91. Jeff Melnick Discusses Terry Melcher, self-titled

Send us Fan MailAmerican Studies professor Jeff Melnick normally teaches at University of Massachusetts Boston, but on this episode, he gives Al an education on Terry Melcher and his 1974 self-titled debut album. Jeff talks about Melcher's connections with Charles Manson (which Jeff also details in his book, Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America’s Most Infamous Family), how they inform the themes of this album and Melcher's role in the '60s L.A. music scene. Jeff also discusses the book he is currently working on, which deals with the Boston music scene in the '70s, '80s and '90s.Follow Jeff on Twitter! @melnickjeffrey1Al (for the time being) is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.1:07 Jeff joins the show2:06 How Al and Jeff met on Twitter4:11 Jeff explains how his interest in Charles Manson developed7:19 Jeff suggests that learning about the Manson Family can tell us a lot about L.A. culture in the late ‘60s8:56 Jeff’s interest in Terry Melcher preceded his work on Creepy Crawling10:30 Al’s wife, Mary Beth, had an interest in studying the Manson Family when she was in high school11:36 Jeff explains how Melcher was connected to Manson20:14 Jeff ponders why Melcher waited until 1974 to release a solo album22:15 Jeff conceives of Melcher’s solo debut as a loose concept album27:31 Al and Jeff find some of Melcher’s vocals hard to listen to31:10 Jeff appreciates how Melcher captures the miserable side of LA. In the ‘70s36:33 Self-pity is another major theme of the album41:08 “Dr. Horowitz” doesn’t necessarily convey the message Melcher intended42:55 Jeff sees the “Halls of Justice” medley as serving two purposes57:35 Jeff thinks “covers” is not always the right word to describe the previously-recorded songs Melcher performed on this album1:02:20 Does Jeff actually love this album?1:06:50 Jeff talks about the book on the Boston music scene he’s been working onSupport the show