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Buzz Knight
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Taking a Walk Host
Now this episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals and and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.
Buzz Knight
I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the.
Taking a Walk Host
Taking a Walk podcast and welcome to another look at this week in music history.
Buzz Knight
This is the week of August 25th through August 31st and we got a lot to talk about. So let's head over to the music.
Taking a Walk Host
History desk to Harry Jacobs.
Harry Jacobs
Buzz, it's great to be here this week. Another great week. I've got some questions for you on information that we're talking about. So I, I hope, as my mother used to say to me, I hope you got your listening ears on young man.
Buzz Knight
I'm trying my best.
Harry Jacobs
August 25, 1967 the Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Wales and this began their interest in in TM Transcendental Meditation.
Buzz Knight
It Changed it changed everything.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. Do you ever get into meditation? Was that ever not enough?
Taking a Walk Host
I. I have.
Buzz Knight
I do, but not enough. It's. You know, as they say, those that do, they refer to it as a practice, which means they're always practicing. And as somebody who needs to probably practice at a lot of things, I should get back to the practice.
Harry Jacobs
It's. It's referred to as the practice of mindfulness. Right.
Buzz Knight
That's right.
Harry Jacobs
In 1994, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant reunited for MTV Unplugged to tape that. That was. That was really neat to see, if you think about it. Led Zeppelin was done, you know, 1980, after Bonham, you know, had. Had left us. And then they reunited for Live Aid, and I don't know that they got together again, certainly the full band. But to see Paige and Plant together, I don't think. I think there was that gap from live aid to 1994. Am I wrong?
Buzz Knight
I think you're correct. And I want to go back and listen and watch some of that, if it's available. I'm sure in some forms that it is, because that had to be pretty special, and I know it was, but I. I think it's worth going back and looking at.
Harry Jacobs
It's. It's so funny that you say that, because that's exactly where I'm going. I said, I have questions. I have stuff for you this week. You know, we. We've known each other so long, and we think along the same lines. When I saw this come up, I thought to myself, boy, is this available? Can I get it on my phone? Can I. Can I make a playlist out of it? How. How do I find it? And it's not available on itunes. It's not available on Spotify.
Buzz Knight
Okay, there.
Harry Jacobs
There are a couple of songs, I think no quarters, available on Apple itunes, but they have not made it available. Easily available. You can buy the file online, you know, which no one does anymore.
Buzz Knight
Right.
Harry Jacobs
You know, meaning you can go to a website, download the MP3, and put it on your phone or whatever. But it's not one of those things that's available on streaming. You can buy the DVD, not that any of us have DVDs anymore. What you can do, the easiest thing to do is to go to YouTube, that YouTube, who is gobbling up the world of entertainment leading, you know, fragmentation, you know, hands down. But I think you can find the entire MTV unplugged on. On YouTube. That's the way to find it. But no quarter. Thank you. What is and what should never Be Battle of Evermore Cashmere. I think Cashmere is only on the DVD when the Levy breaks the Rain Song. Just amazing.
Buzz Knight
I'll tell you another thing to go look at and rediscover is Chris Robinson from the Black Crows with Jimmy Page.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was great. There were some great. They, they went ripping through A Whole Lot of Love and maybe the Lemon Song. I mean there's a bunch of, a bunch of great, great tunes done done there with Chris Robinson, Jimmy Page. August 26, 1968, hey Jude was released in the UK.
Buzz Knight
A Beatles moment. Wow. Nope. Sorry.
Harry Jacobs
Surprise. As Gomer Pyle would say, surprise, surprise.
Buzz Knight
That's right.
Harry Jacobs
August 27, 1990. Here's the Stevie Ray Vaughan tragedy. We had a story about Stevie Ray Vaughan performing his last concert and, and he took that helicopter ride from Alpine and, and he, he didn't pass away right away after that accident. He, he lived for a short period of time and, and he passed away in 1990 on this day on August 27th.
Buzz Knight
I had forgotten that he, you know, was still in, you know, critical condition after that. But what a, just, what a loss too, too soon. Just. He would have still been creating amazing music, I guarantee.
Harry Jacobs
Sure. Here's a meeting that you would love to have been at. Every once in a while something comes up and you go, boy, I would love to have been a fly on the wall at this one. On this day, August 27, 1965, the Beatles met Elvis Presley at his home in Beverly Hills. How about that for a meeting? What was that like?
Buzz Knight
I guarantee it was the Beatles in awe. Yeah. And I guarantee it was Elvis in awe.
Harry Jacobs
Sure.
Buzz Knight
That that's, that's what I. Other than that, I've never seen anything really detailing that or Paul McCartney talking about that. It would be interesting to hear the perspective of Paul or Ringo to this day.
Harry Jacobs
You know, I've never heard a story about it. I've never seen a picture of it. I was unaware of it.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
1979, U2 signed their first record deal with Island Records. And you know, it was really off to the races from there. And, and really in their success in the US is due in large part to their connection to our friend, your. Your former co worker, Carter Allen.
Buzz Knight
That's right. He slept on the floor at the, the Carter Allen apartment, I think.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. WBCN in Boston. WZLX in Boston. Carter Allen. But, but BCN was instrumental in signing, in playing U2 and others across the country. This was the power of radio back in the early 80s where a radio station like BCN would play something and rock radio around the country would follow it. People would say, bcn's onto something with this band from Ireland. And Carter was a supporter and as you just said, you know, they slept at his place.
Buzz Knight
That's right.
Harry Jacobs
You, you saw the video. There's video. And I'm sure you heard the story of you two playing at Gillette Stadium 10, 12 years ago and, and them playing a song. And in the middle of the song, I forget, I forget what it was. But, you know, Bono starts this little rap about being able to hear the bells and hear the bells and, and at one point he says something about Carter Allen.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
And bcn. And I remember thinking to myself, well, Carter Allen's been in my living room. How cool is that? But just, you know, can you imagine being, can you imagine being Carter and being at a U2 show with thousands of people at Gillette and Bono singing your name?
Buzz Knight
I know. Well, Carter, one of the best human beings on the face of the earth.
Harry Jacobs
So, yeah, listen, he's a vegetarian. Aside from that, I love him. I can't get him to eat a steak. August 28, 1964, Bob Dylan introduced the Beatles to marijuana.
Buzz Knight
How do we know though, that it was on that day and that it wasn't a week before or a week after or. Who wrote that down? Did somebody commit this somewhere? This is, I, I, I'm sure it happened.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, I, I'd like some irrefutable evidence.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, I don't think anyone in, in this life would, would remember or speak on it.
Harry Jacobs
This is, this is a fact that we can't veriz. You know what? I watch a lot of crime TV. This cannot be corroborated.
Buzz Knight
There you go.
Harry Jacobs
That's right. 1981, MTV broadcast the first MTV Video Music Awards on August 28th.
Buzz Knight
They knew shows, they, those were great shows to watch.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, absolutely. 1982, Queen played to130,000 people in Leeds. A band I wish I had seen with, with Freddie.
Buzz Knight
Must have been amazing. I'll tell you what, must have been raucous.
Harry Jacobs
August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was born and Gary, Indiana. I don't remember his mom's name, but his father was Joe Jackson.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, and not the, the singer Joe Jackson.
Harry Jacobs
But no, not look sharp or Sunday papers Joe Jackson. Different Joe Jackson. And this Joe Jackson was not a nice man. No, no, no, that's correct in any way. 1966, another Beatles story. The Beatles played their final concert at Candlestick park in San Francisco. You know why this is an interesting story. Why that's an interesting place for them to have ended their live performances.
Buzz Knight
Because the acoustics were terrible?
Harry Jacobs
No, because that is the site of their first concert in the U.S. oh, there you go.
Buzz Knight
Okay.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, first and last concerts. You know, first concert in the US and last commercial concert. Pretty unique, was there Hysteria this week in 1987 entered the US charts. Def Leppard, Great, great piece of work from Def Leppard.
Buzz Knight
A masterpiece for them, really.
Harry Jacobs
August 30, 1969, Stones headline the Isle of White Festival. Legendary. Legendary show. Oh, yeah, Legendary festival, right?
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
1993. I've left us some room here. Billy Joel played the final show at the old Boston Garden. Probably a good time to do a little debrief of the documentary. If you want, we could talk about the old Boston Garden. Our mutual friend Rich Creswick used to run that building after Larry Molter. He once took me on the roof of the new Boston Garden and then he took me to where the new Boston Garden and the old Boston Garden are. Are next to each other. And if I'm lying, I'm dying. You can't walk between those two buildings.
Buzz Knight
Oh, I, I've.
Harry Jacobs
Have you seen it?
Buzz Knight
I've done the same thing.
Harry Jacobs
It's crazy. Yes, absolutely crazy. Anyway, Billy Joel played the last of his shows at the Garden. You know, we spoke in between episodes one and two. We were both excited. We shared a lot of observations during that time. We were wondering about the kind of. The cliffhangers that were left. But a couple takeaways from you now that you've seen all of it from the documentary.
Buzz Knight
Well, I think first of all, his appreciation for classical music and just his deep love of it to this day, how it shaped much of the music, I hadn't thought about it in that regard, how he sort of walks through it so brilliantly. So that's one thing. The other thing is I did not realize the story about his, I guess we would say his former brother in law that essentially almost ran Billy and his empire truly into the rocks in terms of the, the bankruptcy. And I remember there was always a conflict that had happened. We didn't know the, the depth of it and the detail of it, but how Billy was just his back was against the wall in terms of his finances and how bad that was. So there's that. And then the way his real struggles were chronicled as well, which I was familiar with. I remember in particular familiar with what was going on because whatever it was 15 years ago, the New York Times Wrote a big article in the magazine section of the Sunday paper about what was going on in Billy's life and his true challenges and a lot of the difficult stories about car accidents and whatnot. So the degree of what was going on really, you know, comes through in the documentary. But it's an honest, candid, insightful documentary, and it really showcases an artist whose legacy I certainly believed in. But it further cemented that for me for sure.
Harry Jacobs
He, you know, it was interesting that the, the classical music piece you just touched on at one point. I forget what it was. Maybe it was, you know, my life. But he sits at the piano talking about classical music and, and how, you know, really a lot of what he's doing comes from classical music. And he starts playing My Life as a classical piece.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
And you go, oh boy, he's really, really a great pianist.
Buzz Knight
Right.
Harry Jacobs
And, and I understand now, I didn't understand why he didn't want to be compared to Elton. In the first part. He kind of takes a shot at Elton about, you know, he's not really, he's a five finger piano player. Like, he makes that remark, something along those lines, like he's, he's not really a great piano player. And in all of us, we go, he's in, you know, you hear Levon or Ticking or Tiny Dancer or, you know, Rocket Man. You go, man, Elton John, what, what a piano player. And for Billy Joel to go, he's not really, know that great a piano player.
Buzz Knight
So rough.
Harry Jacobs
Kind of rough, kind of rough. But then you watch Billy play his piano. Yeah. And you go, holy. Billy's a piano player.
Buzz Knight
Y.
Harry Jacobs
Right. So that was interesting. The other thing, which was just sad, and it made me sad because I'm, I'm Jewish, was learning the story about his, his father's history. I mean, so much with his dad, but his, his father, you know, the two of them being estranged. And his grandfather, they were German Jews. Yep. And, and they owned this textile factory. And his grandfather was essentially forced to give up his business in Germany. They were run out of. They were run out of Germany. In a sense, they were lucky. First of all, they were lucky they didn't get sent to concentration camps, but they were run out of Germany. But then they took that factory, a Jewish factory, and they turned it into the place where the, the prison uniforms were made for, for, for those going to the concentration camps. Just horrific.
Buzz Knight
Unbelievable.
Harry Jacobs
I know a true historian, you know, fan of classical music, student of classical music. Just an overwhelming documentary. If you haven't seen it, get to it.
Buzz Knight
I also had just sorry Harry had Steve Cohen, who was the executive producer, Billy's longtime collaborator over the years on the podcast talking about it and he talk tells a neat story about him Billy watching it as it was a finished product and how uncomfortable that is being with the guy that this two part special is about. But check out the episode with Steve Cohen who's the EP of so It Goes.
Harry Jacobs
Absolutely.
Buzz Knight
And so It Goes. Sorry.
Harry Jacobs
And so it goes. August 31, 1974, the Stones released it's Only Rock and Roll, but I like it.
Buzz Knight
Oh it's it's Ain't that the Truth.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. Great album. And in 1997, Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris. That I believe if I'm correct, that happened in a tunnel in Paris. High speed crash I think running from paparazzi as I recall. You know, tributes the tragedy, tributes worldwide, the funeral televised, Elton John's Candle in the Wind getting remade for her and just, you know, awful.
Buzz Knight
Quite a moment. Yep.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, quite a moment. And with that buzz, that is the end of the week ending August 31st in the music history.
Buzz Knight
Well Harry, that is a quite a week. But they all are amazing weeks. Thank you for this and I want to thank all of you for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast and checking us out on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk Host
This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences. I like music festivals and sports events and that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.
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Buzz Knight
This is an I Heart podcast.
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Harry Jacobs
Date: August 25, 2025
Podcast: takin' a walk (iHeartPodcasts)
This episode of takin' a walk takes listeners on a lively stroll through iconic moments in music history for the week of August 25th to August 31st. Host Buzz Knight is joined by returning guest Harry Jacobs for an engaging back-and-forth covering legendary meetings, infamous tragedies, and the evolution of musical greats across several decades. The conversation is filled with personal anecdotes, expert perspectives, and reflections on the cultural importance of each event.
(02:37 – 03:17)
"As they say, those that do, they refer to it as a practice, which means they're always practicing. And as somebody who needs to probably practice at a lot of things, I should get back to the practice." – Buzz Knight (02:55)
(03:19 – 05:35)
"I'll tell you another thing to go look at and rediscover is Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes with Jimmy Page." – Buzz Knight (05:35)
(05:46 – 11:47)
"What a loss too, too soon. Just. He would have still been creating amazing music, I guarantee." – Buzz Knight (06:41)
"I guarantee it was the Beatles in awe. Yeah. And I guarantee it was Elvis in awe." – Buzz Knight (07:17)
"This was the power of radio back in the early 80s where a radio station like BCN would play something and rock radio around the country would follow it." – Harry Jacobs (08:13)
(09:55 – 10:26)
"How do we know though, that it was on that day and that it wasn't a week before or a week after...? This is a fact that we can't veriz. You know what? I watch a lot of crime TV. This cannot be corroborated." – Harry Jacobs (10:20)
(10:27 – 10:55)
(10:55 – 12:08)
(12:47 – 13:19)
(13:19 – 18:00)
"He starts playing My Life as a classical piece. And you go, oh boy, he's really, really a great pianist." – Harry Jacobs (15:53)
"He kind of takes a shot at Elton about, you know, he's not really, he's a five finger piano player... For Billy Joel to go, he's not really, know that great a piano player." – Harry Jacobs (16:01)
"They took that factory, a Jewish factory, and they turned it into the place where... the prison uniforms were made for... those going to the concentration camps. Just horrific." – Harry Jacobs (16:49)
(18:32 – 19:17)
Friendly, collegial, and nostalgic—Buzz and Harry share deep musical fandom, personal memories, playful ribbing, and genuine admiration for the legends they discuss.
This week’s journey through music history on takin’ a walk is packed with enduring milestones, forgotten stories, and behind-the-scenes insights. Buzz and Harry’s chemistry and knowledge bring color and meaning to the headlines, creating an episode that feels both informative and heartfelt. Whether you’re a longtime music fan or a curious newcomer, this conversation will deepen your appreciation for the moments that shaped music history.