Join Buzz Knight on Takin' A Walk Through Music History Events From December 1st to 7th

Summary

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Takin' A Walk: This Week in Music History

Host: Buzz Knight
Guest/Co-host: Harry "Mayhem" Jacobs
Date: December 1, 2025
Episode Theme:
A spirited stroll through music and cultural history, highlighting significant events that occurred between December 1st and 7th across the decades. Buzz Knight and Harry "Mayhem" Jacobs share anecdotes, insights, and personal stories connected to icons and milestones, blending musicology with wit and nostalgia.

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Main Theme & Purpose

The episode explores major moments in music and cultural history for the week of December 1–7. Buzz and Harry provide context, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections on everything from groundbreaking songs and albums, to pivotal social events, focusing on how music and cultural shifts interconnect.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” (1966)

• [02:46–05:14]
  • Discussion: Release of "Eight Miles High" as a psychedelic, groundbreaking track.
  • Harry: Explains how the song represented a massive shift for The Byrds from folk to a more experimental, “modal” sound influenced by John Coltrane and jazz.
  • Controversy: Assumptions that the song referenced drug use led to radio bans, but Harry debunks this, citing it was about the band’s disorienting first trip to London.
  • Notable Quote:
    • “It was just about the concept of, you know, being at 30,000 or 40,000ft, you know, traveling...It has nothing to do with drugs. It's got to do with disorientation of international flight.” – Harry Jacobs [04:09]
  • Buzz's Humor:
    • “I think it was the disorientation of international flight while doing peyote buttons or something to that effect.” – Buzz Knight [05:14]

Roger McGuinn Trivia and Anecdote

• [05:39–07:45]
  • Buzz quizzes Harry on Roger McGuinn’s real first name (answer: Jim).
  • Harry shares a personal story about meeting McGuinn and playing “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star” on his Martin guitar.

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Rosa Parks & Civil Rights Impact (1955)

• [08:08–09:38]
  • Defining moment: Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott and leading to Martin Luther King’s rise.
  • Notable Insight:
    • “It's an important event in our history...so many things that had implications, including around music and the way music, you know, talked about it.” – Buzz Knight [09:22]

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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Four Way Street” (1971)

• [09:38–12:40]
  • Album’s controversy: Post-production overdubs, band tensions, long performances (e.g. 14-minute “Southern Man”).
  • Critics called it self-indulgent; Harry admits he better understood their stance upon re-listening.
  • Quote:
    • “When people are talking about, you know, self-indulgent, that makes it longer than Freebird.” – Harry Jacobs [11:40]

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Technology Shift: The First Text Message (1992)

• [12:40–13:53]
  • Harry accidentally reveals the trivia answer.
  • Both reminisce on how dramatically this changed communication (not always for the better).
  • Quote:
    • “You see couples who can't go to dinner without staring at who's texting them...It's ruined a lot of things.” – Buzz Knight [13:25]

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Britney Spears Birthday & Current State (Dec 2)

• [14:02–15:05]
  • Noted as “off the rails”; Harry comments on the impact of the #FreeBritney movement and her ongoing struggles.
  • Quote:
    • “All these people...on the Free Britney movement...ought to be spending their energy now with a Save Britney effort.” – Harry Jacobs [14:33]

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The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” (1965)

• [15:05–15:19]
  • Celebrated as an exceptional, transformative album in their catalogue.
  • Quote:
    • “Doesn't get much better than Rubber Soul.” – Buzz Knight [15:16]

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Bob Marley Survives Murder Attempt (1976)

• [15:19–16:39]
  • Bob Marley, his wife, and manager shot before the Smile Jamaica concert; Marley still performed two days later.
  • Quote:
    • “He got shot and two days later he played.” – Harry Jacobs [15:27]

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Montreux Casino Fire & Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” (1971)

• [16:40–18:28]
  • Recounts the infamous fire started by a flare gun at a Frank Zappa concert, inspiring “Smoke on the Water.”
  • The band recorded their album using a mobile studio truck afterward.
  • Quote:
    • “The actual smoke coming across the water...is what stayed with them.” – Harry Jacobs [17:11]
    • “It's the song that all of us learn how to play the first time we pick up a guitar.” – Harry Jacobs [18:11]

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Led Zeppelin’s Breakup (1980)

• [18:28–19:09]
  • Announcement followed John Bonham’s death; band chose not to continue.
  • Quote:
    • “Bonham was so important to the band that they thought they couldn't do it justice.” – Harry Jacobs [18:28]

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Paul McCartney & Wings – “Band on the Run” (1973)

• [20:10–23:17]
  • Details the tumultuous making of the album—band breakup, recording in Lagos, theft of master tapes, McCartney’s multi-instrumental feat.
  • Quote:
    • “He literally had to go back into the studio and do it from memory.” – Harry Jacobs [21:53]
    • “That song has like three different pieces to it...All in four minutes and some change.” – Harry Jacobs [23:02]

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Altamont Concert – “Woodstock of the West” (1969)

• [23:35–24:31]
  • Rolling Stones headlined; hiring Hell’s Angels for security led to violence and four deaths.
  • Quote:
    • “Nothing but chaos. It was supposed to be Woodstock of the West, and it was anything but that.” – Harry Jacobs [24:31]
    • “Should have been called the hot mess concert.” – Buzz Knight [24:29]

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The Doors’ Final Concert with Jim Morrison (1970)

• [25:13–25:21]
  • Last show in New Orleans. Jokes about Morrison sightings.
  • Quote:
    • “Listen, I've been told he was seen at Heidi's of Liverpool in Syracuse...” – Harry Jacobs [25:21]

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Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” Released (1973)

• [25:35–26:47]
  • Harry details real-life inspirations for each character in the song—from John at the bar to “Davy, who’s still in the Navy.”
  • Quote:
    • “Four facts about ‘Piano Man’: John at the bar…Paul the real estate agent…Davey, who's still in the Navy…that was his first wife.” – Harry Jacobs [26:17]

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Bob Geldof and “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (1984)

• [26:47–27:38]
  • Sparked by a BBC famine documentary, Bob Geldof mobilized music stars for charity, selling a million copies in a week.
  • Quote:
    • “He got everyone, really, anyone that's anyone at that time was recruited...It was a monster.” – Harry Jacobs [27:38]

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Pearl Harbor Anniversary (1941)

• [27:38–27:57]
  • Reflections on Pearl Harbor’s impact; Harry speaks to his growing appreciation for history.
  • Quote:
    • “The older I get, the more interested I get in history and, and this was just an incredible thing to happen.” – Harry Jacobs [27:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I could do a thesis on December 1st through 7th. There were a lot of big things that happened.” – Harry Jacobs [02:46]

• “Branding is this. This is early days branding.” (on Band on the Run’s recurring refrain) – Buzz Knight [23:28]

• “Every time we talk about Jim Morrison, you go, he's still alive...” – Harry Jacobs [25:17]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:46 – The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” & story behind it
• 05:39 – Roger McGuinn trivia and backstage story
• 08:08 – Rosa Parks and civil rights in music
• 09:38 – CSN&Y “Four Way Street” controversy
• 12:40 – The first-ever text message
• 14:02 – Britney Spears’ birthday and public struggles
• 15:05 – The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”
• 15:19 – Bob Marley assassination attempt
• 16:40 – Montreux Casino Fire and “Smoke on the Water”
• 18:28 – Led Zeppelin’s breakup
• 20:10 – McCartney & Wings “Band on the Run”
• 23:35 – Altamont disaster
• 25:13 – The Doors’ last show
• 25:35 – Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” facts
• 26:47 – Bob Geldof’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
• 27:38 – Pearl Harbor anniversary

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Tone & Style

The conversation is rich with dry humor, friendly banter, and sharp musical analysis, peppered with trivia, personal memories, and reverence for music history.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode of Takin’ A Walk is a lively, insightful guide through music and cultural milestones for the first week of December, packed with expert anecdotes, deep dives, and candid reflections on both momentous and quirky events. Whether you’re a music aficionado or a casual fan, Harry and Buzz deliver memorable stories, connective history, and the enduring impact these events have on music and culture.

Transcript

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[Buzz Knight]

I'm Buzz Knight and this is the Taking a Walk podcast. Welcome. And this is another episode of this Week in Music history. The master of music, Mayhem, Harry Jacobs.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

That.

[Buzz Knight]

See, that term has stuck, Harry. It really has. Like, probably a bad piece of gum on your shoes. Maybe from your opinion or maybe you like it. I don't know.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Welcome.

[Buzz Knight]

Either way.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

I have a stack of paper in front of me right here. And this right here is official name change paperwork. I am changing my name from Harry Truman Jacobs to Harry Mayhem Jacobs. Okay, paperwork filled out. I'm signing it and I'm bringing it down to the courthouse. And make sure you have copies in duplicate, triplicate, notarized.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah all right.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

All above. This is a great week, Buzz. There's a lot going on. I think if I were in college, I could do a thesis on December 1st through the 7th. There were a lot of big things that happened. Beginning in 1966, the birds released eight miles high. This was a controversial record, if you remember at the time. It was a very psychedelic sounding song. It is a very psychedelic song. It's a song that was vastly different than what they had been doing. Think about Mr. Tambourine man and how folky, you know, that that sounded. This was a groundbreaker. Heavy distortion, Roger McGuin. This modal sound he stole, essentially from J. John Coltrane, you know, with jazz. And there's like this fusion thing. And the song while, you know, a neat song, not, I don't think one of their best, it's one that created a lot of grief for the band because this insinuation that 8 miles high had to do with being high. It was thought to. To be a drug song. Right. You remember that was banned on radio. Some radio stations didn't play it.

[Buzz Knight]

And we don't think that really, back when it was created, that it was a drug song.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Well, you know me, I do the deep dive. This song was about their first trip to London in 1965. And the disorientation of international travel. Right. Big time change. This was their first time doing that. It was a. It was a big deal. And it was just about the concept of, you know, being at 30,000 or 40,000ft, you know, traveling. You know, if they were coming from the west coast, it's, you know, it's 12 hours. It's not six hours like it is for you guys on the east coast to get over to London. Probably longer in those days. And it was a disorienting thing for them. So the way that. That it's told is that it has nothing to do with drugs. It's got to do with disorientation of international flight. And it was just, you know, it was a kind of a nothing in a way song. But the thought was, well, from, you know, from the critics, this is a drug song. It's about being eight miles high.

[Buzz Knight]

I think it was the disorientation of international flight while doing peyote buttons or something to that effect. So I don't know. I. I mean, you probably uncovering something that truthfully, no one thought of because it was so obvious. Eight Miles High. Oh, it's a drug song. But nonetheless a great song, no matter how you slice it. I got some Trivia for you.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah.

[Buzz Knight]

Probably asked it to you a year ago. In five seconds, Harry Jacobs, master of mayhem. What is Roger McGuin's real first name?

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Oh, I don't know. I don't know. I can't. Jim, is it really?

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

I have a Roger McGuin story for you. This will show you how delusional that the Master of music Mayhem is. 1995. You and I are working together in the crew at WZLX. At one point in time, Roger McGuin is going to come up and spend some time with Chuck Nolan. And it's my assignment to go down to the first floor or to the parking garage and get Roger McGuin out of his limousine. You said, hey, would you go meet Roger McGuin and bring him up? That was one of the assignments I loved. When a star came, it was always me that was dispatched to go fetch them. So Roger McGuin and I had this conversation about guitars because he brought this beautiful Martin guitar with him to play. I said, well, I've been playing guitar since I was a kid. I love guitar and, you know, blah, blah, blah. And so we're talking about guitars. It's a 10 minute elevator ride and walk or whatever it is to get up to the studios. We get up to the production room. I put his guitar and I carry his guitar. I put his guitar down. He said, open it up. Open that up. And I opened it up and it's this beautiful Martin guitar worth thousands of dollars. And I said, oh, it's magnificent. And I walked away and I said, there you go. And he said, play me something. And I picked up his guitar and I played so youo Want to Be a Rock and roll star for Roger McGuinn.

[Buzz Knight]

That's pretty cool.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

And he said to me, let me show you how I play that song a little different than how you played it. And I said, yes, sir. And I handed it to him like I had the, you know, Faberge egg. A great Roger McGuin story for me personally.

[Buzz Knight]

Fantastic and not at all surprising because him and a radio station visit which always included him, back in those days playing, you know, at zlx, happened in Norfolk, Virginia. Couldn't have been any nicer for being such a rock legend.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

1955, a monumental moment in civil rights history. We don't do a lot of politics. We don't do a lot of things like this. But Rosa Parks in 1965, or 55, rather, she refused to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery. And this sparked this movement ultimately led to. And I didn't realize the Martin Luther King connection to this, but Martin Luther King was really involved in leading that boycott of the buses in Montgomery at that point in time. They. They boycotted the buses for over a year. It was like 380 days or something like this. Rosa Parks was actually working at the NAACP at the time too. I didn't realize that she had some administrative role and she had two other people on the bus because the bus, the white section of the bus filled up. The bus driver demanded that they move for one white man. But I came across this as I was thinking about the week and I thought, I want to spend a minute talking about this. It's an important event in our history.

[Buzz Knight]

Well, because there's so many things that had implications with, including around music and the way music, you know, talked about it.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Sure.

[Buzz Knight]

Or could talk about it. So it's a critical part of our life to.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah.

[Buzz Knight]

You know, even before our time. Acknowledge.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

So at any rate, here's one that's interesting and. And as I dug into it, it seemed to get more interesting for me. December 2, 1971, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young released Four Way Street. This was, you know, not one of the greatest albums of all time. A nice piece of work, but it was one that sparked a lot of controversy. People said it was self indulgent. People said there was this disingenuous element to. Was thought to be disingenuous because they went in after the fact and re recorded a whole bunch of tracks. Harmonies, vocals, guitar solos. Guitar solos were replaced completely on many tracks.

[Buzz Knight]

But think about that now. That wouldn't be anything unusual.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

You're right, it wouldn't. I think because the technology wasn't what it is now. That probably played a role in that. It was an interesting album because there were, you know, the band was very different. When you think about, you know, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills and Neil Young, David Crosby. You know, musically, they were all kind of on different planes. Neil Young was really wanting to be electric, really wanting to represent rock, heavy rock in their music. And it was one that created tension within that band. The tour in 1970 was one that was split up. First half of the show was acoustic and the second half of the show was electric. The album represented that, you know, there was, you know, a great kind of traditional version of Love who Worn youn Wish on it. There was a raucous Ohio. There were two things in particular that surprised me. I went back and I downloaded the album this morning. So before we did this I was listening to. To the album Southern man in particular was one, because there's a 14 minute version of Southern man on Four Way Street. And I think when people are talking about, you know, self indulgent, that makes it longer than Freebird. Right. You know, at that point. And of course, we got a Skynyrd, Neil Young connection too, with Southern man and Sweet Home Alabama. But this, you know, comes on the heels of what was an important moment for them with the Deja Vu album and then the Kent State shooting and that, you know, Ohio was released very quickly after that. But it was interesting album. Not really loved by the critics. They kind of pulled it apart. And when I listened to it this morning, I was kind of understood the critics part. Yeah, I understood it. On this date in 1992, on December 2, the first text message was sent. What year do you think that was done?

[Buzz Knight]

I think. Did you just say 1992?

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Oh, I did. I gave it away. And I'm only drinking water.

[Buzz Knight]

I'm thinking, did I just have a stroke? Or something like that? And I think I heard the answer.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah, you did. Anyway, I'm pulling that back. You get the points.

[Buzz Knight]

And you know what the reality is? It changed everything. Probably for the worse ever since.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

It really did. But 1992, I mean, none of us, you know, we didn't have really. No one was using cell phones really at that point. It was. This was at the very beginning. I remember having a cell phone around that time. But, you know, the thought of sending a message that way, it just wasn't something we thought about.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, but now it's wrecked everything. You see couples who can't go to dinner without staring at who's texting them or what's on their feed or kids doing that. And I mean, granted, yeah, it's an easy way. I know I'm crabbing. It's an easy way to communicate. I get that there's some of it that's great, but it's. It's ruined a lot of things.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

My opinion, listen, we can't get our faces out of our phones.

[Buzz Knight]

That's right.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

We just can't. So you're right. Be. Be present.

[Buzz Knight]

Right? Yep.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

It's important now. Musically, we. We tend to stay away from pop. We'll go disco a little bit.

[Buzz Knight]

You'll go disco.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

I'll go disco a little bit. But we tend to stay away from pop. Britney Spears birthday is December 2nd. Today she's off the rails again. I mean, she is. The dancing and the outfits and the. And the behavior. It's just like these folks and Federline said this in the book that he just put out. All these people that spent all this time and energy on the Free Britney movement to get her out of that conservatorship ought to be spending their energy now with a Save Britney effort.

[Buzz Knight]

It's sad.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

She's in rough shape right now. My opinion, I follow her on. On Instagram and I see these kooky videos that she's putting out and I see what she's doing. I know you don't pay much attention to that stuff, but. But I watch it and I, you know, I kind of watch it in horror.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, sad.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah, it really is sad. December 3rd, 1965, the Beatles released Rubber Soul in the UK. An amazing record. We don't have a week without something.

[Buzz Knight]

Beatles doesn't get much better than Rubber soul.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

No. In 1976, Bob Marley survived an assassination attack. You remember this story, right?

[Chase Sapphire Reserve Advertiser]

I do.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

He was in Jamaica. It was two days before the Smile Jamaica concert was to happen. That was a concert that was supposed to quell all of this political unrest that was happening in Jamaica. He was home. He was home with his wife and he was home with his manager. And seven gunmen stormed his home. All three people were shot. His manager, Don Taylor, was shot five times, and he lived. His wife was shot. Marley was shot. And two days later, Bob Marley played that benefit. Wow. He got shot and two days later he played. But incredible. He ended up. After that, he ended up going into exile. He moved to London at that point after that. But an interesting moment, you know, being music people like we are and being the, you know, master of music. Man, I really am loving going into the history of, of. Of these artists that we love. And we often, you know, we forget more than we ever knew sometimes.

[Buzz Knight]

Sometimes. Yeah.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

You know, or the.

[Buzz Knight]

Or who we ran into.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah, absolutely. Interesting date in history. In 1989, President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev declared that the Cold War was finally over. Big day. December 4, 1971. This was the day that the Montreux casino burnt to the ground during a Frank Zappa concert. Do you know how the fire was started?

[Buzz Knight]

I'm listening to the lyrics in my head of Smoke on the Water.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

So I. I will. So at. At some Deep Purple. Yeah. And at a Frank Zappa show, someone shot. Some idiot shot a flare gun and. And then it caused this catastrophic fire. The reason they call it that is they were staying across Lake Geneva at a hotel, and they saw the fire and the actual smoke coming across the water. Is what stayed with them. They had been there to record, right? They had been. The casino had a recording studio inside, and that was the deal. Some idiot with a flare gun shot the flare gun, burned the whole place to the ground. Smoke on the water. The smoke coming across Lake Geneva. And they saw it from the balconies of their hotel.

[Buzz Knight]

That's a crazy story.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

They went on, by the way, to record there still. But they did it in. In a mobile truck. They brought out a mobile unit.

[Buzz Knight]

Interesting.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Listen. It's the song that all of us learn how to play the first time we pick up a guitar. Here you go. Three little things to. To remember, and it's easy. And, you know, I could plug it into my little Fender Telecaster twin amp and it would sound really rocket. And you would go, oh, that sounds good. And it's simple, right?

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Of course, you could play Smoke on the water. Everyone can. 1980. Led Zeppelin, on December 4, announced their breakup after the death of John Bonham. This was an awful moment on many levels for rock music. The fact that they decided not to go on Bonham was so important to the band that they thought they couldn't do it justice. And that was the end of it. It was quick. And while they've come together a couple times, there's not been a period of time where they were considered reunited.

[Buzz Knight]

Have you heard of Robert Plant's new band? I just saw him on Colbert.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah.

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The band called Saving Grace.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chase Sapphire Reserve Advertiser]

That was a great appearance.

[Buzz Knight]

If you haven't seen the Colbert. He didn't play. He just sat with Colbert. And clearly there's some history between those two, but he. He was smiling and having a good time. Yeah.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Did he tell the story about how Allison Krause taught him how to sing?

[Buzz Knight]

He didn't tell that story, no. He talked about the last time he saw Colbert, which was on the Colbert Report, and I think he slipped him a little bit of. What do you say?

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Raul. Raul was the code name that we. That people we know.

[Buzz Knight]

That's right.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Used for marijuana back in the day, back before it was legal. I remember, from when I was a young man.

[Buzz Knight]

That's right.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Still are. Yeah. 1981, Pan Am Airlines ceased to exist. On this day, they were on the way down. The flight from Lockerbie had happened. They were never a domestic airline either. They just went through one issue after another. Arguably a great airline to fly prior to that Pan Am 103 bombing. But this was the day in 1991 that they went out of business. I think it was A mistake for them to not fly domestically. They were just doing international stuff and it was mismanaged. Whatever. I just thought it was an interesting note. I knew a girl. I know a girl who lives in Shrewsbury, Mass. Not terribly far from where you are right now. Her name is Nicole Belanger. Her sister Nikki was on that flight. And I remember being in Worcester when that happened. I knew Nicole, I knew Nikki from when they were kids. And it was crazy to know someone in a tragedy like that. December 5, 1973, Paul McCartney and Wings released Band on the Run. This is another one that the album was in a way shrouded with some controversy. And I. I didn't realize that the band had basically fallen apart. The band had broken up just before the recording of the album started. Oh. So what ended up happening? What's on the album is McCartney and Linda and Denny Lane. And that's it. McCartney played drums. Wow. And he played most of the guitar parts. Wow. So I didn't realize that it was also recorded in Lagos, Nigeria. McCartney was robbed while they were there.

[Buzz Knight]

Do you recall that?

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

And when they robbed him, I'm sure they took. They took money. I'm sure they took all his drugs. Oh, yeah. But they also took the recordings that he had to that point of the album, of the tracks. And he literally had to go back into the studio and do it from memory. So between the getting robbed at knifepoint, the band basically falling apart. It was kind of a mess. And it turned out to be an unbelievable record. He won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal album in 1973 or 74. Result of that great album that listen that song in the same way that Live and Let Die was just kind of an epic in terms of all the changes and. And how musically it was so interesting. Go back and listen to Band on the Run. I went and did that this morning because I always loved the song. But I thought about. Song has like three different pieces to. It has this kind of light opening ping with keyboards and. And then it rocks. And then it's a very theatrical at the end. All. All in four minutes and some change.

[Buzz Knight]

Yep.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Right. It's just a great record. And I. I believe that all the songs on that album, once the song ended, what happened after the song was basically ending. Do you remember the hook from Band on the Run would come in at the end?

[Buzz Knight]

Yes.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

On those songs.

[Buzz Knight]

Yes.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Verified it myself this morning. Kind of a crazy thing to do. But like if they didn't know they were listening to Band on the Run. Well, you're listening to Something bad on the run.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah. Branding.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Branding is this. This is early days branding.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

December 6, 1969, the Altamont concert happened. This was billed by a lot of people to be the Woodstock of the West. And it was anything but that. There was nothing peace and love about that show at all. The Stones were the headliner. This was the last date of their 69 tour. And I don't know, I guess I should know this. I don't know if it was a Bill Graham event or whose event it was, but someone, whether it be the Stones or the promoter, someone, thought it was a good idea to hire the Hell's Angels to do security. And four people lost their lives. And there wasn't a moment of peace from the beginning of the concert. The HA's were roughing people up. It was an ugly day for Iraq.

[Buzz Knight]

Should have been called the hot mess concert.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah. And it really. A lot of people said at the time that it was the end of the peace era of the 60s. I don't know if that was true, but of course, it being the end of 1969, it's probably a fitting way to describe it. Not a great end for the. For the 60s at all. And there were. I think there were like 300,000 people or more at that show as well. So nothing but. But chaos. It was supposed to be Woodstock of the west, and it was anything but that. 1970, the Doors played their final concert with Jim Morrison in New Orleans. Buzz seems to think that Jim Morrison is still alive. Every time we talk about Jim Morrison, you go, he's still alive. He's not in back.

[Buzz Knight]

I could see the show popping up outside of Syracuse any, anytime.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Listen, I've been told he was seen at Heidi's of Liverpool in Syracuse, the famous restaurant they're offered in 1917. So, you know, who knows? But I think he's quick. We know he's dead. December 7, 1973. This is a good one. This is a really. This is one of my favorite stories of the week. Billy Joel's Piano man was released. He worked at the Executive Room in la, the Executive Room Bar in la, as the piano player. He would sit in that bar and he would play. He was also Billy Joel at the time, but he used his first and his middle name, Billy Martin or Bill Martin. Right. So he played at the bar. He didn't have any money. He needed to make money. And he sat there for six months and he was the Piano man. Four facts about Piano Man John at the bar was the name of the bartender was the actual guy wasn't just some rhyme scheme thing. Paul, the real estate agent, who was a novelist, was actually a real estate broker and was writing a novel. And Davey, who's still in the Navy was based on a guy by the name of Davey Hines, real person. And, and the fourth one and the Wakers practicing politics was his first wife.

[Buzz Knight]

Oh, Elizabeth. Oh, interesting.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

How about that?

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, how about that?

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Wow. For Billy Joel, for the PIANO man in 84, Bob Gildoff. Do they Know It's Christmas Time? This was on the heels of him seeing a documentary that the BBC had produced. That documentary was about the famine in Ethiopia and it caused him to mobilize the forces. Right. He, he got everyone, really, anyone that's anyone at that time was recruited. Phil Collins, Sting, Bono. It was a who's who of, of musicians from, from across the pond. Duran Duran, George Michael was involved in it. Just a great feel good song. It, it sold a million copies in the first week. It was a monster.

[Buzz Knight]

Geldof got it done.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Yeah, he did. Pearl harbor was attacked on this day in 1941. I've been down this rabbit hole watching stuff about Pearl harbor, watching something on Netflix right now about history. And it's just the older I get, the more interested I get in history and, and this was just an incredible thing to happen. So.

[Buzz Knight]

Yep.

[Harry Mayhem Jacobs]

Anyway, that is the week in in music history first through the 7th of December bus.

[Buzz Knight]

Well, master music mayhem. You left it in mayhem with that last story, but it is does need to be reported.

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But.

[Buzz Knight]

Harry Jacobs, thank you so much, so much for this week in Music history for the week of December 1st. And thanks to all of you for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast. We're part of the Iheart Podcast Network.

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[Buzz Knight]

All.

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[Chase Sapphire Reserve Advertiser]

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[Buzz Knight]

Ah.

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[Janice Torres and Austin Hankwitz]

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[Janice Torres and Austin Hankwitz]

Janice Torres here and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners.

[Janice Torres and Austin Hankwitz]

The big thing about working at tech is that it's ever evolving, ever changing. Everyone's a rookie. That's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change. So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.