Weekly Music History-Deceember 15-21 with Buzz Knight

Summary

Podcast Summary

Overview

Episode: Weekly Music History – December 15–21
Host: Buzz Knight
Podcast: Takin’ A Walk – Music History with Buzz Knight (iHeartPodcasts)
Release Date: December 15, 2025

This episode offers an engaging, rapid-fire journey through pivotal moments, famous birthdays, and behind-the-scenes stories in music history for the week of December 15–21. Host Buzz Knight (with regular sidekick Harry Jacobs) dives into key historical events, landmark songs and albums, notorious pop culture incidents, and memorable artist recollections, blending deep knowledge and conversational banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surprises in "Slow" December Music Weeks

• Buzz expected this to be a slow week (“As we get into Christmas… I was thinking these are really slow music weeks… But there’s a lot of information… a lot of stuff I was unaware of.” [05:16])
• Credits AI sponsor Claude for research assistance in preparing dense show notes.

2. John Lennon, Yoko Ono & UNICEF Charity Concert (Dec 15, 1973)

• Lennon’s final UK appearance, joined by George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
• “Think about that, that’s wild to think about…” [06:00]

3. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" Hits UK #1

• All-star charity single enters at #1—George Michael, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, and more.
• Buzz and Harry both still enjoy the song; Harry: “I don’t race toward the dial to turn the dial…like I do with some songs.” [06:23]

4. Music that Uplifts: Bruce Springsteen & Jennifer Lawrence

• Anecdote: Jennifer Lawrence’s favorite “cheer up” song on set is Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
• “I can hear that song anytime, anywhere, and be happy.” (Buzz, [07:22])

5. Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” & History (1979)

• Five-week run at UK #1 and the band’s only #1 single: “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2.”
• Buzz deep-dives into the three parts of “Another Brick in the Wall,” their themes, and the album’s darkness.
• “When you get down the rabbit hole of what The Wall was all about, it’s a very dark album… all three [parts] really dark.” (Buzz, [09:22])
• Harry: “When I put my psychosis playlist together, that album is at the height of it.” [09:38]

6. Alan Freed’s Birthday — Coined "Rock and Roll"

• Acknowledges Freed’s role and his downfall via payola scandal. [10:04]

7. Famous Concerts & Honors

• 1977: The Who surprise show at Shepperton Studios for “The Kids Are Alright” doc ([10:39])
• 2001: Joe Walsh receives honorary doctorate from Kent State. “Dr. Joe Walsh.” [11:04]
• 2003: Courtney Love sentenced to rehab; Buzz recalls seeing her and describes her state candidly. “I could smell the pills coming off her…” [12:48]

8. Elton John’s Ballads & "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"

• Elton’s UK #1 hit highlighted; Buzz expresses his love for Elton’s ballads. [13:18]
• Harry: “The Disney version of Elton wasn’t my favorite part.” [13:53]
• Sidebar: Spinal Tap reboot’s musical cameos (Elton, Paul McCartney). [14:00–14:38]

9. Memorable Headlines & Scandals

• 1990: Rod Stewart/Rachel Hunter’s marriage (“the most misogynistic quote ever”). [15:14]
• 1988: James Brown gets six years in prison for firearms and resisting arrest. [15:16]

10. Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” Release Anniversary

• Release and connection to his legendary Woodstock performance. [15:42]

11. The Who’s Multiple "Farewell Tours" & Band Dynamics

• 1983: Pete Townshend "quits" the Who, leading to musings about band partnerships (Jagger/Richards, Lennon/McCartney, Daltrey/Townshend). [16:01]
• Harry recommends Simon & Garfunkel doc Restless Dreams for insight on band relationships. [16:51]

12. Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged & Kurt Cobain’s Final Days

• 1993: Aired just months before Cobain’s death; details his rehab escape and death timeline.
• “In his suicide note, he used the words...‘better to burn out than fade away’ (Neil Young). Part of the 27 Club.” (Buzz, [19:06])
• Reference to past Takin’ A Walk episode with Rob Barnett and Danny Goldberg about Nirvana’s MTV era. [19:12–19:35]

13. The Beatles vs. EMI Lawsuit (2005)

• Surviving Beatles sued EMI for $30 million in unpaid royalties, leading to talk about the value of music in the streaming era. [19:57]

14. Birthdays and Wild Stories

• Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and Dusty Hill’s accidental shooting incident. [20:24]
• Credence Clearwater Revival’s golden day (five singles + five albums certified gold in one day). [21:53]

15. The Boston Tea Party: Historical Sidenote

• Sons of Liberty cleaned up after dumping tea, causing delayed British discovery. [22:33]

16. Elvis Costello’s SNL Rebellion (Dec 17, 1977)

• Swapped label-requested "Less Than Zero" for "Radio, Radio" live—got him banned (temporarily) from SNL.
• “Legend would have it that he was banned forever… but he went back 12 years later.” (Buzz, [23:45])
• Springsteen's quote: “We can’t all be Elvis Costello.” [24:10]

17. More Musical Milestones & Quirky Facts

• 1982: The Who’s "last" (of many) farewell shows. [25:05]
• 1971: ZZ Top’s first album released; Buzz recalls “Schlitz beer backstage” story from Eliminator tour. [25:30]
• 1983: Keith Richards marries Patti Hansen on his own birthday; Buzz calls it “maybe narcissistic behavior.” [26:47]
• 1982: Bob Dylan makes acting debut in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, features “Knocking on Heaven's Door.” [27:17]

18. Elton John at the Troubadour & "Your Song"

• 1970: “Your Song” charts after legendary LA Troubadour gig, with Beach Boys, Levon Helm, Neil Diamond in attendance. [28:32]

19. Ronnie Wood’s Dual Talent

• Joined Stones in 1975; recognized as both guitarist & accomplished visual artist. [29:50]

20. Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” Becomes a Standard

• Influence on rock and cover bands everywhere; “You gotta know that song.” (Buzz, [30:52])

21. Elvis Gets Drafted, and Later...Fights the “War On Drugs”

• In 1957, Elvis is served draft papers at Graceland.
• In 1970, Elvis visits DC trying to get a federal badge to “help” with the war on drugs—eventually swaps a gift (Colt .45) for a Nixon badge, yielding the iconic photograph: “That picture is one of the most requested photographs in the US National Archives.” (Buzz, [40:51])

22. Industry Shifts: Counting Streams as Sales

• 2016: UK chart company switches to counting 100 streams as one sale; 2017 raises it to 150:1. “Very interesting… how they thought they would break the bottleneck in the music industry with the charts…” (Buzz, [32:55])

23. Record-Breaking Albums

• 2015: Thriller first album to sell 30M copies (Eagles’ Greatest Hits at 29M). [33:30]

24. Band Member Drama & Reconciliations

• Joe Walsh replaces Bernie Leadon in Eagles (1975).
• Lennon’s posthumous #1 with “(Just Like) Starting Over” [35:11]
• Rolling Stones release Hot Rocks (1971) and Let It Bleed (1969); death of Brian Jones ([35:40])

25. Reflections on Kiss and Alan Parsons

• Peter Criss’s birthday and the legacy of Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons’ self-criticism. [37:40]
• Alan Parsons’ career acclaim; Buzz’s embarrassing interview moment about Dark Side of the Moon and Wizard of Oz. [38:11–38:54]

26. Bohemian Rhapsody and Paul Simon’s Tribute

• In 1991, "Bohemian Rhapsody" returns to #1 after Mercury’s death.
• Paul Simon performs "Sound of Silence" at Sandy Hook teacher's funeral: “...he sang at her funeral.” [41:48]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Pink Floyd’s "The Wall":
  "When you get down the rabbit hole of what The Wall was all about, it’s a very dark album… all three [songs] really dark." – Buzz Knight [09:22]

• On Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged:
  “In his suicide note, he used the words… ‘better to burn out than fade away.’ Neil Young, right? He part of the 27 Club, Kurt Cobain.” – Buzz Knight [19:06]

• On the value of music industry lawsuits today:
  “What would that lawsuit have looked like today, you know, 20 years, 21 years later?” – Buzz Knight [20:12]

• On infamous SNL performance:
  “Legend would have it that he [Elvis Costello] was banned forever from Saturday Night Live. And that turned out to not be true… 12 years later, he went back on and played.” – Buzz Knight [23:45]

• On the Elvis–Nixon badge swap:
  “He asks for a badge. I never heard this… Nixon gives him a badge, Elvis gives Nixon a gun… And then that famous picture was taken. It’s one of the most requested photographs still to this day in the US National Archives.” – Buzz Knight [40:45]

• On changing the music charts for streaming:
  “Now someone has to have a song streamed 100 times to consider it the sale of a song.” – Buzz Knight [32:54]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• John Lennon & UNICEF Charity Concert – [05:27]
• Do They Know It’s Christmas – [06:05]
• Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and the Three Parts – [07:39–09:38]
• Alan Freed & The Birth of "Rock and Roll" – [09:38–10:18]
• The Who and Kent State Honors – [10:39–11:18]
• Courtney Love’s Downward Spiral – [11:58–12:57]
• Elton John’s Ballads & Spinal Tap Cameos – [13:18–14:38]
• James Brown Sentenced – [15:16]
• Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” – [15:42]
• The Who’s Farewell Tours & Band Dynamics – [16:01–16:51]
• Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged & Cobain’s Death – [17:47–19:35]
• Beatles v. EMI Lawsuit – [19:35–20:24]
• Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, & ZZ Top Stories – [20:24–21:53]
• Elvis Costello’s SNL Standoff – [22:33–24:28]
• ZZ Top’s First Album & Backstage Story – [25:30]
• Keith Richards’ Wedding on His Birthday – [26:47]
• Elton John at Troubles and “Your Song” – [28:32]
• Ronnie Wood’s Artistry – [29:50]
• Elvis' War on Drugs & Nixon – [38:56–40:58]
• Chart Calculation Changes – [32:54]
• Bohemian Rhapsody, Paul Simon’s Sandy Hook Tribute – [41:42]

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Tone & Style

The episode’s conversational tone is friendly, accessible, and resonant with musical in-jokes—a blend of reverence, trivia, and storytelling. Buzz and Harry riff off each other, offering historical context, personal anecdotes, and critical insight, while maintaining a pace that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish.

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For Further Listening

• Takin’ A Walk past guests include Rob Barnett (Nirvana/MTV), Bernie Leadon (Eagles), and many more
• Simon & Garfunkel’s In Restless Dreams doc recommendation [16:51]
• Paul Simon’s Sound of Silence tribute segment [41:42]

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This episode is a must-listen for music buffs and casual listeners alike, serving up a dense, entertaining review of how music’s legends and milestones have shaped December’s history.

Transcript

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[Bowen Yang]

I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast. And I'm so happy that you're here for another look at this week in music history. And master of music mayhem, Harry Jacobs. What week are we looking at?

[Matt Rogers]

This is the week of December 15th through the 21st.

[Bowen Yang]

Holy moly.

[Matt Rogers]

You know, I distinctly remember last year, we were, at this point a year ago. We were about a month or so into doing this. Had no idea it would last a year. Right where. I think we're both surprised by that.

[Bowen Yang]

I'm surprised by everything every day.

[Matt Rogers]

Is there anything that doesn't surprise you? Exactly. So, you know, as we were thinking about this today, I was looking back at the notes and I'm like, oh, Buzz, maybe we should just run a rerun or a best of. I was thinking these are really sl. Slow music weeks as we. As we get into Christmas. But there's a lot of information, you know, Claude, AI, I have to tip my hat to. To them for the research help. They're a sponsor of the show, and they're. They're. They're a major help in terms of researching and confirming things. And it's just. That's been a delight. But I've got a lot of information, you know, the next two weeks, which I thought were going to be slow. We've got a lot of stuff going on, a lot of stuff I was unaware of. So let's do it.

[Bowen Yang]

Have to parcel it out and maybe minimize the amount of Connie Francis references because it's Christmas time.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh, here we go. Here we go. You think I'm going Connie Francis? You're wrong, my friend. I think I may have to leave you with a cliffhanger for the week of the 15th. We may have to break up the week of the 15th and the 21st into two parts. Let's get it rolling. December 15th, John Lennon and Yoko. The Plastic Ono Band with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Others played the UNICEF charity in London. This. This happened in, you know, 1973. I think this was his last appearance in the United Kingdom.

[Bowen Yang]

Think about that's wild to think about that. Yeah, boy.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

I would have loved to have been a fly in the wall for that.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh, can you imagine? Do they Know It's Christmas? Entered the UK charts at number one. We've had this conversation. Biggest selling single in the United Kingdom of all time. George Michael and Sting and Bono and Phil Collins and a host of others.

[Bowen Yang]

And I still love hearing it. I mean, I don't. I don't race toward the dial to turn the dial. If I'm listening to a Christmas station and that song comes on like I do with some songs, right?

[Matt Rogers]

I was speaking. Speaking of Christmas, I was watching an interview with this guy's name, Graham Norris, the guy from London. You know who I'm talking about?

[Bowen Yang]

Well, he sounds like he's English, but. No, I don't know.

[Matt Rogers]

I think that's who he is. Anyway, he had Jennifer Lawrence on. She was on at the same time Springsteen was on. And. And he asked her a question and he said, you know, you have a favorite song that cheers you up when you're on a movie set or you're feeling lonely. Doesn't matter what time of year it is. And it's a Springsteen song. And, and. And they literally were asking Bruce to guess what the song might be. They used the word jolly. Well, it makes her feel jolly. Makes me feel jolly every time. And I'm thinking that would be a dead giveaway for Santa Claus is Coming.

[Bowen Yang]

To Town, I think so. I think it is a dead giveaway.

[Matt Rogers]

I can hear that song anytime, anywhere, and be happy.

[Bowen Yang]

No disrespect to when I say jolly, but yeah, or holly.

[Matt Rogers]

Jolly Christmas Eve. That's right. That's right. So at any rate, that's. That's Jennifer Lawrence's favorite Cheer her up kind of song.

[Bowen Yang]

I love her.

[Matt Rogers]

I've seen him play that in the summer. I saw him play that somewhere in July. It was funny. People were throwing the Santa hats up and he said, let's do it. 1979 Pink Floyd started a five week run at number one on the UK charts and. And this led to the band's only number one single. The album was the Wall and Another Brick in the Wall, Part two was the song, their only song that made it to number one. And this was such an interesting album for so many reasons. I can tell you that. This morning, twice this morning. I listened to that album all the way through the double album. I just. I wanted to get back into it. I knew we were going to talk about it. I realized that and I knew this, like we all do that there were, you know, three different sections of Another Brick in the Wall, Part one, Part two and part three. And I went specifically to listen to those three different parts initially. I think my favorite is. Is Another Brick, Part one. Really dark, creepy. But the song ends up rocking out. Part two is the. The whole. How can you have any meat if you don't have your pudding? Right. We don't need no education. And number three was the darkest of the three. And it was one of those things. One of the lyrics is, I don't need no arms around me. I don't need no drugs to calm me. It was this. The guy, the protagonist, the pig. Three stages of grief and trauma in his life. It's a very dark. When you look at. When you get down the rabbit hole of what the Wall was all about. It's a very dark alb. That song. The three different. Three different, you know, takes of it. Another Brick part or the three different parts 1, 2 and 3, all very different. But. But all three really dark.

[Bowen Yang]

When I put my psychosis playlist together, that album is at the height of it.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. There's someone that's. That was damaged writing, writing that album. Roger. 1921, a guy. We. We owe a tip of the hat to his birthday. Alan Freed was born. He actually coined the phrase rock and roll. But we all do him a little tip of the hat. We wouldn't be doing what we're doing today without him.

[Bowen Yang]

That's right. Minus the. The fact that he got messed up in the paola side of things.

[Matt Rogers]

You Know, I forgot all about that, but he was a part of that, wasn't he?

[Bowen Yang]

So I, so I believe. Yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

For those that are unaware, Paola Plugola is one. Record companies or artists went to the disc jockeys who in those days were making decisions about songs that, that were getting played. And Alan Freed took a bunch of money from the record companies.

[Bowen Yang]

But, but, but we do, we do owe them and to your point, a debt of gratitude.

[Matt Rogers]

Right. 1977, the who played a surprise show for the documentary the Kids Are all right. There's a, you know, a scene in that, in that movie where they're playing, you know, in a, in a very small venue. And, and that was the Shepperton Studios that was used for the documentary. And they, it was basically an audience made up of fan club members for that show.

[Bowen Yang]

That's quite a prize, right?

[Matt Rogers]

Pretty neat. 2001, Joe Walsh received an honorary doctorate of music from Kent State. I was UNAWARE that it's Dr. Joe Walsh, but it is Dr. Joe Walsh.

[Bowen Yang]

And Ken State, too. My God.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, right. The, the, the song Ohio. The violence in 72. No, no, before that. Had to be before that.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, it would have been 68. I was going to say 68 or 9.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, yeah, 68 or 69. Song came out Ohio came out right away. But long way around for, for Joe Walsh getting, getting his doctorate. I, I'm surprised that we never heard that. I'm surprised he didn'. And, you know, or take that title and add it to, you know, to his name. Dr. Walsh. Absolutely.

[Bowen Yang]

Dr. Presume.

[Matt Rogers]

You'Re not a doctor, you're a dentist. From the Hangover, 2003, Courtney Love sentenced to 18 months in rehab after she admitted she was under the influence of coke and various opiates. I saw her around that time. Our friend Billy Bush was here in town to do something. I remember where we were at the UNLV auditorium there where they have shows, their arena and, and we. I did something with Billy around Beyonce and Jay Z, who were at that show. But I remember seeing Courtney Love there. I struck by how enormous she was in high heels. I mean, she was taller than. I'm over six feet. And she was significantly taller than I was, as I recall. And she was just a disaster, I think it's fair to say when she walked by.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, sad, you know.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. I could smell the pills coming off of her. I mean, it was, it was sad. I think her life is together these days. Maybe, maybe not.

[Bowen Yang]

I, I, luckily we haven't heard much, so I think maybe it is but listen, you know, that deep loss, you know, never, never leaves her for sure. It's get carried through her entire life. So you know, you do have to have, you know, empathy for loss, you know.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, get a little, you know, a little Kurt Cobain coming up to talk about as well. So we'll touch on that. But yeah, very sad sequence of events that led her down her road of self destruction. No, no other way to put it. Elton John hitting number one on the 15th in the UK with sorry seems to be the hardest word really. I'm a fan of those ballad, the long ballads. Sorry and Tiny Dancer and Leon, just the softer kind of Elton from that period of time. You know, those longer ballads even.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, the older versions. I, I think the, the Disney version of Elton wasn't my, my favorite part, by the way. Brief sidebar relating to, to Elton and to Paul McCartney. We finally saw the Spinal Tap reboot. Rob Reiner was on the show and Elton plays a prominent role in in it, as does Paul McCartney too. So it totally worth seeing. You know, I didn't know even though I loved having Rob on. Listen, I'm calling him Rob.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

I love have loved having him on, but it's definitely worth seeing.

[Matt Rogers]

That's fantastic. I. I have not seen it and I will take the assignment and I will watch it. Unlike you, you don't always take the movie assignments from me. But I guess in this arrangement I work for you. So I, I will watch it and report back. In 1990, Rod Stewart married supermodel Rachel Hunter. He was famously quoted as saying, this is one of the most misogynistic quotes ever in the history. Misogynistic statements that he would no longer be putting his banana in anybody's fruit. From then on, they divorced. That's so terrible. He's awful.

[Bowen Yang]

That is so awful.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh no. 1988, December 15th. James Brown sentenced to six years in prison for various offenses, including a firearms offense and also resisting arrest. Mr. Brown was uncooperative when authorities showed up.

[Bowen Yang]

Well, waving the gun around, he probably meant. Well, I don't know.

[Matt Rogers]

I don't know what he meant and I don't think he knows what he meant at that. At that time.

[Bowen Yang]

No.

[Matt Rogers]

December 16, 1966. Hey Joe was released by Jimi Hendrix, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was on Palador. That song three years later was the closeout for his set at Woodstock. Did a great version of that.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, there you go. Yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

1983, Pete Townsend announced he was leaving the who. It's a big deal at the time now I don't know how many farewell tours later. All due respect to Pete and Roger.

[Bowen Yang]

I know it's incredible. What, what a.

[Matt Rogers]

What a what a couple. Yeah, they, they are. And, and, and I don't know if they're, you know, I, I always like to kind of get a little bit of information and insight into what people. What the relationship was like, you know, Jagger and Richards and Lennon and McCartney and these guys. You know, I just wonder, you know, what the, what the relationship was like between them. I never heard much about arguing or disagreeing. I know, you know, Roger needed to continue to tour. He wanted the wanted and needed the money, but I never heard much in the way of discontent.

[Bowen Yang]

Well, look, I have another assignment for you relating to a band situation or, you know, two partners in music situation. It's fantastic. This documentary, it's called In Restless Dreams, the music of Paul Simon. And there's two Paul Simon documentaries that came out. There was a. I believe the other one was Hulu, and this one we just recently watched. And boy, oh boy, you get tremendous insight into that question. I'll just leave it at that because you, you will see it in very harsh terms with our garb Uncle.

[Matt Rogers]

I'm. It's on my list. I, I came across it the other night. I, I had watched something musical and then in the list of suggested shows after that, the Paul Simon thing, and I need to watch it. Yeah, it's fabulous.

[Bowen Yang]

And you, you really gain greater appreciation for him and his.

[Matt Rogers]

He's got a hearing issue which is preventing him, you know, from, from playing. Yeah, and some more singing, but mean, if you can't hear, you can't sing. So sad. But I'm looking forward to seeing it. I want to try to watch it over the coming days and, and check that out. In 1993, on December 16th, Nirvana's Unplugged concert aired on MTV. This was a big deal. This was one of Cobain's last performances. This is what I was alluding to a few minutes ago when we were talking about Courtney. He died on April 8th of 1994, and the prior week he had escaped rehab. So I don't know if you remember the sequence of events, but when, you know the, the, the situation. The circumstances around his death were very cloudy. April 1, he escaped from rehab two days after checking in. And then he was found, you know, on, on the 8th. And, and, and in his suicide note, he used the words or the, the line, better to burn out than fade away. Neil Young, right. He part of the 27 Club Kurt Cobain. Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

And unbelievable. And yeah, that MTV performance was, you know, words can't describe it.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. You know, and if folks are curious about that, you've got a great segment where, where Rob Barnett joined you to talk about that. Rob Barnett, who, who was, you know, one of the big wigs for, for MTV for a period of time and he was a great guest. So folks can search that up.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, and Danny Goldberg too, the manager of Nirvana actually is part of that as well.

[Matt Rogers]

The episode of Taking a walk. And in 2005, the remaining members of the Beatles began their legal action against EMI on behalf of their interests in Apple. They sued for, I believe, about $30 million that they thought was owed, that EMI had pilfered from them.

[Bowen Yang]

Isn't that crazy just to think about that?

[Matt Rogers]

And now in this day and age, when you think about the money that they thought they were owed, continue to have this discussion about streaming and album sales and records and the record business, it's just. They're worth nothing. It would be worth nothing, you know, at this point, even though there's value in the catalog that. What would that lawsuit have looked like today, you know, 20 years, 20, 21 years later.

[Bowen Yang]

It's crazy to think about it.

[Matt Rogers]

Yep. 1949, Billy Gibbons, the Reverend Willie G. As he refers to himself, one of my favorite guitar players. He was number 32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of best guitar players of all time was born. This is his birthday also on this day. This is. I, I never even heard this story. Same day Billy is celebrating his birthday. Dusty is unpacking his car, either looking deliberately for his Derringer pistol or it just falls out of the car. But he inadvertently shoots himself in the gut with his Derringer pistol and then he drove himself to the hospital. Yeah, obviously he can't make this up. He would, he would go on to pass away some years later, but yeah, that, that, that happened to, to Dusty. 1967, Big Day for Credence. Five singles and five albums were certified gold. Literally on the same day. For Credence, the songs were down on the corner, looking out my back door. Traveling band, Bad Moon, up around the Bend. And then the albums were Cosmos, Factory, Willie and the Poor Boys, Green River, Bayou country and the self titled credence Clearwater album. So 10, 10 times the gold records in one day for, for John Fogerty and company. Big day. Awesome. On this day in night, in 7th year 1973, 1773, some guys did a thing. Members of the Sons of Liberty boarded three British cargo ships in Boston harbor, and they dumped 342 chests of tea into the ocean. It's by the way, it's alleged this was a quiet attack on. On the British. They actually swept up their mess on the deck. So the. The British didn't even know right away. It was this thing that happened under the COVID of darkness, and they cleaned their mess up and then split. I didn't know that about the story.

[Bowen Yang]

Wow, that's crazy.

[Matt Rogers]

December 17, 1977, Elvis Costello was on Saturday Night Live. I don't know if you remember the story around this, but he was, you know, supposed to play a couple of songs. Sex Pistols were the original guests. There was a visa problem that I think Lauren offered it to the Ramones. After that, the Ramones said no. And then they went to Elvis, who had just released My Aim Is True. And the song that they wanted him to play, the label wanted him to play, was Less Than Zero. So Elvis, during rehearsal, plays the song, and then he realizes that the song is just too somber, it's too down. It's a downer for Saturday Night Live, 12 o' clock at night on a Saturday night. So when it's his time to come out and play, he plays a couple bars of Less Than Zero. And then he said he basically stops the band and announces to the audience that that song is just too down, too somber. And then he goes ripping into radio. Radio.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, I do recall that. Yeah, it was a great performance.

[Matt Rogers]

And he. The story was. Legend would have it that he was banned forever from Saturday Night Live. And that turned out to not be true. In 1989, he went. Went back on 1212 years later, he went back on and played. So. But, you know, great musical guest. And Elvis Costello is, you know, one of the most underrated artists and writers of our time. Springsteen, who we talk about, often, has said about Elvis Costello, we can't all be Elvis Costello. Right? I mean, it's just so great. And by the way, Elvis does a great version of she's the One, right? He's a big Springsteen fan, and I love.

[Bowen Yang]

Elvis is aging gracefully too.

[Matt Rogers]

I would agree. He did a tour and they stopped here in Vegas. I remember, if you remember that it was like a. A game show where he spun the wheel. The wheel was on stage.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, yeah, I saw that. I saw that.

[Matt Rogers]

I've never seen him. I. I would like to see Elvis. Oh, he's great. Is. Is he like a Van Morrison? Like, grumpy, moody? Is he like one of those guys where you just feel the energy is Just, you know, not ideal.

[Bowen Yang]

I think he used to be more that way. I don't perceive it that. This way.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. Now he's still active. He's still playing. He's still. He's still out there. Yeah. Still creating.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

In 82, the who played the last show of that farewell, one of many farewell tours as we talked about at the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. And this was actually part of a TV special called who's Last. You keep waiting for these things to show up on Amazon or whatever, these little, little gems. I'm sure. I'm sure it'll be out there at some point.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, they will.

[Matt Rogers]

December 18th, ZZ Top's first album was released. 1971. I'm a fan. I've always been a fan. I've got, you know, I think a good personal history with ZZ Top, just if nowhere else in my own mind. Centrum. 1982, on the Eliminator tour, drinking Schlitz beer backstage with the great Paul Lemire and three of my. But from high school and, you know, just a. Just, you know, three guys that make a lot of noise that sound great. It's just a great show. That first album, though, I don't know a thing about any of it. The. The songs are Shaking your tree, Brown Sugar, I don't think. I mean, they do a version of Jailhouse Rock, the Elvis, but that wasn't on that album. Squon, Going to Mexico, Old man, neighbor, Neighbor, A bunch of stuff that, that, I don't know. Backdoor love affair may be the only, like, deep cut that I'm aware of from that. That album, but that was the first album. 1971. December 18, for ZZ Top. Keith Richards in 1983, at 40 years old, married Patty Hansen. This is also an interesting day because he chose to marry Patty Hansen on his birthday. Who. Who does that on their birthday? I believe.

[Bowen Yang]

And he married. He married up too.

[Matt Rogers]

Of course he did. But I would believe that if there was some sort of, you know, psychological examination done on this, this would be considered in this day and age. Maybe narcissistic behavior?

[Bowen Yang]

Possibly, yes.

[Matt Rogers]

You've got to have your birthday on our wedding day. Like, can you imagine the way. I mean, you're married for a long time. I was married twice. I wasn't good at it, but I can just imagine one of my ex wives saying, why would you choose your wet. Your birthday as our wedding day?

[Bowen Yang]

Exactly.

[Matt Rogers]

And that would be the end of that conversation. Oh, yeah. It would be over. Yeah. Oh, yeah. 1982, Bob Dylan made his movie debut. This was Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The big song that came out of this was Knocking on Heaven's Door, part of the soundtrack. James Coburn, so familiar. Another guy with a great voice. Right. Remember, you know, his voice, big head of white hair and Chris Christofferson, both in that movie with Dylan. And yeah, the movie doesn't tickle anything in particular inside of me. I guess I got to go back and watch it. But I. I don't think it was one of those that, you know, goes down in history is, you know, something.

[Bowen Yang]

You got to see kind of a spaghetti Western. Just the fact that Bob was in it was.

[Matt Rogers]

Made it cool.

[Bowen Yang]

And Kristofferson, it's a bit.

[Matt Rogers]

But it's.

[Bowen Yang]

It's a spaghetti Western, you know.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. In. In pop culture. In 09, Avatar premiered. One of the things I just saw on social media was Matt Damon talking about things that. Roles he turned down that he should have never turned down. And he says it like shaking his head. He said. He said no to Avatar. Oh, boy. He said no to that lead role for a percentage. Right. December 19, 1970. We've all done. We've all done like that.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

December 19th, 1970. Your song by Elton John hits the Billboard Hot 100. This is an interesting thing because this show at the Troubadour earlier that year in August, I think, August 25th of 1970, Elton does the show at the Troubadour. By Christmas time, the song goes number one. But that show at the Troubadour is one of those things that will live on in infamy. The Beach Boys, several members of the Beach Boys were there. Levon Helm was there, record executives. Neil diamond was in the crowd for. For that show. And that was one of those where, you know, the LA Times said, you know, they basically crowned him the, you know, the next celebrity, the must see artist. But a legendary show. And to. To watch the clips and hear stuff, you know, a couple of tracks from that was, you know, it sounds great. Still to this day. It sounds Great. Holds up in 75, Ronnie Wood joined the Stones. Ronnie Wood, not just a great guitar player and musician, but also an amazing artist. I don't know if you've seen the set list that he draws before or after the Stones show.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, I'll tell you a terrible story. I got his book that depicts his. His artwork from him, and he doodled and created some additional little artwork. I can't find the freaking thing. Oh, that's awful. I can't find it. It's one I like. I can find everything but that. I can't find it for the life of me.

[Matt Rogers]

And, and don't you dare ask your wife because there will be some sort of response.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, she's, she knows too. She's asked the same question.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh, she's looked forward to, you know. Yeah, but there's. You don't get the. What did you do with it? Where did you leave it?

[Bowen Yang]

No, it was in, it was from being in Columbus running into him and, and, and I, I can't freaking find it.

[Matt Rogers]

He, he sells that, his beautiful artwork. They, they do it through the website, but there are art galleries that, that offer it up as well. But his, his artwork is really pretty fantastic and he's, he's one of the great guitar players of our time as well.

[Bowen Yang]

Absolutely.

[Matt Rogers]

1955, Carl Perkins wrote what would end up becoming a rock and roll standard. Think about Blue Suede Shoes. Think about, you know, Elvis did a version of it. Buddy Holly did a version of it. But if you were in a cover band, you know, a rock band in the 60s and 70s and even in the 80s, you covered blue Suede Shoes. That's one of those songs that like, it's like for a guitar player or a musician, it's like Johnny B. Goode. You gotta, you gotta know that song. Yeah, it's a standard, a rock standard. In 57, Elvis, while living at Graceland. I didn't realize how long he has or, or how he. Long he did own Graceland. But in 57 he was served with his draft papers at, at Graceland. That's where the notice came. He ended up serving and he ended up in the 32nd. I want to get this right. The 32nd Tank Battalion, 3rd Armor Corp. Based in Germany. So he served his time in the army.

[Bowen Yang]

He looked good in a uniform though.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, he did. Yeah. He just, you know, he, he was a, he was a good looking guy. That 68 Elvis was arguably probably the, the best to come back to her with the leather suit and the, you know, the red guitar. Oh yeah. Probably the best of, of ELVIS. So. Yep, 2016, this is interesting to me. We were talking about charts and downloads and the. With the Beatles and the money. The lawsuit with emi. The official chart company announced that they were changing the way that it calculated the top 40 to reflect the rise in streaming back in 2016. So we're going back nine, almost 10 years. So here's the way it works. Currently 100 streams is counted as one sale of a song. So you know, we used to go buy music. When we were kids, you go buy a 45 or buy an album, that counts as a sale. Now someone has to have a song streamed 100 times to consider it the sale of a song.

[Bowen Yang]

Wow, that's crazy.

[Matt Rogers]

Isn't that interesting? And then from January 2017, the ratio would become 150 to 1. So 150 downloads equals the sale of a song. And, you know, it's interesting to me how that it's cal. I never. We've never stopped. I mean, we're. We're in this music thing here together talking about this and. And it's never come up. It's very interesting to me that that's how they thought that they would break the bottleneck in. In the music industry with the charts and everything else, people. Because songs were just hanging on forever.

[Bowen Yang]

Better read the fine, fine print, right?

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah. 2015, Thriller became the first album to ever sell 30 million copies. The Runner up to this day, biggest selling album. The runner up is the Eagles. Greatest Hits. 71 to 75. 29 million copies as of today. Insane in my garage I have a sign that a friend of mine gave me in Worcester in 1990 or 1991. And it was a. An item he found at the Brimfield Fair. And it was. And is this sign for Buffalo Springfield. It's a tractor plate.

[Bowen Yang]

Oh.

[Matt Rogers]

So it's, you know, it's, you know, maybe a foot and a half by a foot tall, and it's green with white print, and it's from a Buffalo Springfield brand tractor. That's where they got their name. And I have one of those tractor plates in my garage. The thing weighs a ton.

[Bowen Yang]

Bring it, bring it, bring it by sometime.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, well, yeah, it's easy. I don't know if I get through security with that.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, probably not.

[Matt Rogers]

1975, Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leiden, a recent guest on Taking a Walk. Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

And by the way, he did go back to the Eagles for a run. So they were on friendly enough terms there.

[Matt Rogers]

But are they still. Are they still okay?

[Bowen Yang]

I think so. I. I think. I think it's. It's all, you know, there's reconciliations or whatever.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

It seems like. Who knows?

[Matt Rogers]

What do I know?

[Bowen Yang]

What do I know?

[Matt Rogers]

Let's see. Just like Starting over, the John Lennon song from the Double Fantasy ended up hitting number one. This. This happened at a time that was just literally right after his death. It was less than two weeks after he was shot in front of the Dakota. But that was his first and only number one song. Was just like Starting over.

[Bowen Yang]

Beautiful song. And a heartbreaking loss, you know.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, a couple of things for the Stones. On this day, 1971, they released Hot Rocks. Great double album, Greatest hits collection. It was one of the first albums I remember having as a kid. I think I grabbed it from my parents, from my father. And also in 69, let it bleed hit the top of the charts. So 69, 71. Big days. By the way. Let It Bleed was the last album with Brian Jones. He was fired midway through Let It Bleed and if you'll excuse my crass comment, he ended up, you know, being found face down in the pool. His pool. Mick Jones joined to replace him. And that's the story with, with those two Stones albums and Brian Jones, man, 1947, two birthdays 1947, 1948, 1947. Peter Chris, drummer from Kiss, Gene Simmons, after the recent passing of Ace Freely has talked kind of openly about how the band treated Peter and Ace, you know, during the 80s, after, after they were essentially sent packing out of the band. I knew Ace had his issues. I didn't realize Peter did as well. But there was a time where Gene was just kind of inconsiderate in terms of the way he, by his own admission about the way he talked about Ace and Peter and, and I think since Ace's passing he's come out and he said, listen, we didn't do enough as a band to take care of these guys. We weren't as patient as we should have been there. I mean there was obviously unreliability. Both Peter and Ace, you know, were later didn't show up for rehearsals and you know, Gene and Paul are guys that don't drink or don't do any drugs. And I think it was probably trying on them to have these two important members of the band that, that were under and in the clutches of alcohol and drugs at the time. So. Alan Parsons, 1948, famous musician. Probably the, the I, I would think maybe one of the most well known projects. He may not be well known for it to, to those that don't pay attention to the weeds kind of stuff, but a producer for Dark side of the Moon.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah, I mean think about his career, you know, the production excellence career as a solo artist. Just a great respect for him.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah, we've talked in, in the past. I shared with you that I interviewed him maybe 1997 or 98 on July 4th. And I remember the conversation specifically because I had asked him. Our friend George Taylor Morris was starting to talk about Dark side of the Moon and Wizard of Oz and I asked Alan Parsons about that and I. I can't think of another time. I felt like such an idiot where I put my foot in my mouth. But he didn't know a thing about it. He claimed to be unaware of the connection. At that point in time, I'm gonna believe him too. Yeah, I think there's no reason to lie.

[Bowen Yang]

There's no reason. Exactly.

[Matt Rogers]

No.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Matt Rogers]

This is an interesting day, that. December 21st, our next day. This was a day that in 1970, Elvis drove from Graceland to Washington. His first stop in Washington. I want to get this right, because they're no longer called by this name. The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was around at that time under Tricky Dick. So Elvis shows up at this agency and pleads with them that he can help with the war on drugs. This was before Nancy Reagan's war on Drugs. This was, you know, 1970. So they basically show him the door. They're like, you know, what are you going to do? We're not interested. He wanted a badge. He wanted to be named and, you know, an agent in fighting the war on drugs. So he gets turned down by this group. And then he goes to the White House with a six page letter for Nixon and wants to be seen by Nixon. So he asks to be named a special agent. He asks for a badge. I never heard this. Like I'm reading this story this morning and I'm like, how do we not know this? I know. Such good information. So it's juicy. It really is. So, so the government agency, the, the, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs takes a hard pass. Elvis is able to talk Nixon into it. Nixon gives him a badge. Elvis gives Nixon a gun. A Colt.45 from the war. Like a trade. You give me a badge, I give you a gun. And then that famous picture was taken. It seems like I almost always see the black and white version, but Elvis in that picture is wearing this purple velour or velvet jumpsuit, shaking Nixon's hand.

[Bowen Yang]

Classic.

[Matt Rogers]

It's one of the. That picture is one of the most requested photographs still to this day in the US National Archives. Interesting.

[Bowen Yang]

It's, it's, it's a classic.

[Matt Rogers]

Couple more. Yeah, a couple more quick ones. To to to to wrap this up. Born in the USA surpassed thriller to to to to hit 79 weeks on the charts. And which tall linemen hit the top 200? Glen Campbell's only number one and the Billboard charts ever. And he. There's an appreciation I have for him and we all should have and we'll talk more next week about that. Bohemian Rhapsody hit number one in 91 after Freddie Mercury's death and Paul Simon performed Sound of Silence at the funeral of a teacher, one of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook shooting on this day. You mentioned Paul Simon earlier and that happened. Victoria Soto was a first grade teacher and one of her favorite songs of all time was Sound of Silence and Paul Simon heard about it, sang at her funeral.

[Bowen Yang]

I didn't know.

[Matt Rogers]

Wow. And and that is how we end this Week in Music History. I promise you that we were going to have to maybe cut this into two parts, but but we somehow got it all in December 15th through the 21st.

[Bowen Yang]

It's quite a whirlwind master of music mayhem and and thank you for another look at this week in Music history. And thank you all for checking it out on the Taking a Walk podcast. 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 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 [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply with Venmo Stash.

[Matt Rogers]

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[Bowen Yang]

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[Bowen Yang]

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[Bowen Yang]

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[Matt Rogers]

Only one movie answers the call. Hello, it's me, SpongeBob. For the biggest comedy event of the holiday season, do you know what the best part is?

[Bowen Yang]

What is it, Patrick?

[Matt Rogers]

No, I'm asking. The spongebob Movie Rated DG Friday Amazon.

[Bowen Yang]

Five Star Theater presents Real Customer Reviews performed by Eva Longoria.

[Matt Rogers]

Tonight's review Sports Briefs oh boy. Where do I even start with these performance mesh boxer briefs. These boxer briefs are like a magician's trick. You know the one where you go.

[Bowen Yang]

Where did that rabbit come from? So if you're looking for underwear that not only performs well, but also gives.

[Matt Rogers]

Your package the attention it deserves, then look no further. 5 stars Nickalicious shop the Perfect Gift this holiday season on Amazon.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something.

[Matt Rogers]

Do you know the symptoms of moderate.

[Bowen Yang]

To severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa.

[Matt Rogers]

In adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing.

[Bowen Yang]

If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days.

[Matt Rogers]

Fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa.

[Bowen Yang]

OSA is a serious condition where your.

[Matt Rogers]

Airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this.

[Bowen Yang]

Information is provided by Lilly, A medicine company.

[Matt Rogers]

This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed human.