Head to http://www.Strawberry.com/KRISTIAN to claim a special offer and get started. That's Strawberry dot M-E slash KRISTIAN. Stop settling. Start building the career you actually want.

Independent Thinking Podcast
258. Building a Family Legacy with Angela Warner of Warners’ Stellian

Independent Thinking Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2025 18:10


Tune in to learn more about NMG member Warners' Stellian Appliances, a multi-location and multi-generational independent retail business.

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe
Putting Fred Warners Absence Into Perspective

The Morning Roast with Bonta, Kate & Joe

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2025 10:12


It goes beyond the play on the field. Fred Warners absence will hit at the heart of this 49ers team.

Word Podcast
The Prince story by 200 people who knew him - and John McKie

Word Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 39:07


Prince's commercial peak was Purple Rain but John McKie thinks Sign O' The Times was his creative masterpiece and tracked down over 200 collaborators, girlfriends, “Prince whisperers”, assistants and admirers to piece together the story of its construction (without allowing himself to use the word “genius”). Which leads us up some colourful, spot-lit alleys, among them … … “a man in suspenders playing funk”: why a disastrous support slot on the ‘81 Stones tour was pivotal moment … Mozart/Salieri levels of rivalry: he once told a Paisley Park engineer to stop singing Culture Club “as that's the competition” ... battles with Warners president Lenny Waronker: “he believed he was right and the rest were wrong” … “creative incontinence”: an autocrat in need of an editor … bodyguard “Big Chick” Huntsberry, performative stunts and the BRITS moment that immortalised him … the controlling, manipulative nature of anyone who can play 27 instruments … “he changed his cars to match the colour of his album campaigns” … artistic parallels with his hero Joni Mitchell … why he loved comedians in the way he loved jazz musicians … what we know about his “secret” wives Mayte Garcia and Manuela Testolini … and the four acts with eternal mystery – Prince, Bowie, Dylan, Dolly Parton. Order ‘Prince: A Sign O' The Times here:https://www.waterstones.com/book/prince-a-sign-o-the-times/john-mckie/9781785121944Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Word In Your Ear
The Prince story by 200 people who knew him - and John McKie

Word In Your Ear

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 39:07


Prince's commercial peak was Purple Rain but John McKie thinks Sign O' The Times was his creative masterpiece and tracked down over 200 collaborators, girlfriends, “Prince whisperers”, assistants and admirers to piece together the story of its construction (without allowing himself to use the word “genius”). Which leads us up some colourful, spot-lit alleys, among them … … “a man in suspenders playing funk”: why a disastrous support slot on the ‘81 Stones tour was pivotal moment … Mozart/Salieri levels of rivalry: he once told a Paisley Park engineer to stop singing Culture Club “as that's the competition” ... battles with Warners president Lenny Waronker: “he believed he was right and the rest were wrong” … “creative incontinence”: an autocrat in need of an editor … bodyguard “Big Chick” Huntsberry, performative stunts and the BRITS moment that immortalised him … the controlling, manipulative nature of anyone who can play 27 instruments … “he changed his cars to match the colour of his album campaigns” … artistic parallels with his hero Joni Mitchell … why he loved comedians in the way he loved jazz musicians … what we know about his “secret” wives Mayte Garcia and Manuela Testolini … and the four acts with eternal mystery – Prince, Bowie, Dylan, Dolly Parton. Order ‘Prince: A Sign O' The Times here:https://www.waterstones.com/book/prince-a-sign-o-the-times/john-mckie/9781785121944Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Word In Your Ear
The Prince story by 200 people who knew him - and John McKie

Word In Your Ear

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 39:07


Prince's commercial peak was Purple Rain but John McKie thinks Sign O' The Times was his creative masterpiece and tracked down over 200 collaborators, girlfriends, “Prince whisperers”, assistants and admirers to piece together the story of its construction (without allowing himself to use the word “genius”). Which leads us up some colourful, spot-lit alleys, among them … … “a man in suspenders playing funk”: why a disastrous support slot on the ‘81 Stones tour was pivotal moment … Mozart/Salieri levels of rivalry: he once told a Paisley Park engineer to stop singing Culture Club “as that's the competition” ... battles with Warners president Lenny Waronker: “he believed he was right and the rest were wrong” … “creative incontinence”: an autocrat in need of an editor … bodyguard “Big Chick” Huntsberry, performative stunts and the BRITS moment that immortalised him … the controlling, manipulative nature of anyone who can play 27 instruments … “he changed his cars to match the colour of his album campaigns” … artistic parallels with his hero Joni Mitchell … why he loved comedians in the way he loved jazz musicians … what we know about his “secret” wives Mayte Garcia and Manuela Testolini … and the four acts with eternal mystery – Prince, Bowie, Dylan, Dolly Parton. Order ‘Prince: A Sign O' The Times here:https://www.waterstones.com/book/prince-a-sign-o-the-times/john-mckie/9781785121944Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

P3 ID
Elizabeth Taylor – åtta bröllop och många begravningar

P3 ID

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2025 73:50


Hon var Hollywoods första miljondollarstjärna som sprängde studiosystemet inifrån. Men det var som aktivist hon till slut hittade sin livs roll. Nya avsnitt från P3 ID hittar du först i Sveriges Radio Play. Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) slår igenom som barnstjärna i filmen Lassie och är sedan världsberömd för resten av sitt liv. Hon kommer att vinna två Oscars och medverka i filmklassiker som Katt på hett plåttak, Jätten och Vem är rädd för Virginia Woolf?Det är med blockbustern Cleopatra som hon inte bara blir fri från det tvingande studiosystemets klor utan också blir Hollywoods första filmstjärna att tjäna en miljon dollar för sin insats. Det är också under den inspelningen hon möter sin stora kärlek Richard Burton och en affär som blir dubbad ”Le Scandale” av skvallerpressen inleds. ”Liz and Dick” som paret kallas drar till sig sådan uppmärksamhet att det blir grogrunden för vår tids paparazzi-kultur, och uppståndelsen kring Elizabeth Taylors person bedarrar aldrig riktigt, mycket eftersom hon gifter sig åtta gånger, med sju olika män.Men Hollywood-skandaler och filmer är bara en liten del av biografin över Elizabeth Taylor. När AIDS-epidemin lamslår Ronald Reagans USA, är det Elisabeth Taylor som tar ton och driver på i maktens centrum. För hennes långa - och ibland inkognito - engagemang i frågan adlas hon av Elizabeth II.P3 ID om Elizabeth Taylor är historien om ett liv som innehåller så många kapitel, att det ter sig osannolikt. Om diamanter stora som plommon, en filmindustri i förändring och Michael Jackson.I avsnittet medverkar författaren Kate Andersern Brower, som skrivit den officiella biografin om Taylor, och kulturjournalisten Karin Svensson.Programledare och avsnittsmakare: Vendela LundbergProducent: Patrick StaneliusLjudmix: Fredrik NilssonI programmet hörs ljudklipp från: MGM, ABC, The David Frost Tapes, HBO Max Elizabeth Taylor The Lost Tapes, Around the world of Mike Todd, HBOs Bright Lights, The making of Cleopatra, 60 minutes, The Warners - a candidates lifestyle, Mavis on 4, Saturday Night Live, The Larry King Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show och GLAAD.

Zig at the gig podcasts
Chris Stamey

Zig at the gig podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2025 51:16


Interview with Chris Stamey. Chris Stamey began writing and playing music in grade school in Winston-Salem, NC, in the mid 1960s, in what is known now as the Combo Corner scene. In 1976, while studying music composition at UNC-Chapel Hill, he self-released Sneakers, one of the very first American “indie” records. The following year, he relocated to Manhattan to play and record with Alex Chilton in the burgeoning CBGB rock scene, then formed The dB's with fellow Carolinians Will Rigby, Gene Holder, and Peter Holsapple, with whom he made several acclaimed records of original material, including Stands for deciBels (self-produced with Alan Betrock) and Repercussion (produced by Scott Litt).  During the next decade and a half in New York, Stamey worked with a wide variety of musicians. He recorded well-received solo records for A&M and Warners and was a part of Anton Fier's Golden Palominos project, alongside an international touring cast that included Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Jack Bruce (Cream), Carla Bley, and Bernie Worrell (Talking Heads, George Clinton). He continued recording and producing upon returning to NC in 1993.  His recent releases include The Great Escape, Lovesick Blues and Euphoria, as well as Falling Off the Sky with The dB's and A Brand-New Shade of Blue with the Fellow Travelers. As a producer and a featured singer/songwriter with the Paris-based Salt Collective project, he collaborated with Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Juliana Hatfield, Richard Lloyd (Television), Matthew Sweet, Peter Holsapple, and Susan Cowsill, among others. As a producer, arranger, and mixer, he has worked with over a hundred artists, including Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Kronos Quartet, Flat Duo Jets, Skylar Gudasz, Branford Marsalis, Tift Merritt, Le Tigre, Those Pretty Wrongs, and Yo La Tengo.  From 2010-2018, Stamey was orchestrator and musical director for an international series of concert performances of Big Star's classic album Third, alongside Big Star's Jody Stephens, Ray Davies, members of the Posies, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, Wilco, and Yo La Tengo; Thank You, Friends, a concert film of these arrangements, was released by Concord in March 2017. He currently tours as a member of Jody Stephens's Big Star Quintet, whose line-up includes Mike Mills (R.E.M), Pat Sansone (Wilco), and Jon Auer (Posies). His original radio musical about the early '60s in Manhattan, Occasional Shivers, premiered nationwide on Christmas Day 2016. A “songwriting memoir,” A Spy in the House of Loud (Univ. of Texas Press), was published in 2018, followed in 2019 by his first printed collection, New Songs for the 20th Century, with a companion two-disc CD (Omnivore Recordings).  open.spotify.com/artist/1i7YYagcULgnW5Qilsto1d music.apple.com/us/artist/chris-stamey/4034250 youtube.com/channel/UCG3O3S8Zg_WJoz2uTt_duig# instagram.com/mrstamey/?hl=en facebook.com/chrisstameymusic/ twitter.com/chrisstamey songkick.com/artists/186319-chris-stamey bandsintown.com/a/78299-chris-stamey deezer.com/us/artist/1279457 tidal.com/browse/artist/3611403 qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/chris-stamey/515742 audiomack.com/chris-stamey music.amazon.com/artists/B008LPNC4M @chris-stamey.bsky.social  

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Song 178: “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, Part Two: “I Have no Thought of Time”

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2025


For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, 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/ Erratum For about an hour this was uploaded with the wrong Elton John clip in place of “Saturday Sun”. This has now been fixed. Resources Because of the increasing problems with Mixcloud’s restrictions, I have decided to start sharing streaming playlists of the songs used in episodes instead of Mixcloud ones. This Tunemymusic link will let you listen to the playlist I created on your streaming platform of choice — however please note that not all the songs excerpted are currently available on streaming. The songs missing from the Tidal version are “Shanten Bells” by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” by A.L. Lloyd, two by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, three by Elton John & Linda Peters, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow” by Sandy Denny and “You Never Know” by Charlie Drake, but the other fifty-nine are there. Other songs may be missing from other services. The main books I used on Fairport Convention as a whole were Patrick Humphries' Meet On The Ledge, Clinton Heylin's What We Did Instead of Holidays, and Kevan Furbank's Fairport Convention on Track. Rob Young's Electric Eden is the most important book on the British folk-rock movement. Information on Richard Thompson comes from Patrick Humphries' Richard Thompson: Strange Affair and Thompson's own autobiography Beeswing.  Information on Sandy Denny comes from Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains and Mick Houghton's I've Always Kept a Unicorn. I also used Joe Boyd's autobiography White Bicycles and Chris Blackwell's The Islander.  And this three-CD set is the best introduction to Fairport's music currently in print. Transcript Before we begin, this episode contains reference to alcohol and cocaine abuse and medical neglect leading to death. It also starts with some discussion of the fatal car accident that ended last episode. There’s also some mention of child neglect and spousal violence. If that’s likely to upset you, you might want to skip this episode or read the transcript. One of the inspirations for this podcast when I started it back in 2018 was a project by Richard Thompson, which appears (like many things in Thompson’s life) to have started out of sheer bloody-mindedness. In 1999 Playboy magazine asked various people to list their “songs of the Millennium”, and most of them, understanding the brief, chose a handful of songs from the latter half of the twentieth century. But Thompson determined that he was going to list his favourite songs *of the millennium*. He didn’t quite manage that, but he did cover seven hundred and forty years, and when Playboy chose not to publish it, he decided to turn it into a touring show, in which he covered all his favourite songs from “Sumer Is Icumen In” from 1260: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Sumer is Icumen In”] Through numerous traditional folk songs, union songs like “Blackleg Miner”, pieces by early-modern composers, Victorian and Edwardian music hall songs, and songs by the Beatles, the Ink Spots, the Kinks, and the Who, all the way to “Oops! I Did It Again”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did it Again”] And to finish the show, and to show how all this music actually ties together, he would play what he described as a “medieval tune from Brittany”, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”] We have said many times in this podcast that there is no first anything, but there’s a reason that Liege and Lief, Fairport Convention’s third album of 1969, and the album other than Unhalfbricking on which their reputation largely rests, was advertised with the slogan “The first (literally) British folk rock album ever”. Folk-rock, as the term had come to be known, and as it is still usually used today, had very little to do with traditional folk music. Rather, the records of bands like The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel were essentially taking the sounds of British beat groups of the early sixties, particularly the Searchers, and applying those sounds to material by contemporary singer-songwriters. People like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had come up through folk clubs, and their songs were called folk music because of that, but they weren’t what folk music had meant up to that point — songs that had been collected after being handed down through the folk process, changed by each individual singer, with no single identifiable author. They were authored songs by very idiosyncratic writers. But over their last few albums, Fairport Convention had done one or two tracks per album that weren’t like that, that were instead recordings of traditional folk songs, but arranged with rock instrumentation. They were not necessarily the first band to try traditional folk music with electric instruments — around the same time that Fairport started experimenting with the idea, so did an Irish band named Sweeney’s Men, who brought in a young electric guitarist named Henry McCullough briefly. But they do seem to have been the first to have fully embraced the idea. They had done so to an extent with “A Sailor’s Life” on Unhalfbricking, but now they were going to go much further: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves” (from about 4:30)] There had been some doubt as to whether Fairport Convention would even continue to exist — by the time Unhalfbricking, their second album of the year, was released, they had been through the terrible car accident that had killed Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend. Most of the rest of the band had been seriously injured, and they had made a conscious decision not to discuss the future of the band until they were all out of hospital. Ashley Hutchings was hospitalised the longest, and Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, and Sandy Denny, the other three surviving members of the band, flew over to LA with their producer and manager, Joe Boyd, to recuperate there and get to know the American music scene. When they came back, the group all met up in the flat belonging to Denny’s boyfriend Trevor Lucas, and decided that they were going to continue the band. They made a few decisions then — they needed a new drummer, and as well as a drummer they wanted to get in Dave Swarbrick. Swarbrick had played violin on several tracks on Unhalfbricking as a session player, and they had all been thrilled to work with him. Swarbrick was one of the most experienced musicians on the British folk circuit. He had started out in the fifties playing guitar with Beryl Marriott’s Ceilidh Band before switching to fiddle, and in 1963, long before Fairport had formed, he had already appeared on TV with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, led by Ian Campbell, the father of Ali and Robin Campbell, later of UB40: [Excerpt: The Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Shanten Bells (medley on Hullaballoo!)”] He’d sung with Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd: [Excerpt: A.L. Lloyd, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” ] And he’d formed his hugely successful duo with Martin Carthy, releasing records like “Byker Hill” which are often considered among the best British folk music of all time: [Excerpt: Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, “Byker Hill”] By the time Fairport had invited him to play on Unhalfbricking, Swarbrick had already performed on twenty albums as a core band member, plus dozens more EPs, singles, and odd tracks on compilations. They had no reason to think they could actually get him to join their band. But they had three advantages. The first was that Swarbrick was sick of the traditional folk scene at the time, saying later “I didn’t like seven-eighths of the people involved in it, and it was extremely opportune to leave. I was suddenly presented with the possibilities of exploring the dramatic content of the songs to the full.” The second was that he was hugely excited to be playing with Richard Thompson, who was one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, and Martin Carthy remembers him raving about Thompson after their initial sessions. (Carthy himself was and is no slouch on the guitar of course, and there was even talk of getting him to join the band at this point, though they decided against it — much to the relief of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, who is a perfectly fine player himself but didn’t want to be outclassed by *two* of the best guitarists in Britain at the same time). And the third was that Joe Boyd told him that Fairport were doing so well — they had a single just about to hit the charts with “Si Tu Dois Partir” — that he would only have to play a dozen gigs with Fairport in order to retire. As it turned out, Swarbrick would play with the group for a decade, and would never retire — I saw him on his last tour in 2015, only eight months before he died. The drummer the group picked was also a far more experienced musician than any of the rest, though in a very different genre. Dave Mattacks had no knowledge at all of the kind of music they played, having previously been a player in dance bands. When asked by Hutchings if he wanted to join the band, Mattacks’ response was “I don’t know anything about the music. I don’t understand it… I can’t tell one tune from another, they all sound the same… but if you want me to join the group, fine, because I really like it. I’m enjoying myself musically.” Mattacks brought a new level of professionalism to the band, thanks to his different background. Nicol said of him later “He was dilligent, clean, used to taking three white shirts to a gig… The application he could bring to his playing was amazing. With us, you only played well when you were feeling well.” This distinction applied to his playing as well. Nicol would later describe the difference between Mattacks’ drumming and Lamble’s by saying “Martin’s strength was as an imaginative drummer. DM came in with a strongly developed sense of rhythm, through keeping a big band of drunken saxophone players in order. A great time-keeper.” With this new line-up and a new sense of purpose, the group did as many of their contemporaries were doing and “got their heads together in the country”. Joe Boyd rented the group a mansion, Farley House, in Farley Chamberlayne, Hampshire, and they stayed there together for three months. At the start, the group seem to have thought that they were going to make another record like Unhalfbricking, with some originals, some songs by American songwriters, and a few traditional songs. Even after their stay in Farley Chamberlayne, in fact, they recorded a few of the American songs they’d rehearsed at the start of the process, Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Ballad of Easy Rider”] Indeed, the whole idea of “getting our heads together in the country” (as the cliche quickly became in the late sixties as half of the bands in Britain went through much the same kind of process as Fairport were doing — but usually for reasons more to do with drug burnout or trend following than recovering from serious life-changing trauma) seems to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and the Band getting together in Big Pink. But very quickly they decided to follow the lead of Ashley Hutchings, who had had something of a Damascene conversion to the cause of traditional English folk music. They were listening mostly to Music From Big Pink by the Band, and to the first album by Sweeney’s Men: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “The Handsome Cabin Boy”] And they decided that they were going to make something that was as English as those records were North American and Irish (though in the event there were also a few Scottish songs included on the record). Hutchings in particular was becoming something of a scholar of traditional music, regularly visiting Cecil Sharp House and having long conversations with A.L. Lloyd, discovering versions of different traditional songs he’d never encountered before. This was both amusing and bemusing Sandy Denny, who had joined a rock group in part to get away from traditional music; but she was comfortable singing the material, and knew a lot of it and could make a lot of suggestions herself. Swarbrick obviously knew the repertoire intimately, and Nicol was amenable, while Mattacks was utterly clueless about the folk tradition at this point but knew this was the music he wanted to make. Thompson knew very little about traditional music, and of all the band members except Denny he was the one who has shown the least interest in the genre in his subsequent career — but as we heard at the beginning, showing the least interest in the genre is a relative thing, and while Thompson was not hugely familiar with the genre, he *was* able to work with it, and was also more than capable of writing songs that fit in with the genre. Of the eleven songs on the album, which was titled Liege and Lief (which means, roughly, Lord and Loyalty), there were no cover versions of singer-songwriters. Eight were traditional songs, and three were originals, all written in the style of traditional songs. The album opened with “Come All Ye”, an introduction written by Denny and Hutchings (the only time the two would ever write together): [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Come All Ye”] The other two originals were songs where Thompson had written new lyrics to traditional melodies. On “Crazy Man Michael”, Swarbrick had said to Thompson that the tune to which he had set his new words was weaker than the lyrics, to which Thompson had replied that if Swarbrick felt that way he should feel free to write a new melody. He did, and it became the first of the small number of Thompson/Swarbrick collaborations: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Crazy Man Michael”] Thompson and Swarbrick would become a brief songwriting team, but as much as anything else it was down to proximity — the two respected each other as musicians, but never got on very well. In 1981 Swarbrick would say “Richard and I never got on in the early days of FC… we thought we did, but we never did. We composed some bloody good songs together, but it was purely on a basis of “you write that and I’ll write this, and we’ll put it together.” But we never sat down and had real good chats.” The third original on the album, and by far the most affecting, is another song where Thompson put lyrics to a traditional tune. In this case he thought he was putting the lyrics to the tune of “Willie O'Winsbury”, but he was basing it on a recording by Sweeney’s Men. The problem was that Sweeney’s Men had accidentally sung the lyrics of “Willie O'Winsbury'” to the tune of a totally different song, “Fause Foodrage”: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “Willie O’Winsbury”] Thompson took that melody, and set to it lyrics about loss and separation. Thompson has never been one to discuss the meanings of his lyrics in any great detail, and in the case of this one has said “I really don't know what it means. This song came out of a dream, and I pretty much wrote it as I dreamt it (it was the sixties), and didn't spend very long analyzing it. So interpret as you wish – or replace with your own lines.” But in the context of the traffic accident that had killed his tailor girlfriend and a bandmate, and injured most of his other bandmates, the lyrics about lonely travellers, the winding road, bruised and beaten sons, saying goodbye, and never cutting cloth, seem fairly self-explanatory: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Farewell, Farewell”] The rest of the album, though, was taken up by traditional tunes. There was a long medley of four different fiddle reels; a version of “Reynardine” (a song about a seductive man — or is he a fox? Or perhaps both — which had been recorded by Swarbrick and Carthy on their most recent album); a 19th century song about a deserter saved from the firing squad by Prince Albert; and a long take on “Tam Lin”, one of the most famous pieces in the Scottish folk music canon, a song that has been adapted in different ways by everyone from the experimental noise band Current 93 to the dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah to the comics writer Grant Morrison: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”] And “Matty Groves”, a song about a man killing his cheating wife and her lover, which actually has a surprisingly similar story to that of “1921” from another great concept album from that year, the Who’s Tommy. “Matty Groves” became an excuse for long solos and shows of instrumental virtuosity: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves”] The album was recorded in September 1969, after their return from their break in the country and a triumphal performance at the Royal Festival Hall, headlining over fellow Witchseason artists John and Beverly Martyn and Nick Drake. It became a classic of the traditional folk genre — arguably *the* classic of the traditional folk genre. In 2007 BBC Radio 2’s Folk Music Awards gave it an award for most influential folk album of all time, and while such things are hard to measure, I doubt there’s anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of British folk and folk-rock music who would not at least consider that a reasonable claim. But once again, by the time the album came out in November, the band had changed lineups yet again. There was a fundamental split in the band – on one side were Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, whose stance was, roughly, that Liege and Lief was a great experiment and a fun thing to do once, but really the band had two first-rate songwriters in themselves, and that they should be concentrating on their own new material, not doing these old songs, good as they were. They wanted to take the form of the traditional songs and use that form for new material — they wanted to make British folk-rock, but with the emphasis on the rock side of things. Hutchings, on the other hand, was equally sure that he wanted to make traditional music and go further down the rabbit hole of antiquity. With the zeal of the convert he had gone in a couple of years from being the leader of a band who were labelled “the British Jefferson Airplane” to becoming a serious scholar of traditional folk music. Denny was tired of touring, as well — she wanted to spend more time at home with Trevor Lucas, who was sleeping with other women when she was away and making her insecure. When the time came for the group to go on a tour of Denmark, Denny decided she couldn’t make it, and Hutchings was jubilant — he decided he was going to get A.L. Lloyd into the band in her place and become a *real* folk group. Then Denny reconsidered, and Hutchings was crushed. He realised that while he had always been the leader, he wasn’t going to be able to lead the band any further in the traditionalist direction, and quit the group — but not before he was delegated by the other band members to fire Denny. Until the publication of Richard Thompson’s autobiography in 2022, every book on the group or its members said that Denny quit the band again, which was presumably a polite fiction that the band agreed, but according to Thompson “Before we flew home, we decided to fire Sandy. I don't remember who asked her to leave – it was probably Ashley, who usually did the dirty work. She was reportedly shocked that we would take that step. She may have been fragile beneath the confident facade, but she still knew her worth.” Thompson goes on to explain that the reasons for kicking her out were that “I suppose we felt that in her mind she had already left” and that “We were probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, though there wasn't a name for it back then.” They had considered inviting Trevor Lucas to join the band to make Denny more comfortable, but came to the (probably correct) conclusion that while he was someone they got on well with personally, he would be another big ego in a band that already had several, and that being around Denny and Lucas’ volatile relationship would, in Thompson’s phrasing, “have not always given one a feeling of peace and stability.” Hutchings originally decided he was going to join Sweeney’s Men, but that group were falling apart, and their first rehearsal with Hutchings would also be their last as a group, with only Hutchings and guitarist and mandolin player Terry Woods left in the band. They added Woods’ wife Gay, and another couple, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and formed a group called Steeleye Span, a name given them by Martin Carthy. That group, like Fairport, went to “get their heads together in the country” for three months and recorded an album of electric versions of traditional songs, Hark the Village Wait, on which Mattacks and another drummer, Gerry Conway, guested as Steeleye Span didn’t at the time have their own drummer: [Excerpt: Steeleye Span, “Blackleg Miner”] Steeleye Span would go on to have a moderately successful chart career in the seventies, but by that time most of the original lineup, including Hutchings, had left — Hutchings stayed with them for a few albums, then went on to form the first of a series of bands, all called the Albion Band or variations on that name, which continue to this day. And this is something that needs to be pointed out at this point — it is impossible to follow every single individual in this narrative as they move between bands. There is enough material in the history of the British folk-rock scene that someone could do a 500 Songs-style podcast just on that, and every time someone left Fairport, or Steeleye Span, or the Albion Band, or Matthews’ Southern Comfort, or any of the other bands we have mentioned or will mention, they would go off and form another band which would then fission, and some of its members would often join one of those other bands. There was a point in the mid-1970s where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport Convention while Fairport Convention had none. So just in order to keep the narrative anything like wieldy, I’m going to keep the narrative concentrated on the two figures from Fairport — Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson — whose work outside the group has had the most influence on the wider world of rock music more broadly, and only deal with the other members when, as they often did, their careers intersected with those two. That doesn’t mean the other members are not themselves hugely important musicians, just that their importance has been primarily to the folk side of the folk-rock genre, and so somewhat outside the scope of this podcast. While Hutchings decided to form a band that would allow him to go deeper and deeper into traditional folk music, Sandy Denny’s next venture was rather different. For a long time she had been writing far more songs than she had ever played for her bandmates, like “Nothing More”, a song that many have suggested is about Thompson: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Nothing More”] When Joe Boyd heard that Denny was leaving Fairport Convention, he was at first elated. Fairport’s records were being distributed by A&M in the US at that point, but Island Records was in the process of opening up a new US subsidiary which would then release all future Fairport product — *but*, as far as A&M were concerned, Sandy Denny *was* Fairport Convention. They were only interested in her. Boyd, on the other hand, loved Denny’s work intensely, but from his point of view *Richard Thompson* was Fairport Convention. If he could get Denny signed directly to A&M as a solo artist before Island started its US operations, Witchseason could get a huge advance on her first solo record, while Fairport could continue making records for Island — he’d have two lucrative acts, on different labels. Boyd went over and spoke to A&M and got an agreement in principle that they would give Denny a forty-thousand-dollar advance on her first solo album — twice what they were paying for Fairport albums. The problem was that Denny didn’t want to be a solo act. She wanted to be the lead singer of a band. She gave many reasons for this — the one she gave to many journalists was that she had seen a Judy Collins show and been impressed, but noticed that Collins’ band were definitely a “backing group”, and as she put it “But that's all they were – a backing group. I suddenly thought, If you're playing together on a stage you might as well be TOGETHER.” Most other people in her life, though, say that the main reason for her wanting to be in a band was her desire to be with her boyfriend, Trevor Lucas. Partly this was due to a genuine desire to spend more time with someone with whom she was very much in love, partly it was a fear that he would cheat on her if she was away from him for long periods of time, and part of it seems to have been Lucas’ dislike of being *too* overshadowed by his talented girlfriend — he didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a major talent, but he wanted to be thought of as at least a minor one. So instead of going solo, Denny formed Fotheringay, named after the song she had written for Fairport. This new band consisted at first of Denny on vocals and occasional piano, Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lucas’ old Eclection bandmate Gerry Conway on drums. For a lead guitarist, they asked Richard Thompson who the best guitarist in Britain was, and he told them Albert Lee. Lee in turn brought in bass player Pat Donaldson, but this lineup of the band barely survived a fortnight. Lee *was* arguably the best guitarist in Britain, certainly a reasonable candidate if you could ever have a singular best (as indeed was Thompson himself), but he was the best *country* guitarist in Britain, and his style simply didn’t fit with Fotheringay’s folk-influenced songs. He was replaced by American guitarist Jerry Donahue, who was not anything like as proficient as Lee, but who was still very good, and fit the band’s style much better. The new group rehearsed together for a few weeks, did a quick tour, and then went into the recording studio to record their debut, self-titled, album. Joe Boyd produced the album, but admitted himself that he only paid attention to those songs he considered worthwhile — the album contained one song by Lucas, “The Ballad of Ned Kelly”, and two cover versions of American singer-songwriter material with Lucas singing lead. But everyone knew that the songs that actually *mattered* were Sandy Denny’s, and Boyd was far more interested in them, particularly the songs “The Sea” and “The Pond and the Stream”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “The Pond and the Stream”] Fotheringay almost immediately hit financial problems, though. While other Witchseason acts were used to touring on the cheap, all packed together in the back of a Transit van with inexpensive equipment, Trevor Lucas had ambitions of being a rock star and wanted to put together a touring production to match, with expensive transport and equipment, including a speaker system that got nicknamed “Stonehenge” — but at the same time, Denny was unhappy being on the road, and didn’t play many gigs. As well as the band itself, the Fotheringay album also featured backing vocals from a couple of other people, including Denny’s friend Linda Peters. Peters was another singer from the folk clubs, and a good one, though less well-known than Denny — at this point she had only released a couple of singles, and those singles seemed to have been as much as anything else released as a novelty. The first of those, a version of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” had been released as by “Paul McNeill and Linda Peters”: [Excerpt: Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”] But their second single, a version of John D. Loudermilk’s “You’re Taking My Bag”, was released on the tiny Page One label, owned by Larry Page, and was released under the name “Paul and Linda”, clearly with the intent of confusing particularly gullible members of the record-buying public into thinking this was the McCartneys: [Excerpt: Paul and Linda, “You’re Taking My Bag”] Peters was though more financially successful than almost anyone else in this story, as she was making a great deal of money as a session singer. She actually did another session involving most of Fotheringay around this time. Witchseason had a number of excellent songwriters on its roster, and had had some success getting covers by people like Judy Collins, but Joe Boyd thought that they might possibly do better at getting cover versions if they were performed in less idiosyncratic arrangements. Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway went into the studio to record backing tracks, and vocals were added by Peters and another session singer, who according to some sources also provided piano. They cut songs by Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “You Get Brighter”] Ed Carter, formerly of The New Nadir but by this time firmly ensconced in the Beach Boys’ touring band where he would remain for the next quarter-century: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “I Don’t Mind”] John and Beverly Martyn, and Nick Drake: [Excerpt: Elton John, “Saturday Sun”] There are different lineups of musicians credited for those sessions in different sources, but I tend to believe that it’s mostly Fotheringay for the simple reason that Donahue says it was him, Donaldson and Conway who talked Lucas and Denny into the mistake that destroyed Fotheringay because of these sessions. Fotheringay were in financial trouble already, spending far more money than they were bringing in, but their album made the top twenty and they were getting respect both from critics and from the public — in September, Sandy Denny was voted best British female singer by the readers of Melody Maker in their annual poll, which led to shocked headlines in the tabloids about how this “unknown” could have beaten such big names as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Only a couple of weeks after that, they were due to headline at the Albert Hall. It should have been a triumph. But Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway had asked that singing pianist to be their support act. As Donahue said later “That was a terrible miscast. It was our fault. He asked if [he] could do it. Actually Pat, Gerry and I had to talk Sandy and Trevor into [it]… We'd done these demos and the way he was playing – he was a wonderful piano player – he was sensitive enough. We knew very little about his stage-show. We thought he'd be a really good opener for us.” Unfortunately, Elton John was rather *too* good. As Donahue continued “we had no idea what he had in mind, that he was going to do the most incredible rock & roll show ever. He pretty much blew us off the stage before we even got on the stage.” To make matters worse, Fotheringay’s set, which was mostly comprised of new material, was underrehearsed and sloppy, and from that point on no matter what they did people were counting the hours until the band split up. They struggled along for a while though, and started working on a second record, with Boyd again producing, though as Boyd later said “I probably shouldn't have been producing the record. My lack of respect for the group was clear, and couldn't have helped the atmosphere. We'd put out a record that had sold disappointingly, A&M was unhappy. Sandy's tracks on the first record are among the best things she ever did – the rest of it, who cares? And the artwork, Trevor's sister, was terrible. It would have been one thing if I'd been unhappy with it and it sold, and the group was working all the time, making money, but that wasn't the case … I knew what Sandy was capable of, and it was very upsetting to me.” The record would not be released for thirty-eight years: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Wild Mountain Thyme”] Witchseason was going badly into debt. Given all the fissioning of bands that we’ve already been talking about, Boyd had been stretched thin — he produced sixteen albums in 1970, and almost all of them lost money for the company. And he was getting more and more disillusioned with the people he was producing. He loved Beverly Martyn’s work, but had little time for her abusive husband John, who was dominating her recording and life more and more and would soon become a solo artist while making her stay at home (and stealing her ideas without giving her songwriting credit). The Incredible String Band were great, but they had recently converted to Scientology, which Boyd found annoying, and while he was working with all sorts of exciting artists like Vashti Bunyan and Nico, he was finding himself less and less important to the artists he mentored. Fairport Convention were a good example of this. After Denny and Hutchings had left the group, they’d decided to carry on as an electric folk group, performing an equal mix of originals by the Swarbrick and Thompson songwriting team and arrangements of traditional songs. The group were now far enough away from the “British Jefferson Airplane” label that they decided they didn’t need a female vocalist — and more realistically, while they’d been able to replace Judy Dyble, nobody was going to replace Sandy Denny. Though it’s rather surprising when one considers Thompson’s subsequent career that nobody seems to have thought of bringing in Denny’s friend Linda Peters, who was dating Joe Boyd at the time (as Denny had been before she met Lucas) as Denny’s replacement. Instead, they decided that Swarbrick and Thompson were going to share the vocals between them. They did, though, need a bass player to replace Hutchings. Swarbrick wanted to bring in Dave Pegg, with whom he had played in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, but the other band members initially thought the idea was a bad one. At the time, while they respected Swarbrick as a musician, they didn’t think he fully understood rock and roll yet, and they thought the idea of getting in a folkie who had played double bass rather than an electric rock bassist ridiculous. But they auditioned him to mollify Swarbrick, and found that he was exactly what they needed. As Joe Boyd later said “All those bass lines were great, Ashley invented them all, but he never could play them that well. He thought of them, but he was technically not a terrific bass player. He was a very inventive, melodic, bass player, but not a very powerful one technically. But having had the part explained to him once, Pegg was playing it better than Ashley had ever played it… In some rock bands, I think, ultimately, the bands that sound great, you can generally trace it to the bass player… it was at that point they became a great band, when they had Pegg.” The new lineup of Fairport decided to move in together, and found a former pub called the Angel, into which all the band members moved, along with their partners and children (Thompson was the only one who was single at this point) and their roadies. The group lived together quite happily, and one gets the impression that this was the period when they were most comfortable with each other, even though by this point they were a disparate group with disparate tastes, in music as in everything else. Several people have said that the only music all the band members could agree they liked at this point was the first two albums by The Band. With the departure of Hutchings from the band, Swarbrick and Thompson, as the strongest personalities and soloists, became in effect the joint leaders of the group, and they became collaborators as songwriters, trying to write new songs that were inspired by traditional music. Thompson described the process as “let’s take one line of this reel and slow it down and move it up a minor third and see what that does to it; let’s take one line of this ballad and make a whole song out of it. Chopping up the tradition to find new things to do… like a collage.” Generally speaking, Swarbrick and Thompson would sit by the fire and Swarbrick would play a melody he’d been working on, the two would work on it for a while, and Thompson would then go away and write the lyrics. This is how the two came up with songs like the nine-minute “Sloth”, a highlight of the next album, Full House, and one that would remain in Fairport’s live set for much of their career: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth”] “Sloth” was titled that way because Thompson and Swarbrick were working on two tunes, a slow one and a fast one, and they jokingly named them “Sloth” and “Fasth”, but the latter got renamed to “Walk Awhile”, while “Sloth” kept its working title. But by this point, Boyd and Thompson were having a lot of conflict in the studio. Boyd was never the most technical of producers — he was one of those producers whose job is to gently guide the artists in the studio and create a space for the music to flourish, rather than the Joe Meek type with an intimate technical knowledge of the studio — and as the artists he was working with gained confidence in their own work they felt they had less and less need of him. During the making of the Full House album, Thompson and Boyd, according to Boyd, clashed on everything — every time Boyd thought Thompson had done a good solo, Thompson would say to erase it and let him have another go, while every time Boyd thought Thompson could do better, Thompson would say that was the take to keep. One of their biggest clashes was over Thompson’s song “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”, which was originally intended for release on the album, and is included in current reissues of it: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”] Thompson had written that song inspired by what he thought was the unjust treatment of Alex Bramham, the driver in Fairport’s fatal car crash, by the courts — Bramham had been given a prison sentence of a few months for dangerous driving, while the group members thought he had not been at fault. Boyd thought it was one of the best things recorded for the album, but Thompson wasn’t happy with his vocal — there was one note at the top of the melody that he couldn’t quite hit — and insisted it be kept off the record, even though that meant it would be a shorter album than normal. He did this at such a late stage that early copies of the album actually had the title printed on the sleeve, but then blacked out. He now says in his autobiography “I could have persevered, double-tracked the voice, warmed up for longer – anything. It was a good track, and the record was lacking without it. When the album was re-released, the track was restored with a more confident vocal, and it has stayed there ever since.” During the sessions for Full House the group also recorded one non-album single, Thompson and Swarbrick’s “Now Be Thankful”: [Excerpt, Fairport Convention, “Now Be Thankful”] The B-side to that was a medley of two traditional tunes plus a Swarbrick original, but was given the deliberately ridiculous title “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”] The B. McKenzie in the title was a reference to the comic-strip character Barry McKenzie, a stereotype drunk Australian created for Private Eye magazine by the comedian Barry Humphries (later to become better known for his Dame Edna Everage character) but the title was chosen for one reason only — to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the song with the longest title. Which they did, though they were later displaced by the industrial band Test Dept, and their song “Long Live British Democracy Which Flourishes and Is Constantly Perfected Under the Immaculate Guidance of the Great, Honourable, Generous and Correct Margaret Hilda Thatcher. She Is the Blue Sky in the Hearts of All Nations. Our People Pay Homage and Bow in Deep Respect and Gratitude to Her. The Milk of Human Kindness”. Full House got excellent reviews in the music press, with Rolling Stone saying “The music shows that England has finally gotten her own equivalent to The Band… By calling Fairport an English equivalent of the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they maintain their roots in rock.” Off the back of this, the group went on their first US tour, culminating in a series of shows at the Troubadour in LA, on the same bill as Rick Nelson, which were recorded and later released as a live album: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth (live)”] The Troubadour was one of the hippest venues at the time, and over their residency there the group got seen by many celebrities, some of whom joined them on stage. The first was Linda Ronstadt, who initially demurred, saying she didn’t know any of their songs. On being told they knew all of hers, she joined in with a rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”. Thompson was later asked to join Ronstadt’s backing band, who would go on to become the Eagles, but he said later of this offer “I would have hated it. I’d have hated being on the road with four or five miserable Americans — they always seem miserable. And if you see them now, they still look miserable on stage — like they don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other.” The group were also joined on stage at the Troubadour on one memorable night by some former bandmates of Pegg’s. Before joining the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Pegg had played around the Birmingham beat scene, and had been in bands with John Bonham and Robert Plant, who turned up to the Troubadour with their Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page (reports differ on whether the fourth member of Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, also came along). They all got up on stage together and jammed on songs like “Hey Joe”, “Louie Louie”, and various old Elvis tunes. The show was recorded, and the tapes are apparently still in the possession of Joe Boyd, who has said he refuses to release them in case he is murdered by the ghost of Peter Grant. According to Thompson, that night ended in a three-way drinking contest between Pegg, Bonham, and Janis Joplin, and it’s testament to how strong the drinking culture is around Fairport and the British folk scene in general that Pegg outdrank both of them. According to Thompson, Bonham was found naked by a swimming pool two days later, having missed two gigs. For all their hard rock image, Led Zeppelin were admirers of a lot of the British folk and folk-rock scene, and a few months later Sandy Denny would become the only outside vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin record when she duetted with Plant on “The Battle of Evermore” on the group’s fourth album: [Excerpt: Led Zeppelin, “The Battle of Evermore”] Denny would never actually get paid for her appearance on one of the best-selling albums of all time. That was, incidentally, not the only session that Denny was involved in around this time — she also sang on the soundtrack to a soft porn film titled Swedish Fly Girls, whose soundtrack was produced by Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow?”] Shortly after Fairport’s trip to America, Joe Boyd decided he was giving up on Witchseason. The company was now losing money, and he was finding himself having to produce work for more and more acts as the various bands fissioned. The only ones he really cared about were Richard Thompson, who he was finding it more and more difficult to work with, Nick Drake, who wanted to do his next album with just an acoustic guitar anyway, Sandy Denny, who he felt was wasting her talents in Fotheringay, and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, who was more distant since his conversion to Scientology. Boyd did make some attempts to keep the company going. On a trip to Sweden, he negotiated an agreement with the manager and publisher of a Swedish band whose songs he’d found intriguing, the Hep Stars. Boyd was going to publish their songs in the UK, and in return that publisher, Stig Anderson, would get the rights to Witchseason’s catalogue in Scandinavia — a straight swap, with no money changing hands. But before Boyd could get round to signing the paperwork, he got a better offer from Mo Ostin of Warners — Ostin wanted Boyd to come over to LA and head up Warners’ new film music department. Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to LA with his fiancee Linda Peters, spending the next few years working on music for films like Deliverance and A Clockwork Orange, as well as making his own documentary about Jimi Hendrix, and thus missed out on getting the UK publishing rights for ABBA, and all the income that would have brought him, for no money. And it was that decision that led to the breakup of Fotheringay. Just before Christmas 1970, Fotheringay were having a difficult session, recording the track “John the Gun”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “John the Gun”] Boyd got frustrated and kicked everyone out of the session, and went for a meal and several drinks with Denny. He kept insisting that she should dump the band and just go solo, and then something happened that the two of them would always describe differently. She asked him if he would continue to produce her records if she went solo, and he said he would. According to Boyd’s recollection of the events, he meant that he would fly back from California at some point to produce her records. According to Denny, he told her that if she went solo he would stay in Britain and not take the job in LA. This miscommunication was only discovered after Denny told the rest of Fotheringay after the Christmas break that she was splitting the band. Jerry Donahue has described that as the worst moment of his life, and Denny felt very guilty about breaking up a band with some of her closest friends in — and then when Boyd went over to the US anyway she felt a profound betrayal. Two days before Fotheringay’s final concert, in January 1971, Sandy Denny signed a solo deal with Island records, but her first solo album would not end up produced by Joe Boyd. Instead, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens was co-produced by Denny, John Wood — the engineer who had worked with Boyd on pretty much everything he’d produced, and Richard Thompson, who had just quit Fairport Convention, though he continued living with them at the Angel, at least until a truck crashed into the building in February 1971, destroying its entire front wall and forcing them to relocate. The songs chosen for The North Star Grassman and the Ravens reflected the kind of choices Denny would make on her future albums, and her eclectic taste in music. There was, of course, the obligatory Dylan cover, and the traditional folk ballad “Blackwaterside”, but there was also a cover version of Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”] Most of the album, though, was made up of originals about various people in Denny’s life, like “Next Time Around”, about her ex-boyfriend Jackson C Frank: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Next Time Around”] The album made the top forty in the UK — Denny’s only solo album to do so — and led to her once again winning the “best female singer” award in Melody Maker’s readers’ poll that year — the male singer award was won by Rod Stewart. Both Stewart and Denny appeared the next year on the London Symphony Orchestra’s all-star version of The Who’s Tommy, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Stewart before Roger Daltrey got involved. Stewart’s role was reduced to a single song, “Pinball Wizard”, while Denny sang on “It’s a Boy”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “It’s a Boy”] While Fotheringay had split up, all the band members play on The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Guitarists Donahue and Lucas only play on a couple of the tracks, with Richard Thompson playing most of the guitar on the record. But Fotheringay’s rhythm section of Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway play on almost every track. Another musician on the album, Ian Whiteman, would possibly have a profound effect on the future direction of Richard Thompson’s career and life. Whiteman was the former keyboard player for the mod band The Action, having joined them just before they became the blues-rock band Mighty Baby. But Mighty Baby had split up when all of the band except the lead singer had converted to Islam. Richard Thompson was on his own spiritual journey at this point, and became a Sufi – the same branch of Islam as Whiteman – soon after the session, though Thompson has said that his conversion was independent of Whiteman’s. The two did become very close and work together a lot in the mid-seventies though. Thompson had supposedly left Fairport because he was writing material that wasn’t suited to the band, but he spent more than a year after quitting the group working on sessions rather than doing anything with his own material, and these sessions tended to involve the same core group of musicians. One of the more unusual was a folk-rock supergroup called The Bunch, put together by Trevor Lucas. Richard Branson had recently bought a recording studio, and wanted a band to test it out before opening it up for commercial customers, so with this free studio time Lucas decided to record a set of fifties rock and roll covers. He gathered together Thompson, Denny, Whiteman, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway, pianist Tony Cox, the horn section that would later form the core of the Average White Band, and Linda Peters, who had now split up with Joe Boyd and returned to the UK, and who had started dating Thompson. They recorded an album of covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Otis and others: [Excerpt: The Bunch, “Willie and the Hand Jive”] The early seventies was a hugely productive time for this group of musicians, as they all continued playing on each other’s projects. One notable album was No Roses by Shirley Collins, which featured Thompson, Mattacks, Whiteman, Simon Nicol, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Ashley Hutchings, who was at that point married to Collins, as well as some more unusual musicians like the free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill: [Excerpt: Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band, “Claudy Banks”] Collins was at the time the most respected female singer in British traditional music, and already had a substantial career including a series of important records made with her sister Dolly, work with guitarists like Davey Graham, and time spent in the 1950s collecting folk songs in the Southern US with her then partner Alan Lomax – according to Collins she did much of the actual work, but Lomax only mentioned her in a single sentence in his book on this work. Some of the same group of musicians went on to work on an album of traditional Morris dancing tunes, titled Morris On, credited to “Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield”, with Collins singing lead on two tracks: [Excerpt: Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with Shirley Collins, “The Willow Tree”] Thompson thought that that album was the best of the various side projects he was involved in at the time, comparing it favourably to Rock On, which he thought was rather slight, saying later “Conceptually, Fairport, Ashley and myself and Sandy were developing a more fragile style of music that nobody else was particularly interested in, a British Folk Rock idea that had a logical development to it, although we all presented it our own way. Morris On was rather more true to what we were doing. Rock On was rather a retro step. I'm not sure it was lasting enough as a record but Sandy did sing really well on the Buddy Holly songs.” Hutchings used the musicians on No Roses and Morris On as the basis for his band the Albion Band, which continues to this day. Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks both quit Fairport to join the Albion Band, though Mattacks soon returned. Nicol would not return to Fairport for several years, though, and for a long period in the mid-seventies Fairport Convention had no original members. Unfortunately, while Collins was involved in the Albion Band early on, she and Hutchings ended up divorcing, and the stress from the divorce led to Collins developing spasmodic dysphonia, a stress-related illness which makes it impossible for the sufferer to sing. She did eventually regain her vocal ability, but between 1978 and 2016 she was unable to perform at all, and lost decades of her career. Richard Thompson occasionally performed with the Albion Band early on, but he was getting stretched a little thin with all these sessions. Linda Peters said later of him “When I came back from America, he was working in Sandy’s band, and doing sessions by the score. Always with Pat Donaldson and Dave Mattacks. Richard would turn up with his guitar, one day he went along to do a session with one of those folkie lady singers — and there were Pat and DM. They all cracked. Richard smashed his amp and said “Right! No more sessions!” In 1972 he got round to releasing his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, which featured guest appearances by Linda Peters and Sandy Denny among others: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “The Angels Took My Racehorse Away”] Unfortunately, while that album has later become regarded as one of the classics of its genre, at the time it was absolutely slated by the music press. The review in Melody Maker, for example, read in part “Some of Richard Thompson’s ideas sound great – which is really the saving grace of this album, because most of the music doesn’t. The tragedy is that Thompson’s “British rock music” is such an unconvincing concoction… Even the songs that do integrate rock and traditional styles of electric guitar rhythms and accordion and fiddle decoration – and also include explicit, meaningful lyrics are marred by bottle-up vocals, uninspiring guitar phrases and a general lack of conviction in performance.” Henry the Human Fly was released in the US by Warners, who had a reciprocal licensing deal with Island (and for whom Joe Boyd was working at the time, which may have had something to do with that) but according to Thompson it became the lowest-selling record that Warners ever put out (though I’ve also seen that claim made about Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle, another album that has later been rediscovered). Thompson was hugely depressed by this reaction, and blamed his own singing. Happily, though, by this point he and Linda had become a couple — they would marry in 1972 — and they started playing folk clubs as a duo, or sometimes in a trio with Simon Nicol. Thompson was also playing with Sandy Denny’s backing band at this point, and played on every track on her second solo album, Sandy. This album was meant to be her big commercial breakthrough, with a glamorous cover photo by David Bailey, and with a more American sound, including steel guitar by Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose overdubs were supervised in LA by Joe Boyd): [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Tomorrow is a Long Time”] The album was given a big marketing push by Island, and “Listen, Listen” was made single of the week on the Radio 1 Breakfast show: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Listen, Listen”] But it did even worse than the previous album, sending her into something of a depression. Linda Thompson (as the former Linda Peters now was) said of this period “After the Sandy album, it got her down that her popularity didn't suddenly increase in leaps and bounds, and that was the start of her really fretting about the way her career was going. Things only escalated after that. People like me or Martin Carthy or Norma Waterson would think, ‘What are you on about? This is folk music.'” After Sandy’s release, Denny realised she could no longer afford to tour with a band, and so went back to performing just acoustically or on piano. The only new music to be released by either of these ex-members of Fairport Convention in 1973 was, oddly, on an album by the band they were no longer members of. After Thompson had left Fairport, the group had managed to release two whole albums with the same lineup — Swarbrick, Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks. But then Nicol and Mattacks had both quit the band to join the Albion Band with their former bandmate Ashley Hutchings, leading to a situation where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport plus their longtime drummer while Fairport Convention itself had no original members and was down to just Swarbrick and Pegg. Needing to fulfil their contracts, they then recruited three former members of Fotheringay — Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Donahue on lead guitar, and Conway on drums. Conway was only a session player at the time, and Mattacks soon returned to the band, but Lucas and Donahue became full-time members. This new lineup of Fairport Convention released two albums in 1973, widely regarded as the group’s most inconsistent records, and on the title track of the first, “Rosie”, Richard Thompson guested on guitar, with Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson on backing vocals: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Rosie”] Neither Sandy Denny nor Richard Thompson released a record themselves in 1973, but in neither case was this through the artists’ choice. The record industry was changing in the early 1970s, as we’ll see in later episodes, and was less inclined to throw good money after bad in the pursuit of art. Island Records prided itself on being a home for great artists, but it was still a business, and needed to make money. We’ll talk about the OPEC oil crisis and its effect on the music industry much more when the podcast gets to 1973, but in brief, the production of oil by the US peaked in 1970 and started to decrease, leading to them importing more and more oil from the Middle East. As a result of this, oil prices rose slowly between 1971 and 1973, then very quickly towards the end of 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict that year. As vinyl is made of oil, suddenly producing records became much more expensive, and in this period a lot of labels decided not to release already-completed albums, until what they hoped would be a brief period of shortages passed. Both Denny and Thompson recorded albums at this point that got put to one side by Island. In the case of Thompson, it was the first album by Richard and Linda as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Today, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as one of the two masterpieces that bookended Richard and Linda’s career as a duo and their marriage. But when they recorded the album, full of Richard’s dark songs, it was the opposite of commercial. Even a song that’s more or less a boy-girl song, like “Has He Got a Friend for Me?” has lyrics like “He wouldn’t notice me passing by/I could be in the gutter, or dangling down from a tree” [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “Has He got a Friend For Me?”] While something like “The Calvary Cross” is oblique and haunted, and seems to cast a pall over the entire album: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “The Calvary Cross”] The album itself had been cheap to make — it had been recorded in only a week, with Thompson bringing in musicians he knew well and had worked with a lot previously to cut the tracks as-live in only a handful of takes — but Island didn’t think it was worth releasing. The record stayed on the shelf for nearly a year after recording, until Island got a new head of A&R, Richard Williams. Williams said of the album’s release “Muff Winwood had been doing A&R, but he was more interested in production… I had a conversation with Muff as soon as I got there, and he said there are a few hangovers, some outstanding problems. And one of them was Richard Thompson. He said there’s this album we gave him the money to make — which was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight — and nobody’s very interested in it. Henry the Human Fly had been a bit of a commercial disappointment, and although Island was altruistic and independent and known for only recording good stuff, success was important… Either a record had to do well or somebody had to believe in it a lot. And it seemed as if neither of those things were true at that point of Richard.” Williams, though, was hugely impressed when he listened to the album. He compared Richard Thompson’s guitar playing to John Coltrane’s sax, and called Thompson “the folk poet of the rainy streets”, but also said “Linda brightened it, made it more commercial. and I thought that “Bright Lights” itself seemed a really commercial song.” The rest of the management at Island got caught up in Williams’ enthusiasm, and even decided to release the title track as a single: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Neither single nor album charted — indeed it would not be until 1991 that Richard Thompson would make a record that made the top forty in the UK — but the album got enough critical respect that Richard and Linda released two albums the year after. The first of these, Hokey Pokey, is a much more upbeat record than their previous one — Richard Thompson has called it “quite a music-hall influenced record” and cited the influence of George Formby and Harry Lauder. For once, the claim of music hall influence is audible in the music. Usually when a British musician is claimed to have a music ha

christmas america god tv american family california death live australia church english lord uk men battle england action olympic games americans british song friend gratitude solo australian radio holidays mind dm guns north america current songs irish grammy band track island middle east wind wall hearts sweden daughter sea jump britain muslims beatles eagles lights plant records breakfast islam farewell cd boy rolling stones thompson scottish milk birmingham elvis stream denmark swedish drunk rock and roll flood unicorns loyalty north american deliverance morris ravens longtime sanders folk bob dylan victorian elton john generous marry abba dolly parton peters playboy john lennon faced blue sky rabbit ballad matthews pink floyd brotherhood generally richard branson boyd pond sailors led zeppelin johns santa monica dreamer bbc radio candle happily needing beach boys eps jimi hendrix conway scientology millennium transit fleetwood mac excerpt kami goin kinks scandinavia full house quran alice cooper rendezvous sloths stonehenge sweeney rails bow tidal covington rod stewart tilt paul simon rufus opec mccabe hark kate bush peter gabriel sex pistols donaldson janis joplin mixcloud guinness book hampshire white man hilo brian eno sufi bright lights garfunkel partly zorn rowland john coltrane clockwork orange zeppelin messina chopping buddy holly jimmy page robert plant jerry lee lewis donahue evermore private eyes jethro tull byrds linda ronstadt lal lief troubadour first light easy rider searchers emmylou harris prince albert nick drake lomax islander honourable sumer scientologists broomsticks larry page accordion rafferty richard williams baker street edwardian dusty springfield steve miller band arab israeli steve winwood bonham roger daltrey london symphony orchestra everly brothers john bonham john cale judy collins david bailey richard thompson john paul jones island records muff hutchings southern comfort mike love liege brenda lee john wood all nations ned kelly dimming geer pegg rock on hokey pokey loggins robert fripp adir fairport convention fats waller page one pinball wizard warners cilla black gerry conway roches tam lin average white band conceptually alan lomax southern us royal festival hall louie louie barry humphries wild mountain thyme albert hall melody maker linda thompson flying burrito brothers gerry rafferty swarbrick peter grant thompsons willow tree big pink carthy ian campbell rick nelson roger mcguinn benjamin zephaniah chris blackwell martha wainwright human kindness albert lee white dress van dyke parks glass eyes ink spots sandy denny rob young fairport ronstadt joe boyd vashti bunyan tony cox joe meek damascene glyn johns incredible string band shirley collins ewan maccoll bruce johnston george formby martin carthy dame edna everage steeleye span chrysalis records music from big pink human fly johnny otis painstaking robin campbell eliza carthy i write unthanks wahabi tim hart maddy prior i wish i was silver threads norma waterson fool for you ostin iron lion judy dyble doing wrong john d loudermilk simon nicol vincent black lightning dave pegg dave swarbrick henry mccullough smiffy only women bleed sir b windsor davies paul mcneill davey graham mick houghton tilt araiza
Persons Unknown
Annette Morgan (Unsolved Murder)

Persons Unknown

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2025 28:15 Transcription Available


Annette Morgan was about to start a new chapter in her young life. The 18 year old had recently left her science course at the University of Sydney for a new role as a trainee radiologist. On Friday October 28th 1977 Annette returned to Sydney from her family home in Warners to visit the friends she had made during her time at university. Early the following morning Annette set off to visit a male friend who was a resident of St Paul's college. Annette never completed her journey and her body was found hours later in a small gulley in the university grounds. She had been beaten, strangled and raped. Identikits were put together of two separate individuals police were hoping to trace but her case has never been closed. Sources for the episode can be found hereSupport the showFollow Persons Unknown: Instagram and FacebookEmail: personsunknownpod@gmail.comWebsite with Transcripts:https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com/

Rock's Backpages
E201: Bob Merlis on Warner Bros. + Little Feat + Neil Young audio

Rock's Backpages

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 79:52


For this episode we're joined – all the way from L.A. – by special guest Bob Merlis. The former head of publicity at Warner-Reprise Records in Burbank talks us through his musical odyssey from his Brooklyn childhood to his continuing PR work for the likes of ZZ Top and Carlene Carter. We hear about Bob's start at Record World in late '60s New York and the early '70s pieces he wrote for that trade publication and for Warners' short-lived Words & Music. Our guest then talks about his brief stints at RCA and Albert Grossman's Bearsville Records before touching on key acts and moments in the nearly three decades he spent in Burbank: Little Feat's Lowell George, Jerry Wexler producing Etta James and Warners president Joe Smith roasting the infamous Morris Levy. Clips from Dave Zimmer's 1988 audio interview with Neil Young prompt discussion of that quintessential Reprise artist (and his comrades in CSNY). After Mark quotes from pieces about Elektra Records dropping the MC5 and free-improv guitarist Derek Bailey, Jasper talks us out with reflections on the musical passions of footballer Rio Ferdinand and Houston rapper Chamillionaire. Many thanks to special guest Bob Merlis. For info on Bob's PR work, visit https://mfhpr.com/m-f-h-at-20. Pieces discussed: R&B is B(l)ack and Involved, Jerry Wexler Crosses Tracks for Tony Joe, Todd Rundgren Warps Time, Lowell George Talks About Little Feat, Little Feat Keeps On Truckin', Little Feat: How To Construct a "Critics' Band", Neil Young audio, Elektra Records Kicks Out MC5, Derek Bailey: Themes on Improvisation, The Record Doctor: Rio Ferdinand and Chamillionaire: Change.

Behind The Lens
BEHIND THE LENS #468: Featuring Peter Browngardt

Behind The Lens

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 58:25


We go from one end of the spectrum to the other this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we take a look at writer/director Atom Egoyan's dramatic new thriller SEVEN VEILS and everyone's favorite (and looney) pig and duck, Porky and Daffy, in writer/director Peter Browngardt's feature animated directorial debut LOONEY TUNES: THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP. First up today is my exclusive interview with one of my longtime favorite directors – ATOM EGOYAN. Written &mps; Directed by Atom, SEVEN VEILS stars Amanda Seyfried who reunites with Atom after their 2015 film Chloe, as well as Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Mark O'Brien, Vinessa Antoine, Ambur Braid, Michael Kupfer-Radecky. Premised on the biblical tale of Salome, which has been told in countless ways over the years, most notably as a 19th-century opera by Richard Strauss and written by Oscar Wilde, Atom has taken his love for the tale which he has directed on the stage numerous times since 1996 and now explores what a production of Salome would mean in our current culture. This led him to write SEVEN VEILS about a remount of Salome that he filmed at the same time the opera was being performed on stage by the Canadian Opera Company in 2023, using the opera singers from Salome in the film. Switching gears now, we go from the seductive and sensual to sarcasm, satire, slapstick, and pure unadulterated joy with Porky Pig and Daffy Duck in LOONEY TUNES: THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP and my exclusive conversation with writer/director/animator PETER BROWNGARDT. Listen as Peter talks about animation and dialogue going hand in hand aka what came first the pig or the duck egg and working with 11 writers/animators to develop the emotion through drawing, dialogue and voicing, the classic hand-drawn visuals, paying homage to the past – including many classic films – while adding some contemporary notes, melding genres, music and score, getting a greenlight from Warners to make the film, and of course Peter's own learning curve with his first feature after hundreds of Looney Tunes shorts. http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

Utterly Nonsense
Everything Wrong With Multiversus

Utterly Nonsense

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 41:50


In the Act 3 finale of the "WTF Happened to Multiversus?" saga, we reach our boiling point with this soon-to-be vaporware of a game. This is a roast of every half-baked feature that Player First Games put on the pass while Warners went out for a smoke and let the money burn. Did dysfunctional management ultimately get the entire development team fired, or was the spark of inspiration that Multiversus once had dwarfed by a blaze of freemium nontent? Find out in this sizzling conclusion.Get your fill of nonsense on utterlynonsense.com.

Reformed Journal
“November Cold” by Dave Warners

Reformed Journal

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 11:28


In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal, Rose Postma interviews Dave Warners about his poem “November Cold.” Beginning in 1997, Warners has been teaching Botany and Ecology at Calvin University. Since 2009 he has directed Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS), a faith-based watershed initiative based at Calvin. Dave also teaches at Au Sable Institute in Northern Michigan and with the Creation Care Studies Program in New Zealand and Belize. In 2019 Dave and colleague Matthew Heun published Beyond Stewardship, an edited volume that explores new ways oft  understanding humanity's place in creation. Dave and co-founder of PCS Gail Heffner will be publishing Ken-O-Sha: Working Towards Reconciliation in an American Watershed in early 2024 with Michigan State University Press. For fun Dave enjoys a variety of activities with his wife Teri, including bicycling, gardening, cooking, camping, and spending time with good friends.

The Face Radio
Alvorhythms - Alvin C // 02-10-24

The Face Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 59:45


Seminal Balearic staple 'Jibaro' gets a 2024 overhaul by Daniele Baldelli & Dionigi, and Primal Scream go spiritual on 'Ready To Go Home' which is remixed by Terry Farley & Wade Teo. Former Leftfield featured vocalist Danny Red hooks up with Silvertooth on a forthcoming single called 'Just Check It' and the Too Slow To Disco label unearth Michael Franks from the Warners back catalogue and give it a makeover by DoctortSoul. We have a new dreamy single from East Coast Love Affair and vinyl pulled from the shelves by Bim Sherman, Bomb The Bass, Scritti Politti, Liquid Liquid, UTFO with Full Force, plus a couple of edits from the mysterious Betty Botox.For more info and tracklisting, visit: https://thefaceradio.com/alvorhythms,/Tune into new broadcasts of Alvorhythms, Wednesdays from 7 AM - 8 AM EST / Midday - 1 PM GMT.//Dig this show? Please consider supporting The Face Radio: http://support.thefaceradio.com Support The Face Radio with PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/thefaceradio. Join the family at https://plus.acast.com/s/thefaceradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

acast full force primal scream warners scritti politti michael franks utfo bomb the bass liquid liquid dionigi daniele baldelli terry farley face radio silvertooth
Hacking The Afterlife podcast
Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Rich Martini, Luana Anders and Robert Towne

Hacking The Afterlife podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2024 36:50


This is one of those podcasts that I can't really begin to comprehend, understand, other than to allow that the over four decades I knew Robert Towne, it was like I was put in his path so I could do this interview. Robert was a prolific writer, some consider to be the greatest screenwriter who put pen to paper (or pages in a Selectric.)  Robert asked me to do this interview before he passed, made me promise.  I have sent the unedited version to his friends and family (without some pauses and spaces) and this version is slightly shorter - but not by much. Where to begin? I spent three years walking his dog Hira - and when I told him I wanted to direct, he said "I think that would be a good idea, but you'll make mild comedies."  He was right. I've written and or directed 8 of them that most haven't seen or are aware of. But while working for him, I got to know many of his closest pals - some who are offstage, some who are onstage - and in this interview I asked for his opinion about some of them. I introduced him to Jennifer about five years ago - he was a skeptic until we did a session and he was able to learn new information from people offstage.  He learned new information from his dog Hira. He learned new information from people I didn't know, never met - nor could Jennifer. I use first names in this interview, because that's all Jennifer needs. She doesn't recall the contents of our sessions - and she did a couple with Robert, but has done sessions with me weekly for 8 years.  She does sessions with law enforcement daily - and like an "Etch a Sketch" wipes her awareness clear each time. But for whatever reason, we can bypass the filters, talk to people offstage together. We do this podcast to demonstrated that anyone can.  I recommend watching this on the HACKING THE AFTERLIFE podcast because in the video version I put up subtitles as to who was being referenced.  Not hard to figure out - but Fred Roos, Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn are mentioned. John Shaner. These folks were friends of his.  In some cases I didn't mention their names - and referred to them in Italian, because I know that Robert knows who I'm referring to, even if Jennifer does not. In the case of Eddie Taylor, we put to bed the idea he was the person who wrote Chinatown. It's a live demonstration of how people can speak to their loved ones offstage. Learn new information.  You don't need Jennifer (but it helps.)  We've been doing this weekly for 8 years. Jennifer did a number of sessions with Robert, and I filmed at least two.  Love is all there is. We come to the planet to have an experience with our loved ones, friends, animals. "It's over in the blink of an eye."  If one takes away anything from this session it's to realize that it's possible they still exist, that it's possible that we can communicate with them, it's possible that our pets, animals, loved ones still exist, are able to help us, reach out to us - keep an eye on us. Two things: the reference to the "monkey scene" in the film "Five Easy Pieces" (written by Robert's friend Carol Eastman (listed as Adrien Joyce) and directed by his pal Bob Rafelson.  It's possible he's referring to favorite dialogue, instead of "favorite lines he wrote" - because I have no awareness of his writing scenes for this movie (even though he did it for so many others, sometimes without credit like Bonnie and Clyde, Godfather and others).  But here's the dialog that he's referencing: Excerpt from “Five Easy Pieces” : Helena Kallianiotes is an over talkative hitchhiker:  Jack Nicholson is driving. (Just after the infamous table clearing scene)  Helena: (Palm) “Fantastic! .. I would have just punched her out... People... oof  (shakes her head) Animals are not like that... always cleaning themselves.  Pigeons! Always picking bugs out of their hair. Monkeys too. Except  monkeys do things out in the open that I don't go for.”  Bobby's eyes glazed over as he stares out through the windshield.  Helena: “I was in this place once, store with snakes, monkeys, everything  you could imagine. I walked in, had to run out. It stunk! They didn't  even have incense.. Filth you wouldn't believe! I don't even want to talk about it!”  (From “Five Easy Pieces” written by Robert's pal, Luana's roommate,  Carole Eastman, directed by Robert's pal Bob Rafelson, starring their pal Jack Nicholson. 1970) (Interesting to note; this dialog is in the script, but doesn't appear in the filmed version, some of the lines do, but the monkey part does not.  Robert like to say writing was "monkeys at a typewriter" until they get it right. When he left his deal at Warner Bros over the editing of "Personal Best" we took everything out of his bungalow except a giant stuffed toy ape that Warners had given him, and set him behind a studio typewriter with the page quoting Robert about monkeys at a typewriter. (Not his idea, mine and Richard Prince's) With his daughter's permission, here is the poem that Robert references in the podcast that Kate wrote about him: "I met the love of my life the day I was born. My father put stars in my eyes and words in my heart. When reading a poem to me when I was 10, the word god appeared. I asked him if he believed in god and pointing to the words he said,” I believe in this.” When I was about 6 it was my dad's 50th birthday. I looked up at him and with a shiver in my heart I said, “you're half of a hundred.” It drove me to distraction the rest of my life knowing the inevitability. I have endlessly bargained with this grief, chased and run from shadows and dreaded this painful thing until it shaped every part of me. He knew I could be morose and in his later years could gently point that out and boy, did it feel like home to be known by him. I don't know how to say I love you I love you I love you I will never let you go I will always be dreaming of you and I will always look for you in poems and magic hour and cats. Thank you for the apologies and the tenderness and the time. It wasn't perfect. It was better. “The wages of dying is love.”- GK In the podcast Robert refers to the last line being funny - "It was better." I gasped when I read it, because it was a surprise to see.  Maybe me weep with the memory of my pal. I did this interview at his request, and am sharing it as per his request.  Not only for his loved ones and friends, but for those on the planet who are suffering because their loved ones have "left the stage." Know that they are not gone. They just aren't here.  And we can access them if we need to or want to.

The Good, The Pod and The Ugly
NOLAN VOID: WATCH THE WORLD BURN

The Good, The Pod and The Ugly

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2024 81:56


Send us a Text Message.TGTPTU reaches the beginning of the end of Season 12 as the team covers THE DARK KNIGHT (2008), the penultimate NOLAN VOID film in our temporal pincer pairing movement.  Rebounding from the only moderate success of The Prestige, Sir Chris creates a mega-blockbuster with The Dark Knight, his follow-up to Batman Begins and a film that compresses at minimum two movie's worth of story into one film in order to prevent promising Warner Brothers another sequel. (Spoiler for last week's episode, Nolan makes a third Batman film that 75% of TGTPTU hosts think is great.) The Dark Knight is also a film that changed how the Academy compiled its Best Picture Oscar category. Oddly, this season's final pairing matches last season's release years for Aronofsky's pincered final middle pairing with The Wrestler released the same year as The Dark Knight and Black Swan the same as Inception. (No comment back from Darren's people on his feelings for having developed so much of Batman Year One for the Warners only to be led into making his The Fountain for the Bros in 2006.) Unfortunately, further research this episode was stymied by Jack stuck in France fighting extradition back to the States and unable to make our final The Dark Knight trilogy episode. Fortunately, our three consistent hosts are pretty good about guessing facts about flicks, like this pairing the first the entire season both shot by the great Wally Pfister (what? hardly even know her) with The Dark Knight being Nolan's first film with scenes shot on Imax (but ignore Thomas's misinformation about Inception also being shot on Imax; he's like a dog chasing a car or a British colonialist burning down a jungle or brunch.) Listen close, take lots of notes, and discover what words The Joker finds funny; how to make visual art summaries for an auditory medium; and why TGTPTU remains the Pacific Northwest's still least listened to film podcast. Why so serious? THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.Email: thegoodthepodandtheugly@gmail.comFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/TGTPTUInstagram: https://instagram.com/thegoodthepodandtheugly?igshid=um92md09kjg0Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegoodthepoda1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mI2plrgJu-TB95bbJCW-gBuzzsprout: https://thegoodthepodandtheugly.buzzsprout.com/Letterboxd (follow us!):Ken: Ken KoralRyan: Ryan Tobias

Undr The Cosh
Friday Club 11 | Roman Helmet

Undr The Cosh

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2024 39:20


Back once again with another Friday club, discussing more heavy issues, including proposals, paybacks, roman helmets, Warners helmet, and Dion Dublin's dance moves. We'd love to hear from you: Fridayclub@undrthecosh.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WV unCommOn PlaCE
The Matrix Games: Reviving the Classics" with JR Sparrow Atari/Warners Bros Why!?

WV unCommOn PlaCE

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2024 6:55


Looking for a podcast that delves into the world of video games? Look no further than WV Uncommonplace, hosted by none other than Jr Sparrow. In this episode, Jr takes a trip down memory lane and reminisces about the good ol' days of gaming. Specifically, he talks about "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo," two games that still hold a special place in his heart. Jr not only discusses the games and their characters, but also delves into the history of Shawnee Entertainment and its founder Dave Perry, known for developing the classic game "Earthworm Jim." But it's not all nostalgia and happy memories. Jr also shares his disappointment at the lack of a video game tie-in for the recent Matrix movie, and talks about the decline of licensed video games in recent years. However, he looks to the future with hope and suggests that Warner Brothers could consider relaunching these beloved games and bringing back the original voice actors. If you're a fan of old school gaming, this episode is a must-listen. Jr's passion for these games is contagious, and he even offers suggestions for listeners interested in playing "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo" today. And if you're not a fan of these particular games, don't worry- Jr promises to discuss other video games in future episodes, both good and bad. So what are you waiting for? Tune in to WV Uncommonplace and join Jr Sparrow on his gaming journey! WV Uncommonplace with Jr Sparrow - Episode on "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo" Introduction: Jr Sparrow's passion for video games and his expertise in the history of video game development In this episode, Jr discusses "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo," two classic video games that still hold a special place in his heart Main Segment: Jr delves into the history of Shiny Entertainment and its founder Dave Perry, who developed the classic game "Earthworm Jim" Jr talks about the gameplay, characters, and storyline of "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo" Jr shares his disappointment at the lack of a video game tie-in for the recent Matrix movie Jr discusses the decline of licensed video games in recent years, but suggests that Warner Brothers could consider relaunching these beloved games and bringing back the original voice actors Jr offers suggestions for listeners interested in playing "Enter the Matrix" and "The Matrix Path of Neo" today Conclusion: Jr promises to discuss other video games in future episodes, both good and bad Listeners are encouraged to tune in to WV Uncommonplace and join Jr Sparrow on his gaming journey

Purple Daily
PURPLE ACCESS: Evaluating Kurt Warners reaction to Minnesota Vikings benching of Josh Dobbs

Purple Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 35:11


NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Kurt Warner is NOT a fan of the Minnesota Vikings benching of Josh Dobbs. What do Judd Zulgad and the Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins make of his comments? Four QB's in, how are the Vikings even in the playoff race? Also, Justin Jefferson watched the Vikings game last Sunday from the ambulance?!?!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purple Daily
PURPLE ACCESS: Evaluating Kurt Warners reaction to Minnesota Vikings benching of Josh Dobbs

Purple Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 32:11


NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Kurt Warner is NOT a fan of the Minnesota Vikings benching of Josh Dobbs. What do Judd Zulgad and the Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins make of his comments? Four QB's in, how are the Vikings even in the playoff race? Also, Justin Jefferson watched the Vikings game last Sunday from the ambulance?!?!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis
NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and sons Kade and E.J. Warner

Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 34:28 Transcription Available


Host Jon Frankel sits down with NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and his sons, up-and-coming players Kade & E.J. Warner, to discuss the significance of family, philanthropy, and football. The Warners share their views on how the game of football has evolved over time, how Kurt stays fit after retiring and what his sons aim to achieve on and off the field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.