← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
This week in Music History on the 'takin ' a walk podcast 3-31
00:18:10
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- [00:00]
Colleen Witt
Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here. And Eating While Broke is back for season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories. On the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper Howey turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for season.
- [00:33]
Maria Tremorchy
Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.
- [00:36]
Holly Fry
And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.
- [00:43]
Maria Tremorchy
Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.
- [00:49]
Holly Fry
The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.
- [00:54]
Maria Tremorchy
And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.
- [01:01]
Holly Fry
Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:08]
Bob Pittman
Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.
- [01:34]
Jewel
Being a rock star is very fun, but helping people is way more fun.
- [01:38]
Bob Pittman
And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.
- [01:41]
Jewel
I figured out the formula. I just have to work hard. Then that's magic.
- [01:44]
Bob Pittman
Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [01:56]
Brendan Patrick Hughes
My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a war.
- [02:10]
Harry Jacobs
J. Edgar Hoover was furious.
- [02:12]
Maria Tremorchy
He was out of his mind and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees.
- [02:19]
Brendan Patrick Hughes
Listen to Divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:26]
Jewel
You feeling this too is a horror anthology podcast. It brings different creators to tell 10VI. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- [02:37]
Harry Jacobs
Grotesque.
- [02:38]
Jewel
Oh my God. Horrific stories on what scares them the most. You feeling this too? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast. And welcome to. And we turn to the Music History Desk to musician, music fan, media executive, podcaster and purveyor of all things music, Harry Jacobs. Welcome. Welcome back.
- [03:21]
Harry Jacobs
I'm. I'm happy to be here. If Corey Feldman can be considered a musician, so can I. I live in that world. I'm a musician, too, damn it. Thank you.
- [03:33]
Jewel
That's so funny. I could just see him. I could see. I could see both Corey's.
- [03:38]
Harry Jacobs
Well, yeah, and Corey. Listen, Corey Feldman, you know, he takes a lot of grief. I know he's been on the podcast. I know you've had him here. But. But that guy gets butchered online and he continues to do it. He gives zero Fs, as they say.
- [03:52]
Jewel
This is true. This is true.
- [03:54]
Harry Jacobs
Good. Good for him.
- [03:55]
Jewel
Yep.
- [03:55]
Harry Jacobs
Good for him.
- [03:56]
Jewel
So what do you have for the week of March 31st?
- [04:00]
Harry Jacobs
Well, April 1st, this is a big day. One of my favorite albums of all time was Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. And that session began in Gold Star Studios in 1966 on, on April 1st. When you look at the track list on that, certainly two or three of my favorite Beach Boy songs. Think about Sloop. John B. Is on that. Wouldn't It Be Nice? Is There, And God Only Knows. Think about how powerful those songs are.
- [04:31]
Jewel
They are powerful. Now I'm going to put myself in the category. I don't know if you were, but I was the, the Beatles person first. And then, you know, in discovering Pet Sounds and all the, the hoopla about it, I, I wasn't there at the beginning, but over time, I definitely appreciate those songs and certainly more of the work of the Beach Boys. And you can't deny that, you know, there was competition between the Beatles and the Beach Boys, Right.
- [05:02]
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. And I know you don't like to be, you know, have me throw the age thing out there between us because there's, you know, there's a slight age difference, a little gap between, between you and I. Yeah. Older brother, younger brother kind of thing.
- [05:14]
Jewel
Yeah.
- [05:15]
Harry Jacobs
But my, actually, my parent, my mother in particular was a really big Beach Boys fan, so I got more exposure to the Beach Boys from her. My father was the Beatles fan. It was an interesting, you know, household to, to grow up and, But I, I, when I was a kid, I favored the Beach Boys because I was closer to my mom. So I really got an appreciation and, and that at that time, you know, that was post Surfing usa and Barbara Ann and all that, that music for them changed. You know, they went through that same kind of evolution that the Beatles did that led them into Sgt. Peppers and, you know, things that just, you know, the music evolved over time as it does for. For everybody. But, you know, I favored the Beach Boys at that time and then really got into the Beatles after that. And especially around the time you and I started working together in the mid-90s, I really. Because you were such a Beatles nut that, you know, I really got into it and spent more time with the Beatles at that point.
- [06:17]
Jewel
But when I was programming in Columbus, we took the morning show there. It was John Fisher and Daddy Wags to the Grammys, and we would do broadcasts from New York or la. You know, where the, The Grammys were at that particular year. And one of the guests that came on one year, Brian Wilson. Oh, and it was sad, I have to tell you, because he. He was just emerging from that one of many very dark periods in his life. And doing press at that point seemed like, you know, he'd rather have all his teeth pulled than be there. So he, he wasn't very talkative. He had a terrible cough, I remember. And it was. It was a. A sad, you know, guest booking for such a, legendary, you know, person in music. Music history. I do remember it as sad.
- [07:20]
Harry Jacobs
He was a, you know, a tortured, tortured guy. Did you see Love and Mercy where John Cusack played Brian Wilson? No, I. I would put that on. On your list of things to watch. John Cusack did an amazing job, and there's really incredible insight into the pain that, that Brian went through. You know, much like the Jackson family, you know, where Joe, you know, was just a. Legendarily a brutal guy. Brian Wilson's father was. Was an ass. I mean, you know, just an abusive, horrible human being. And, and, you know, you get to a better understanding of how someone can, you know, become such an introverted guy for someone who. Brian, who's so extroverted with his music. He didn't want to go on the road, Right. He didn't want to be in front of an audience. He. He wanted to send, you know, Mike and Carl and everyone else out on the road and say, come back when the tour's done and I'll have some more music for us to record and we'll. And we'll keep that cycle going. He. He wanted it, but he didn't want it. And it's easy to see, to me, as someone who, for better or worse, has become a little bit more of a student of psychology in the last few years, how he could have become, you know, this introvert, a guy who started it all to be the ultimate extrovert, you know, being on stage so that love and mercy. I would absolutely put that on your list. It's a heartbreaking movie in a lot of ways.
- [08:50]
Jewel
I love. I love John Cusack. So I'll check it out for sure.
- [08:54]
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. April 2nd, it was an interesting day. It was the day that Marvin Gaye was shot by his father. And it was also the day before. The third is his birthday, which is, you know, a crazy, you know, sad sequence of events.
- [09:09]
Jewel
Haunting.
- [09:10]
Harry Jacobs
It takes two and ain't no mountain high enough. I mean, the stuff that he was a participant in the Motown area, era, to me, was just magnificent. I always loved Marvin Gaye.
- [09:22]
Jewel
Totally Same here. Absolutely.
- [09:24]
Harry Jacobs
The Rolling Stones released brown sugar on April 3rd, Marvin Gaye's birthday, in. In 1971. Legendary track.
- [09:33]
Jewel
Oh, yeah.
- [09:34]
Harry Jacobs
Very open to that track. Oh, yeah. You know, another. Another great Keith Lick.
- [09:41]
Jewel
A great driving song. I don't know. I always. I equate being in the car with certain things you love just cranking up in a particular moment. And that's one of those many stone songs that are just great driving songs.
- [09:54]
Harry Jacobs
You know, Dance little sister.
- [09:56]
Jewel
Oh, yeah.
- [09:56]
Harry Jacobs
And. And. And give me shelter and can't you hear me knocking. And when you start really digging down deep and you go through the stone song list to make yourself a playlist to take a ride.
- [10:09]
Jewel
Oh, yeah.
- [10:09]
Harry Jacobs
There's some great. There's some great. There's some great driving songs.
- [10:14]
Jewel
Absolutely.
- [10:15]
Harry Jacobs
Breakfast in America, the Supertramp album, was released on this day. Another one with a ton of great tracks. We. When we were at WZLX in Boston, there was a picture in the conference room of the COVID of Breakfast in America. Do you remember that? There was a giant poster.
- [10:31]
Jewel
I do.
- [10:32]
Harry Jacobs
Didn't have the. It was. It was the post. It was the picture that they used without the Supertramp logo.
- [10:37]
Jewel
I think Supertramp, particularly that. That album greatly underrated that. That was a mega album album. Rock Times and I. You know, every song on that album, really great underappreciated band.
- [10:58]
Harry Jacobs
I think songs on that album got Big Rock Radio Play, Logical Song, Take the long way home and Goodbye Stranger. Goodbye Stranger was fun. Oh, yeah, that was a cool little ditty. That's another one. I have a playlist, Supertran playlist, you know, bloody well right. And School and Dreamer.
- [11:19]
Jewel
Yeah.
- [11:19]
Harry Jacobs
You know, fantastic. So I love them. And Roger Hodgson, right?
- [11:24]
Jewel
Yeah. Roger Hodgson. Yep. They kind of faded away. They just, I don't really recall how the fade happened, but it just, the band kind of faded away.
- [11:34]
Harry Jacobs
You know, he, I think, you know, he left and, and it was. Had a dream and I don't know if he ever, you know, after that, if they had ever ended up back together. But that's a reunion tour. I would, you know, I'd buy tickets to, to go see Supertran. There's enough of those songs that I would, you know, I, I appreciate so.
- [11:51]
Jewel
Yep, for sure.
- [11:52]
Harry Jacobs
April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain took his own life, changing the course of rock.
- [12:01]
Jewel
Music right to this day. Because you, you. I often think about the early, the too gone, too early passing of people like him. And I, I often think, what would he be doing now? You know, what would his, his musical direction be? Would he have a musical direction? What do you think?
- [12:23]
Harry Jacobs
It's an interesting game to play. I just saw Dan Aykroyd go through this exercise talking about John Belushi saying, you know, John would be a great theater director at this point. And you know, with Kurt, you know, I gotta believe he is probably someone who would have imploded in frustration at the state of where music is now. I think he would have been. Become a little bit of a recluse, you know, at this point in time. I think the change in what happened with radio, remember, he, he died in 1994. This was before where just a handful of companies, you know, at the very beginning, ended up gobbling everything up that also changed music. Right. Napster. Think about, you know, where this was. Napster kind of, you know, after that. And then that's where things started to fall apart for artists in terms of getting paid to do what they do. I'm sorry, you asked a simple question and I took a deep dive. But I think there are multiple factors that would have influenced where he is now. And I think it would have, you know, it would have pissed him off. What, what's happened to what he started to do for his passion, ended up getting ruined by corporate America. In a lot of ways, you brought.
- [13:37]
Jewel
It around full circle. And as we're having this conversation, the news just came out about Napster being.
- [13:45]
Harry Jacobs
Sold for $207 million, which I think.
- [13:49]
Jewel
Probably would have made Kurt Cobain irate watching that app and going, what? You know, I, I think he would have, he would not have responded well to it. I don't think.
- [14:01]
Harry Jacobs
I know you're an Apple music user because we share some, a couple playlists, but, you know, you can't add your own music. You can add your own music to Apple itunes, but it won't allow it to sync up to your phone, so they won't let you play it. So I had this library of things, thousands and thousands of songs that I had download, maybe some from Napster, but you know, Bruce Springsteen down, you know, bootlegs and other stuff that I collected over the years. You can't do any. That's all bunk. Now you need a third party application to put your own music on your phone.
- [14:34]
Jewel
Now, I didn't realize that I have.
- [14:36]
Harry Jacobs
An, I have an app that will allow me to, to take some of the Springsteen bootlegs that, by the way, that I bought from Springsteen, right? I, I bought from Bruce springsteen.com but you can't add them to your itunes. The only thing you can do with your itunes is add Apple itunes music. It's crazy how the, how they've tightened that down.
- [14:57]
Jewel
It is crazy.
- [14:58]
Harry Jacobs
So Pink Floyd began recording Dark side of the Moon in 1973 at Abbey Road Studios. We've talked a lot in recent weeks about Floyd for one reason or another. But this is when they started recording Dark side of the Moon.
- [15:13]
Jewel
And you spoke with Alan Parsons about Dark side of the Moon, didn't you?
- [15:18]
Harry Jacobs
I did. I. I was in Rochester, New York. I can tell you when it was. It was July 4, 1996, an awful rainy day in Rochester, New York. And, and whoever was doing middays that, you know, it couldn't work that day. I filled in on a holiday. And it was one of those things, hey, you know, you got an interview with Alan Parsons. Do you want to do it or you want to push it off? And I said, I'll do it. And that was at the time right after George Taylor Morris, who we were working with in Boston, had discovered the wizard of Oz and Darkseid. And I thought, I'm going to ask him about this. And he. I felt bad because it kind of, I don't know if it made me look dumb or it made him look dumb. But I said, talk to me about what's going on now with this, you know, wizard of Oz appearing like the soundtrack. If you, you know, if you start the, the Dark side of the Moon CD at the. The Roar, the third Roar of the lion, it appears to synchronize as a soundtrack for wizard of Oz. And he said, I have no idea what you're talking about. I have no idea. And I thought, okay, next question. Let's talk about. Wouldn't want to be like you. I Explained a little bit of it to him, but he just. He didn't know anything about it. Can't claim to play dumb.
- [16:37]
Jewel
What do you think? Do you think that this was true? Do you think he didn't feel authorized to talk about it? Or do you think. What do you really think when you. When you think about it in retrospect?
- [16:50]
Harry Jacobs
I think that there were so much in the way of drugs and nonsense happening in that Pink Floyd circle at that time that it wouldn't surprise me to know that they were fans of the wizard of Oz and may have looked at that. On one hand, the conspiracy guy in me says, oh, yeah, they definitely had that on while they were, you know, they were doing. It was like scoring, you know, like John Williams scoring Jaws. But the other side of me thinks it just. It just happened. But there are things like, you know, balanced on the biggest wave in maybe in Time, where Dorothy is on the fence, on the fence post, trying to catch her balance, and the great gig in the sky. You asked about this during one of our discussions about that. When the house is spinning around and that screaming, you know, vocal is going on, that's when the house is being lifted off in Dorothy's dream and spinning around, and she lands in Oz. And it literally as. As the great gig ends and fades out, the house lands beautifully in the land of Oz. There are just too many things. I got to do it again. I got to go. And now with, you know where we are, you can do it and sit and watch it on, you know, on YouTube in your living room. A lot of coincidences. I don't know. I'm trying to not be a conspiracy theory guy and say, that's just the way it happened.
- [18:17]
Jewel
I'm gonna go with, they were influenced by it. They were doing something extracurricular, including watching it and recording and all of that. So I'm gonna go with the in between theory, which is maybe it wasn't completely an intentional act, but it certainly had some intention and influence that occurred and created at least some of those moments that you just described, because that one that you described there is too perfect to have not had some planned attack, if you will.
- [18:56]
Harry Jacobs
There are 10 or 12 of those, Buzz. I mean, it's just, you know, I don't smoke pot anymore, but if I were to smoke pot and I had, like, you could smoke pot with one person in the world, who would it be? It would be David Gilmore, and we'd be in my living room smoking a blunt, watching wizard of Oz, listening to Dark side of the moon. That would be my to say. What do you think?
- [19:19]
Jewel
Hey, maybe that should be my opening question now, from. Instead of, who would you take a walk with? No, I'm just kidding.
- [19:24]
Harry Jacobs
Who would you smoke?
- [19:25]
Jewel
Listen, I.
- [19:26]
Harry Jacobs
It's legal everywhere we are. It's legal where you are. It's legal. I got a weed store I can walk to down the street. I don't use it, but yeah, all right. Yeah, all right. At any rate, 1973, they began recording Dark side of the Moon. The Twilight zone premiered in 1964. A little pop culture here as we. As we wrap things up. But it's a pretty great show. Oh, yeah. Even still.
- [19:47]
Jewel
Yeah. Did you see the movie?
- [19:49]
Harry Jacobs
Oh, yeah. Someone died on that movie, right? Helicopter pilot or there was some sort of accident.
- [19:54]
Jewel
I think Vic Morrow died.
- [19:56]
Harry Jacobs
That's right. Yeah, right.
- [19:57]
Jewel
That's right. I love the opening, too, with Albert Brooks with the Midnight special when they. When he turns the lights off and they're driving down the road.
- [20:07]
Harry Jacobs
I gotta go back and why. I can't remember that. I gotta go back and watch that.
- [20:11]
Jewel
It's great.
- [20:12]
Harry Jacobs
Interesting. On April 5, 1939, speaking of Darkseid and Wizard, the wizard of Oz premiered at the Radio City Music Hall, April 5, 1939. One of my, you know, Dark side's one of my favorite albums. But wizard of Oz, I think if. If you were to ask for my top five movies, Wizards, always one or two, minus those flying monkeys. I just love that movie for some reason, but those always just completely fucked with my head.
- [20:41]
Jewel
Brilliant.
- [20:41]
Harry Jacobs
Flying monkeys. Oh, yeah.
- [20:42]
Jewel
Totally brilliant.
- [20:43]
Harry Jacobs
And that's it.
- [20:45]
Jewel
That's a pretty active week, the week of March 31st. Thank you, Harry Jacobs on the music history desk for all of that work, and it's great having you back on. And thanks for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast. Check us out on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [21:06]
Colleen Witt
Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories. On the menu we have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London, and Carrie Harper. Howie. Turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for season four.
- [21:39]
Maria Tremorchy
Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tremorchy.
- [21:42]
Holly Fry
And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.
- [21:49]
Maria Tremorchy
Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.
- [21:54]
Holly Fry
The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.
- [22:00]
Maria Tremorchy
And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.
- [22:07]
Holly Fry
Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:13]
Brendan Patrick Hughes
My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a war.
- [22:27]
Harry Jacobs
J. Edgar Hoover was furious.
- [22:30]
Maria Tremorchy
He was out of his mind and he want to bring the Catholic left to its knees.
- [22:37]
Brendan Patrick Hughes
Listen to Divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:43]
Bob Pittman
Hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.
- [23:10]
Jewel
Being a rock star is very fun, but helping people is way more fun.
- [23:13]
Bob Pittman
And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.
- [23:16]
Jewel
I figured out the formula. I just have to work hard. Then that's magic.
- [23:20]
Bob Pittman
Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [23:31]
Holly Fry
Are your ears bored?
- [23:33]
Harry Jacobs
Yeah.
- [23:34]
Holly Fry
Are you looking for a new podcast.
- [23:36]
Harry Jacobs
That will make you laugh, learn and say que? Yeah.
- [23:40]
Holly Fry
Then tune in to locatora radio season 10 today.
- [23:44]
Harry Jacobs
Okay. Now that's what I call a podcast. I'm Diosa. I'm Mala, the host of Locatora Radio, a radiophonic novella, which is just a.
- [23:53]
Holly Fry
Very extra way of saying a podcast. Listen to Locatora Radio Season 10 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.