DEC4 Podcast

We note with sadness the recent passing of outspoken music writer, Dave Marsh. (August 14, 2026)https://variety.com/2026/music/news/dave-marsh-dead-bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-1236835488/We referenced some his commentary in our series on Aloha From Hawaii; He was of the opinion that the dress rehearsal show was not only better than the satellite broadcast performance, but was just about the best 1970s Elvis show ever captured 'in video, film or audio', singling out James Burton and Ronnie Tutt for particular praise. He noted that Elvis 'radiates healthiness and sings fabulously'. Dave Marsh had a few interesting things to say about some iconic bands over the years - his Wikipedia page is well worth a visit.Link to our full episode here;⁠https://dec4podcast.com/2025/06/26/gary-wells-elvis-aloha-from-hawaii-the-complete-story-omnibus-edit/

A very warm welcome to the first episode in our occasional series, the Elvis History Vault; our leading contributor, ‪Gary Wells,‬ is along for the ride as we learn about some perhaps lesser known people and events in Elvis’ professional life. This time, we remember tour photographer Bob Heis, discuss how it was almost business as usual in Las Vegas in 1978 thanks to Colonel Parker and concert promoter Jerry Weintraub, and learn about an important member of Elvis' touring party, Jerome 'Stump' Monroe. Gary also explains how a remarkable songwriting career blossomed after a chance meeting with the TCB Band on tour.Episode webpage;https://dec4podcast.com/2026/08/04/elvis-history-vault-1-tour-photographer-bob-heis-vegas-78-jerome-stump-monroe-kye-fleming-ronnie-milsap/

Oliver Crocker ‬ is a filmmaker, podcaster, publisher, and leading writer and historian on classic British television. In this clip from a two-part podcast recorded in 2021, we discuss the art of the interview and memorable encounters with British acting legends John Salthouse (The Bill, Abigail's Party) and Robert Hardy (All Creatures Great and Small).Oliver is also the author of three successful and acclaimed books; Witness Statements: Making The Bill Series 1-3 and Making The Bill 1988, as well as All Memories Great and Small. Oliver has also edited and published the autobiography of Larry Dann, who made a huge contribution to the early years of The Bill as Sgt Alec Peters. He is now in demand as a bestselling ghostwriter. Find more from our Studio 2 catalogue celebrating luminaries of classic British television, theatre and cinema, at our podcast website, including extended conversations with Oliver about Dad's Army, The Bill Podcast, and his published works.https://dec4podcast.com/studio-2-classic-british-stage-screen/

This episode (first published in 2022) is inspired by our regular contributor Gary Wells’ popular website, soulrideblog.com ‘Your Home for Vintage Leisure’; specifically, his reviews of two important and fascinating books on the Beach Boys – The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience (1994), by Timothy White, and Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy (2016), by Mike Love with James S Hirsch.Gary takes us through why the ambitious scope of Nearest Faraway Place makes it much more than just a rock and roll bio. We discuss the emerging music scene in California of which the young Beach Boys were a critical part, and how Timothy White’s work helps us to better understand Murry Wilson, and assess his complicated legacy. For a little additional context, we also refer to I am Brian Wilson (2016), written by Brian himself with Ben Greenman.Gary also gives us some detailed analysis on Mike Love’s autobiography, a major theme of which is his long fight for songwriting credits on some of the Beach Boys’ most iconic tunes. We look at why Mike can be such a polarising figure within the fan universe and beyond, and expand upon Mike’s account of Charles Manson’s disturbing incursion into the Beach Boys’ orbit.Find the complete episode on your favourite podcast platform or our podcast website;https://dec4podcast.com/2023/01/29/gary-wells-the-beach-boys-book-club/

Frank Williams (1931-2022) is remembered with enormous fondness by generations of fans as Timothy Farthing, the perpetually exasperated Vicar in the BBC’s Dad’s Army; on television, radio, stage, and in two feature films separated by almost half a century. Victoria Wood once described Dad’s Army as ‘the most affectionately regarded comedy programme in the history of television’, and Frank Williams made his own unique contribution to that universal love for the programme in all its forms, the characters, and the actors who brought them to life. This brief clip is from our podcast tribute episode, co-produced by Frank Williams' friend, author and publisher, Oliver Crocker...Join us for the full episode on your favourite platform or at our podcast website;https://dec4podcast.com/2023/06/26/oliver-crocker-remembering-frank-williams/

It's a great thrill and privilege this episode to welcome multi-talented actor, writer and music artist, Andrew Mackintosh, who carved his own special niche in British television history as Detective Sergeant Alistair Greig, a key character in over 300 episodes of one of the most successful and influential television dramas of all time, The Bill.But as we discover, there's so much more to his varied career, encompassing acting, music and writing. We learn about Andrew's current project, the hit fiction podcast, Letter From Helvetica, talk about his early life and how his professional journey in music and acting began, and he shares with us some of his creative influences.We explore his continuing musical collaboration with Joe Dooley, and get to grips with some general acting and career matters, including authenticity in casting, accents, received pronunciation and the art of speech, and the mixed blessing of being in a long-running series. We also discuss opportunities for mature actors and, inspired by an unstoppable generation of rock and roll performers, if perceptions of age are evolving in a positive way within the arts and beyond.Join us for the full episode on your favourite platform or at our podcast website;https://dec4podcast.com/2024/09/17/a-conversation-with-andrew-mackintosh/For more content celebrating luminaries of British stage and screen, navigate from our Studio 2 homepage;https://dec4podcast.com/studio-2-classic-british-stage-screen/

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, our leading contributor Gary Wells‬ joins us to consider press reaction to Elvis' March 3rd, 1974, matinee performance at the Houston Astrodome as part of the Livestock Show and Rodeo, at which time he broke his own 1970 Rodeo attendance record.Jeff Millar, writing for the Houston Chronicle, applauded Elvis' effort, and observed, 'Presley now does a Las Vegas headliner act. It's a good one, but, heaven knows, the Dome's not the place to stage it'. The combined audience of over 88 000 for Elvis' two performances might have strongly disagreed. We review the show itself, thanks to a very fine quality soundboard recording, and learn about some of the technical and staging challenges behind it. We also examine some of Jeff Millar's observations about Elvis' career direction at the time, and question some of his wider commentary which, putting it politely, has not aged well.Join us for the full episode at our website or on your favourite podcast platform;https://dec4podcast.com/2026/05/29/elvis-and-the-press-houston-rodeo-march-3rd-1974/

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, our leading contributor Gary Wells joins us to consider press reaction to Elvis' March 3rd, 1974, matinee performance at the Houston Astrodome as part of the Livestock Show and Rodeo, at which time he broke his own 1970 Rodeo attendance record.Jeff Millar, writing for the Houston Chronicle, applauded Elvis' effort, and observed, 'Presley now does a Las Vegas headliner act. It's a good one, but, heaven knows, the Dome's not the place to stage it'. The combined audience of over 88 000 for Elvis' two performances might have strongly disagreed. We review the show itself, thanks to a very fine quality soundboard recording, and learn about some of the technical and staging challenges behind it. We also examine some of Jeff Millar's observations about Elvis' career direction at the time, and question some of his wider commentary which, putting it politely, has not aged well.Special thanks to Francesc Lopez, whose pioneering Elvis information website, elvisconcerts.com, celebrates 30 years online this year (2026).We have more background to this episode, including tour stats, images and links to further reference, at our podcast website;https://dec4podcast.com/2026/05/29/elvis-and-the-press-houston-rodeo-march-3rd-1974/

This episode, our leading contributor, Gary Wells,‬ guides us through the fascinating story of Colonel Parker, the Presley Estate, and a tenacious Memphis lawyer determined to get to the truth.In the wake of Vernon Presley’s death in 1979, court-appointed attorney Blanchard Tual presented a 300 page report detailing his forensic investigation into Colonel Parker’s financial arrangements with the Presley family, which he described as ‘excessive, imprudent, unfair to the estate, beyond all reasonable bounds of industry standards’, and stated that Parker had ‘violated his duty to Elvis and the estate’. A Memphis judge went on to assert that Parker’s behaviour ‘shocks the conscience of the court’. We learn that the report also called for a thorough investigation into Parker’s business associates, including RCA, and find out what, if anything, happened as a result of Blanchard Tual’s devastating findings.Gary also recounts his own memorable (and slightly starstruck) 2024 meeting with Mr Tual himself, still practising law in Memphis, and for some additional context, we look at another astonishing show business partnership; superstar recording artist Tommy James and Morris Levy of Roulette Records.Join us on your favourite platform or at our podcast website;https://dec4podcast.com/2026/04/11/gary-wells-colonel-parker-the-presley-estate-tommy-james-roulette-records/