Episódios

  • OLD SCHOOL Redux 3

    OLD SCHOOL Redux 3
    May 23 2025
    OLD SCHOOL #7 Wild Life MacumbaOs Mutantes 1968, Barbara George 1961, Lou Christie 1966For many who were there, regardless of our powers of recall, the psychedelic 60s are fueled by musical memories. Great Britain ruled with Beatles and Stones, trailed by a loopy gaggle that included Donovan, Small Faces, and infant Pink Floyd. Living in the USA meant the Dead, the Airplane, the Electric Flag, the plastic inevitable, the acid test.But in Brazil, all those inputs were peppered with the home country heroes Os Mutantes. Weird, political, original, they were as psychedelic as the blue sands of Rio in the moonlight. They started in ‘64, regrouped and added and subtracted personnel over the years, but remain a global legend.Presenting their first song, the gateway audio drug to the endless whirl that Os Mutantes!BAT MACUMBA Os MutantesBarbara George wrote her single hit basing the melody on one of her church choir faves, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” The lyrics were pointed at the jerk she had married at 16. It was a blessing as well as a blessing out.In 1961 “I Know” topped the R&B charts at hit #3 on the US pop charts. As composer, she reaped the benefits of cover versions by Ike and Tina, Fats Domino, Bonnie Raitt, and Cher. British invaders Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas recorded it.Such a fun song, it’s sleeping now, awaiting a reimagined cover somewhere down the line. How do I know? I Know.I KNOW. Barbara GeorgeLugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco turned 83 on Feb 19. His best birthday will always be his 23rd in 1966, when he had the Number One song in the country. On March 3, “Lightnin’ Strikes” went gold, signifying a million sales, mostly to teenage girls who knew exactly where Lou Christie was coming from. And where he wanted to go.Most of Christie’s hits, heavy with falsetto and naughty romance, are rough and edgy for the times. To date he is the only artist to have a record banned for including the phrase “making out.” Christie loved the bad rich boy persona that emanate from his songs, his album covers, his live performances.Lou forever comes across as the privileged white teen who shows up late for the chaperoned sweet sixteen birthday house party, rocking a plaid blazer. He’s driving his father’s Jaguar. And at some point of the party he takes two or three cool guys out to the driveway for a smoke and shows them the pistol in the glove box.Christie and his labels created this image and squeezed it into a very successful career. “Wild Life’s in Season” is a lesser hit for him, but it is such a perfect example of what Lou Christie was all about. The man, the legend, the haircut.WILD LIFE’S IN SEASON Lou ChristieKnow someone who may enjoy some time in the Old School detention hall? Please share! Thank you😎OLD SCHOOL #8 Junior and Georgie on a MissionJunior Wells 1965, George Fame and the Blue Flames 1964, Mission of Burma 1981Unlike the Underground FM sets I would put together in the early 70s as a charter member of the Association of Progressive Radio Announcers, these three song Old School shows don’t have much to do with each other. That will probably change but for these first few it’s grab bag mode. Unearthing genius locked silent for a half century is enough!If today’s bill was a show, I would be there with you on the front row. Junior Wells was a legend. Musically he was family taught by cousins Junior Parker and Sonny Boy Williamson II. On the other side of the ocean Georgie Fame fed on American blues and brought a hep cat groove to the British Invasion. Fast forward a little and Boston’s Mission of Burma plays their first gig on April 1, 1979.OK, push play please…SNATCH IT BACK AND HOLD IT Junior WellsJunior Wells, 1934-1998 enjoyed a 40 year performing career that established him as one of the baddest blowers of the blues harp. Born in Memphis, he attended the school of hard knocks in Chicago. He was performing with a group called The Aces in 1952 when he heard that Little Walter had dropped out of Muddy Waters band.By the 1960s Junior was on his own when he recorded perhaps his greatest album, the Hoodoo Man Blues. The idea was to recreate in a studio what a night in a west side lounge might sound like Especially sweet is his Chicago Blues Band, consisting of bassist Jack Myers, drummer Billy Warren, and a guitarist called Friendly Chap on the first pressings, but you don’t need a weatherman to know that axe is being wielded by Buddy Guy.Don’t even try to sit still. Junior Wells 1965…Snatch it Back and Hold It…YEH YEH Georgie FameGeorgie Fame points to Louis Jordan, Booker T and Mose Allison as major influences on his jazzy British style. Oddly enough, the sound was just offbeat and swinging enough to earn him a high rank in the British Invasion. His first hit had been recorded by Mongo Santamaria, with lyrics written by Jon Hendricks of Lambert Hendricks and Ross. London went cool cat, and Georgie has been bopping ever since.From ...
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    48 minutos
  • OS#83 "Hey, Let's Twist"

    OS#83 "Hey, Let's Twist"
    May 16 2025
    Professor Mikey in the Old School today, on a field trip where we will be twisting the night away.The Twist was all about the dance. The music was kind of secondary. Sure, there were a handful of Twist stars, but as far as phenomena go, the Twist had a trajectory of it’s own.Welcome to the last big to the last big music craze before the British Invasion.We are coming to you from the ghostly realm of the Peppermint Lounge at 128 West 45th Street in New York City, a sonic shrine from 1961 that predated the cultural pop of Studio 54. Who cared that it was small and most people spent their evenings trying to get on the wait list? Or that it was run by the mob?The popularity of the Twist came and went to fast, almost as quickly as it’s West Coast counterpart, surf music. But it was a completely different vibe. Wiggling your hips to phenomenally forgettable Twist tunes in the middle of the night was pure east coast, where the beautiful people flocked to the Big Apple. On any given night you might see Norman Mailer, Greta Garbo, Truman Capote, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Liberace, Audrey Hepburn, Annette Funicello and so many others. When the Beatles came to play the Ed Sullivan Show, they wanted to party at the Peppermint Lounge.We have the pictures to prove it on the newsletter at professormikey.substack.com.Another origin story took place at the same time in Philadelphia, where TVs most popular disc jockey ordered up a cover version of a Bside from 1958. It was still the early days of rock, and having a grown up white guy decide what the next craze would be was nothing unusual. That’s a whole other story.Some of the songs were catchy, some were downright twisted. All of them involved a dance that anybody could do, and everybody looked silly doing it. Good times! This is Old School #83.Hey! Let’s Twist!Exactly how or why that song sat for 2 years before it got Dick Clark’s attention is a mystery. The king of Philadelphia and teen aged afternoon TV on his American Bandstand dance show wanted a new dance. He called a friend at Cameo Records to see if they had anyone who could do a new version of Ballard’sforgotten B Side. Earnest Evans, who would have probably been called Ernie E if he had been discovered today, got the nod. The 20 year old had earned the name Chubby while entertaining for Fresh Farm Poultry in the Italian Market on Ninth Street. His boss, the guy who nicknamed him Chubby, Anthony Tambone, got the call from his buddyKal Mann, who worked as a songwriter for Cameo-Parkway Records arranged for young Chubby to do a private audition recording. Clark played it for his family and his wife suggested they tack on Checker as an homage to Fats Domino. Clark smelled money.Enter Joseph DiNicola, born in Passaic, New Jersey on 11 June 1940. As Joey Dee he and the Starliters (David Brigati, Larry Vernieri (vocals), Carlton Lattimore (organ), Sam Taylor (guitar) and Willie Davis (drums), were playing a club in Lodi, New Jersey. They got the call to meet on 45th street for a weekend gig at the Peppermint Lounge. It was a tiny club pulsing with energy. What the public didn’t realize at the time was it was being run by the Genovese crime family, specifically Matty “The Horse” Ianniello. Teen tough guy Joey Pesci was an extra who was asked to leave after his dancing got a little too wild.All that faded into the background when the Peppermint Twist was released. The 45 came as a two parter, with the first side getting the airplay, and hit the number one spot quickly. Here is the way they never heard it on the radio. The Peppermint Twist Parts One and Two!Their hit “Peppermint Twist” hit number one in 1962.On any given night, you might spot Judy Garland, Greta Garbo, or even the Beatles—all twisting elbow-to-elbow with downtown kids.Designed to get a quick laugh and hopefully turn a quick buck, Twisted Humor resulted in a handful of mostly regrettable tunes that did nothing to help the twist. They were songs produced by adults, for adults, and they were funny for about the first 20 seconds. In fact, Prof Mikey has made an editorial decision to cut these into segment so you won’t dislike me or disown me or whatever people do when they unsubscribe. If you want to hear the entire versions, they are safe and uncut on the public Twist playlist on my YouTube Channel.How bad can they be? Let’s just start cold.O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald–Cincinnati’s Isley Brothers–figured into a lot of music over several decades. Beginning in the 50s with gospel and doo-wop, they progressed to soul, and funk and so much more. And they were always a few dance steps ahead, like when they hired an unknown Jimi Hendrix to play in their band. Twistin with Linda was just one of their twist hits, but you probably heard a lyric in there that would gel into the backbone of a song so famous, the Beatles used it to open most of their early shows. Earlier in this episode, you heard an unknown ...
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    1 hora e 13 minutos
  • OS#82 Brave New World

    OS#82 Brave New World
    Apr 16 2025
    Searching for wisdom in old pop songs is no doubt an exercise in folly. Tunes from Good Times, resurrected and dusted off in bleak and uncertain futures, often sound hollow.(((Be sure and check out the last 5 min even if you skip everything else😎)))) Boy, did these guys miss the mark. What if we could pluck them out of their secure past, and plop them down in the middle of these times. Things get worse everyday. The anxiety level rocks you harder than an old Led Zeppelin lick.Thanks for listening to and/or reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. Read The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare here.But, if Shakespeare can sum it up and have it make sense over a few hundred years, surely we can expect the same from many others who tamed the 20th century with peace, love, and great bass lines.Today Old School is coming to you from a Brave New World. Not necessarily hopeful and sugar coated. The future is still out there, it could go either way. It could be the end of the world as we know it, but how great to be able to dial up REM or Elvis Costello.Professor Mikey here. Hopeful as Hell, but still holed up in the Old School basement surrounded by the grooves of a remarkable past. A time when all issues could be rocked. For today’s show, we’ve even dipped into some true standard to keep the ship afloat.🌎🌍🌏BRAVE NEW PLAYLISTI Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire - The Ink SpotsBrave New World - The Steve Miller BandLost in a Lost World - The Moody BluesWorld of Pain - CreamSittin’ on Top of the World - Howlin’ WolfAny World That I’m Welcome To - Steely DanMan Who Sold the World - NirvanaGet Me to the World on Time - Electric Prunes5 O’Clock World - The VoguesHand Me Down World - Guess WhoIf I Ruled the World - Sammy Davis Jr.It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s Man’s Man’s WorldComputer World - KraftwerkWhen the World is Running Down - The PoliceWaiting for the World to End - Elvis CostelloGot the World on a String - Ella FitzgeraldSpecial montage NOT TO BE MISSED10 Alarming Signs Indicating the World Is in Trouble: 1. Record-Breaking Global Temperatures: January 2025 was the warmest January globally, with an average surface air temperature of 13.23°C, which is 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average for January. 2. Decline in Wildlife Populations: Over the past 50 years, there has been a catastrophic 73% decline in global wildlife populations, indicating severe biodiversity loss. 3. Increased Rainfall Intensity in Urban Areas: Cities like Seattle have experienced a 6% increase in rainfall intensity since 1970, leading to heightened flood risks. 4. Rising Ocean Acidity and Sea Levels: Ocean acidity and sea levels have reached record highs, contributing to the loss of marine life and increased coastal erosion. 5. Accelerated Biodiversity Loss Due to Human Activity: Human activities have led to a 20% reduction in species diversity at impacted sites, with reptiles, amphibians, and mammals being particularly affected.  6. Threats to Traditional Agricultural Practices: In regions like Romania’s Carpathians, traditional hay meadows, which support rich biodiversity, are disappearing due to modernization and depopulation. 7. Projected Increase in Species Extinction: Studies estimate that an additional 17% of Earth’s species could be lost directly due to climate change. 8. Deregulation Benefiting Fossil Fuel Industries: Policies favoring fossil fuel industries, such as environmental deregulations, are exacerbating climate change impacts. 9. Intensification of Extreme Weather Events: Climate change is making extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and heatwaves more common and severe. 10. Increased Heat-Related Mortality Rates: There has been a rise in heat-related deaths, reflecting the direct impact of increasing global temperatures on human health. Songs That Changed the World* “Strange Fruit” – Billie Holiday (1939) One of the first protest songs, exposing the horrors of lynching.* “Like a Rolling Stone” – Bob Dylan (1965) → Redefined what a pop song could be.3. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” – The Beatles (1963) Sparked Beatlemania and the British Invasion.4. “Respect” – Aretha Franklin (1967) → Became an anthem for both feminism and civil rights.5. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana (1991) → Ushered in the grunge era.6. “Good Vibrations” – The Beach Boys (1966) → One of the most innovative studio recordings of its time.7. “Fight the Power” – Public Enemy (1989) → A rallying cry for political activism in hip-hop.8. “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen (1975) → Proved rock opera could be a mainstream hit.9. “Rapper’s Delight” – Sugarhill Gang (1979) → Introduced rap to a wider audience.10. “Imagine” – John Lennon (1971) → A universal song of peace and Unity “The past is a blast.”Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive ...
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    1 hora e 6 minutos
  • OS#81: Dude, Where’s My Garage?

    OS#81: Dude, Where’s My Garage?
    Mar 24 2025

    Garage Rock preceded Psychedelic anywhere from four to six weeks, depending on who you ask. The problem is that 50 and 60 year old memories are not exactly rock solid reliable. Several people were in bands. Some of them can remember their names. Their beloved playlists? That’s another matter.

    Digging for great old records back by the storage room doors in what is left of the Mom and Pop record stores is a true joy. The tough part is sorting the true ginormous gems from the forgotten flip sides. Sometimes, they stay lost, gone with the wind like the brain cells that used to be there.

    But enough for artificial music intelligence. Coming up on this special detention edition of Old School, Professor Mikey discovers and dusts off some truly lost legends of 60s psychedelic silliness hiding amidst the stacks of vericose vinyl from a time that time forgot.

    Score two microdots for every one you remember. Hey Jude, these are really obscure.

    Hey, Professor Mikey here, thanks for helping to warm up the Old School today. This has been episode 81 Dude, Where’s My Garage. Let’s stick a Volume 1 on that, you know we will have to keep looking for that great garage in the future. The playlist, along with the free newsletter, you can find at professormikey.substack.com. People who do straight politics are getting zillions of subscribers, so vote for old rock and roll any time you have the chance. Old School is also heard wherever you get your podcasts. Any and all music heard in this program resides next to the ‘55 Chevy in the garage that just needs an engine overhaul and a paint job, and is in the public domain or is used by permission from the labels, the podcast originators, and within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. Join me next time and stay tuned for a great closer! Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive podcast pre-releases, extras, choreography annd merriment consider becoming a subscriber as a well as a supporter of the greatest evolutions in rock.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hora
  • OS#80 - The Real NITTY GRITTY

    OS#80 - The Real NITTY GRITTY
    Mar 16 2025
    Hello again. Prof Mikey in the Old School. This is the place for the intro, and this show is no different. Most podcasters will use this time to show you how casual they are, introduce all their sidekicks, and reflect on a news story they saw on Entertainment Tonight. I’m fine with all that but this show is very different.As regular listeners have figured out, I wandered in from the world of old radio. As a DJ I was told to keep it short, give an honest relate, introduce a song and shut up.There are far fewer rules in podcasting than when you are on the radio. Radio is all about a target audience, podcasts are hoping someone on a desert island gets your mp3 in a bottle, then has something charged up so they can play it. Suppose all that happens with some shipwrecked soul in the middle of the Pacific. The listener sits out there like Tom Hanks playing with his Wilson, and somehow they didn’t get the part about giving you a like. Or taking out a free subscription.Dancing The Nitty Gritty on Ed Sullivan and year before the Beatles hit the stage.Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and podcasts, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Yeah, mmm, yeahDo you know that some folks know about it, some don'tSome will learn to shout it, some won'tBut sooner or later baby, here's a dittySay you're gonna have to get right down to the real nitty grittyNow let's get right on down to the nitty grittyNow one, two nitty grittyNow yeah, mmm, nitty gritty nowOoooowee, right down to the real nitty grittyOoooowee, can you feel it double beatin', I keep repeatinGet right down to the real nitty grittySay it again double beatin'Get on down, we gotta get right down to the real nitty grittyLet's get, let's get right on down to the real nitty grittyIt's all right, it's all rightGet on down, get on downGet right down to the real nitty grittyListen to me nowOooowee, oooweeCome on and let the good times rollLet the music sink down in to your soulDouble beatin', keep repeatin'You gotta get right down to the really nitty grittyGet on down, get on downTalkin' about the nitty grittyGet on down, get on downSource: LyricFindSongwriters: Lincoln ChaseThe Nitty Gritty lyrics © Music Sales CorporationBut enough about the good times. Old School is an educational experience, and as such we can slip some good stuff in.Last week was big fun, diving into the just below the surface semi underground of 1955. Way too old for modern audiences, but for those collecting, or trying to figure out whether to buy vinyl or food, or people remembering their Boomer childhood that never ended.Anyway that show had a ton of stories and took hours to research. Here I am this week, it’s time to put together another chapter of Old School. But instead of a concentrated theme, this is more of an evolutionary show that will take shape as we go along. Think of it as the freeform radio of the early past when the DJ had to do a Sunday afternoon shift, and just start pulling records. It not as haphazard as that, there is a theme, and that theme is to get right down to the real Nitty Gritty. We lead off with Shirley Ellis and a bit of a dance number from 1963, then try to follow it with music from all over the stacks. The only thing these songs have in common is that, at least to Professor Mikeys way of thinking, they get right down to the real nitty gritty. Or at least attempt to do so. Strip away the fluff, and contrived hooks, the sappy lyrics, but keep honesty and a good beat going. No charts, no ranking, mostly music that in its time could very well have been brought up on charges of telling the truth.It is time for the chatting to start and the money to hit the jukebox. This is Old School episode number 80. The real Nitty Gritty.Nitty Gritty - Shirley Ellis (1963)The Jezebel Spirit - David Byrne & Brian Eno (1981)Houses in Motion - Talking House (1980)So houses represent a where, how, and what you live when establishing your own personal nitty gritty reality. A house, like your psyche, has a façade as well as an interior. The outside shows the world how you live, the inside is your own personal privacy., one corresponding to the public self and the other to the private self. Forever Carl Jung, declared homemaking as the power metaphor for the integration of the personalites, “the way we attempt to bring our outer lives into harmony with our innermost desires.”Talking Heads would fill Jung’s notebook, Rosey Clooney might have nailed down all metaphors, and Jimi was known for setting psychic guitars ablaze. Johnny Cash originated the line David Byrne was walking.I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash & Snoop Dogg (2008)This Old House - Rosemary Clooney (1954)House Burning Down - The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe Friends of Mr. Cairo - Jon Anderson & VangelisAround the Dial- The KinksReality - The Five AmericansNobody But Me - The Human BeinzWhatcha See is Whatcha Get - The DramaticsPure and Easy- Pete TownshendThe ...
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    1 hora e 7 minutos
  • OS79-1955 Rock Year One

    OS79-1955 Rock Year One
    Mar 1 2025
    “My man rocks me with one steady roll.” – Trixie Smith, 1922Today’s lesson is going to be especially fun to listen to in our special flying version of a 1955 Chevy hot rod.Pinning a start year on the first year of rock ‘n’ roll is difficult for most music histories. As we learned in episode 58: Pre-Rock Pre-Roll. There was evidence of the storm already hitting the airways in the late 40s and certainly in the early 50s. If you haven’t heard it, I have a link at the end of this page so you can soak up some of that 1951-54 early mojo.In this episode, we rock 1955. And it rolls over us.Coupling was at the heart of the newly developing genre. Rhythm and blues had taken jazz onto the dance floor. Country western was for hillbillies, but as it moved into rough and rowdy ways, a new Texas bop earned the name Rockabilly. Destiny kicked in, the rhythm aces hooked up with the cowboy rockers, and the results were usually too hot to handle.DJ Alan Freed had popularized the term that had come out of the bluesy southern juke joints, where it was a euphemism for motions people in love made in bed when they weren’t sleeping. Censors missed the connotations completely while music fans welcomed the perfect hybrid. White meets black, blues meets country, it has a good beat and you can dance to it. Rock and roll. Year One.Which gets us to the changing times of 1955. Bill Haley and His Comets had their song featured in the first rock and roll high school classic “The Blackboard Jungle.” It prompted the newly recognized teen market to rock around the clock. Elvis was still a year away from adopting a hound dog, Dick Clark wouldn’t take to television with American Bandstand until 1957. This is the equivalent of cave drawings highlighted by the original intelligence of Little Richard, Big Joe Turner, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley.Controversy came with this meshing of cultures. White teens craved black artists, which rattled the anti diversity, equity, and inclusion crowd. Especially in the South. Then black artists pointed out to white legislators that Pat Boone and others had no problem not only covering black artists but also heavily borrowing arrangements and attitudes, adding a little honky zest and Brylcreem.The mixing of the music took a giant leap for mankind between 1954 and 1956. That’s why this lesson plan is entitled “1955: Rock Year One.” There are a handful of hits included. Remember, there are people who have never heard anything from 1955. Just like there are those who haven’t listened to any new music since 1955.This might be a good time to EASILY share this with some rocker you love:So here comes American music at a pivotal time. Rock and roll is far from taking over. The December merging of unions will give the AFL-CIO a total of 15 million members. The Salk vaccine has entered the war on polio. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof just won a Pulitzer for Tennessee Williams. The hot book is the Mad Men of the day, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. American kids are spending their allowances on Batman, Superman, and gross out horror comics, which are selling to the tune of one billion in 1955. That works out to a hundred million dollars at a dime a book, four times the budget of all U.S. libraries combined.The Dodgers of Brooklyn beat the Yankees in the World Series. Racial segregation on interstate trains and buses has been banned by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Employment is nearing the 100% mark, and there is still a shortage of 141,000 teachers. The USA has a stockpile of 4,000 atomic bombsAnd the top selling record of the year?“The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”Elvis in 1955 is still an up and coming young country western star at Sam Phillips’s Sun Studios in Memphis, as well as an up and coming attraction on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. For his 3rd single Elvis recorded a blues piece made famous by Kokomo Arnold during the Depression. “Milkcow Boogie” on the A Side and “You’re a Heartbreaker” on the B. Let’s hear them both.Sun Records’ Carl Perkins had a career that needed a kick in the pants, and he got it from the man in black. Johnny Cash was telling him a story one day about an incident he had seen in Germany after the war, when someone in the dinner line happened to trip over the shoes of one C. V. White. “Hey man,” he said. “I don’t care what you do with my fraulein, don’t step on my blue suede shoes.” Granted the line needed a little editing, but Perkins was on his way. The Single itself was recorded by many others, including Elvis, and when the 60s rolled around, the flipside was covered by the Beatles.One of the biggest lessons of rock music’s unofficial Year One is how confusing cover versions muddied the waters. For instance, I’m going to play the first recording of “I Hear You Knocking but You Can’t Come In,” written by Dave Bartholomew, known for his collaborations with Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. No sooner had Smiley Lewis, also ...
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    1 hora e 29 minutos
  • OS#78: M@¥H€m

    OS#78: M@¥H€m
    Jan 25 2025
    There’s more to mayhem than the excellent insurance commercials. You know, the one where there’s a kid’s birthday party or some house repairs going on and all hell breaks loose. Then a beaten injured spokesperson, bloody well played by Dean Winters, urges you to take out some insurance on him, baby. This guy should be in the hospital instead of out on the street.When the world is trying to go down the drain, no matter how many good vibes some people bring to the table, we can sense the mayhem in the air. It smells like the opposite of victory. It is all chaos and noise, not much sanity. We are alone in freefall, plunging toward earth, our parachutes nicely folded up in our backpacks. It is Black Friday and all the good deals have been sold.This episode concerns the existence of mayhem in rock ‘n’ roll. We all remember how surprised we felt the first time we saw The Who, after a rousing set, destroy their instruments and break everything on stage. As punk rock gained popularity, so too did the onstage blood spitting mayhem and the hotel room trashing.Pointing out in song that the world was falling apart was a big theme with the folkies who decided we were on the eve of distraction and of course, destruction.In this episode of Old School we will delve into some songs that are filled with dread, confusion and widespread panic at the disco. This is the end my only friend. This is MAYHEM. 💣P L A Y L I S TShip of Fools - The DoorsArmagideon Time - The ClashEve of Destruction - The TurtlesTo Hell with Poverty - The Gang of FourTrouble Every Day - Mothers of InventionWhite Man’s Got a God Complex - The Last PoetsBall of Confusion - The TemptationsPeople Who Died - Jim CarrolHappenings 10 Years Time Ago - The Yardbirds1984 - SpiritBlank Generation - Richard Hell & the VoidoidsThe House at Pooneil Corners - Jefferson AirplaneSympathy for the Devil - LaibachPanic - The SmithsEXTRA: The History of Mayhem: Etymology, Historical Incidents, and Modern ChaosThe word “mayhem” carries a history as chaotic as its meaning, evolving from a legal term to a descriptor of unruly disorder. While modern interpretations may conjure images of comedic or metaphorical chaos, its roots are steeped in physical violence and societal upheaval. “Mayhem” derives from the Anglo-Norman term mahem, itself rooted in the Old French mehaignier, meaning “to maim” or “injure.” In ye olde English law, mayhem referred specifically to a violent crime that left someone physically messed up, mutilated, or incapacitated, particularly in ways that hindered their ability to fight or defend themselves. For instance, medieval legal codes often distinguished between simple assault and acts of mayhem, where the latter involved permanent injury, such as severing limbs or putting out an eye. Like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Over time, the word’s legal connotation began to encompass the idea of general disorder and destruction. By the 17th century, literary usage had captured mayhem as a metaphor for any situation marked by chaos and uncontrollable force, setting the stage for its cultural evolution. By the 21st century, it had been shortened to “AFU.”Certain excruciating events epitomize the wild spirit of mayhem—not just in their immediate violence but in their chaotic and far-reaching consequences.1. The Sack of Rome (410 CE): One of history’s most iconic moments of mayhem occurred when the orchestra final Visigoths, doom makeup and all, led by Alaric (the Humorless) sacked Rome. The once-invincible city, symbol of order and civilization, was thrown into complete disarray. The streets ran with blood, homes were looted, and ancient temples desecrated. The event signaled not just a moment of physical destruction but the unraveling of the Roman Empire’s perceived stability. The Fall.2. The Boston Tea Party (1773): Amazing how pissed people get over grocery prices. This little act of defiance by American colonists against British taxation marked another kind of mayhem—one that combined rebellion, symbolism, and public spectacle, all in the name of Constant Comment and chamomile. Disguised as Mohawk Indians, the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. While relatively nonviolent, the act created economic chaos and escalated tensions, paving the way for revolution. Pollution was a thing of the future, so a couple of barrels of honey might have sweetened the deal.3. The French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Few periods in history encapsulate mayhem more than the Reign of Terror. Under Robespierre’s leadership, thousands were executed by guillotine in a fervor of ideological purification. Social norms and institutions disintegrated amidst paranoia and bloodshed. Off with their heads, big time.4. The Great Chicago Fire (1871): fire’s spread was a study in urban mayhem. It razed over three square miles of Chicago, leaving 100,000 people homeless. The disaster ...
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    1 hora e 12 minutos
  • OS#77 Complete Unknown Dylan Covers

    OS#77 Complete Unknown Dylan Covers
    Jan 9 2025

    Any time a new music biography hits the silver screen, there is lots to take into consideration. Does it seem real? Does the actor playing the rock star at least have a little resemblance? Is the subject doing the singing or did they dub the voice?

    That’s the way they did it back in the day, until they discovered Gary Busey could sound a little bit like Buddy Holly. So when Timothee Chalamet arrived fresh from Arrakis with plenty of dust in his craw, his Bob Dylan voice was fairly uncanny.

    Over 60 some years, there have been many Dylan covers. Few try to sound like the 2016 Nobel Laureate in Literature. After all the point of a good cover is to play homage to the author, but to also find something in the song that can become one’s own.

    How the artists we are about to listen to accomplished all that is strictly your call. Odds are there are some total obscurities on this list, as well as some memory joggers and forgotten favorites. The first Dylan song I ever heard was a cover and that’s what we are starting with. It is historic and cool, and quite different from the original. A wise and perfect song from a complete unknown had found its way to the biggest folk stars on the hootenanny planet. You might say it was a simple twist of fate..

    Oh, the foes will rise

    With the sleep still in their eyes

    And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'

    But they'll pinch themselves and squeal

    And they'll know that it's for real

    The hour that the ship comes in

    Blowin in the Wind - Peter Paul and Mary

    All I Really Want to Do - Cher

    It Ain’t Me Babe - Johnny Cash & June Carter

    The Times They Are A Changing - The Byrds

    Masters of War - The Staple Singers

    A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall - Leon Russell

    With God On Our Side - The Neville Brothers

    All Along the Watchtower - Dave Mason

    From a Buick 6 - Gary U S Bonds

    Positively 4th Street - Johnny Rivers

    Like a Rolling Stone - Sebastian Cabot

    The Ballad of Hollis Brown - Nina Simone

    Simple Twist of Fate - Bryan Ferry

    One Too Many Mornings - The Highwaymen

    Hearing a bunch of Dylan covers is a trip to an alternate universe. Just like a guided tour to the lives and times that have been lived while this hard rain has been falling. For the more than half century that Bob Dylan has been offering up takes on life lessons and the magic of time and how it messes with the soul, we’ve all been getting fooled. Bob Dylan loves music and art, but so much of his time has been spent playing on stage, speaking only through his songs, it’s pretty certain that he prefers being the riddle master of his own war, working out puzzles that turn into wisdom and cosmic hints that turn into songs. And when someone else tries to sing them, we get a whole other angle from a plethora of artists who want to give these puzzles a shot. Three for a quarter. The circus is always in town.

    I hope you enjoyed this episode of Old School, provoked and inspired by the new movie and titled Complete Unknown Dylan Covers. I had to toss more tunes than i got to play, but I’ll keep the close by and do a Volume II and some point in the near future.

    Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL

    I’m Professor Mikey. I write, research, remember, and produce every episode, and deal with all the different podcast companies so that you can hear this on Substack, Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and many other originators of 21st century radio. Anything you can do to help, be it a like, a subscription, a comment, or a share, would be much obliged.

    We just heard Bryan Ferry with a Simple Twist of Fate. Coming up, we watch the sun going down with a small group of friends who got together in the late 80s and called themselves The Highwaymen. Between them (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson., they’d seen one too many mornings.

    Colorized DON’T LOOK BACK



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