The Yellow Wallpaper Fairy Book

Hey all, fans of garage and early psyche are going to feel right at home on this one. Rock orphan stars reach all level of intensity and so much emphasis focus on bank accounts. But a record, any record, is a product of blood, sweat, and fears. So much captive sound lies trapped in the grooves of storage basement dungeons where the sun refuses to shine.But this show is hardly a bummer. Think of it as 30 miles of weird road, where anyone can have an ego and talent always come rocking through.Blah blah about That THing you DO and one hit wonders but then dive into those that didn’t even attain that status. And it’s all okay, you know?/////😎///What a romp that was, partly because we all have favorite songs that seemed like they had immortality stamped all over them and then...time passed...other records came out...things happened...enthusiasm waned.Welcome to a collection of songs that were, well, FamOus Somewhere. In the imagination of the artists who recorded them, and the parents of the would be rock stars who handed out copies to friends and family right and left. So here’s some sweet spots from an endless trail of lost possibilities. They could have been contenders, great tunes that came out on the same day as , oh I don’t know, 150-200 other 60s singles released on the same day. Sure the odds were terrible, but nothing like today when we are getting about 100,000 new songs uploaded every day. The episode of Old School gives them the airtime they never received back in the day. Chunks of creative real estate that lacked a swimming pool or a third bedroom.Here in the classroom of forgotten flip sides, they get another shot, to make it as an impossibly obscure oldie, a boat that most everyone missed, trends that stayed a mystery. For the next hour, we give them love they never received. Welcome to Episode 95 of Professor Mikey’s Old School, the killer podcast that is… Famous Somewhere.Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. How can you be all over Substack and not be here? Right? Thank you, and good on Summer. It’s easy to be a free or paid subscriber. Thanks so much!I Don’t Want a Lover TEXAS (1989)Love Trip TONY CHURCH AND THE CRUSADE (1968)Dancing Madly Backwards CAPTAIN BEYOND (1972)🕺So Mystifying THE SHAPES OF THINGS (1966)Like a Tear WORLD OF OZ (1969)I’ll Leave You Crying THE US TOO GROUP (1968)💧Mark Time ECLECTION (1968)Subconscious Train of Thought AARDVARKS (1968)Mystery Man THE BLUES INVENTION ( 1967)Pass Me By THE HELLO PEOPLE (1968)Skillet GALLIARD (1967)I’m Coming Home THE DEVIANTS (1966)10,000 Words Inside a Cardboard Box THE AQUARIAN AGE (1969)Get It While You Can THE CHECKMATES (1969)Professor Mikey back with the usual heartfelt closing. There is no telling what draws a person into listening to music, much less deciding to create it. This episode of Old School explored some of those decisions, and failed to explain any of them. We are so lucky to have these fountains of inspiration. Many of the bands we just listened to went on to various levels of success in the music business, most of them will be freaking surprised if they just heard themselves coming out of their phones or computers. I didn’t hear a bad song in the bunch. There were no failures, no misguided investments, no door dashed dreams. Just a lot of music from people who chose to rock their own personal paths regardless of what came next. Here to take us out is a band with some real wisdom from the class of 1967 in a Cincinnati high school. It’s some true advice from The Checkmates, Get It While You Can. I hope you join me for another episode after listening to this one, Old School Number 95, Famous Somewhere.4“The past is a blast.”Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

Most people remember 1976 as the time of America’’s 200th Birthday, the Bicentennial. The Vietnam War was over, Nixon was banned from the White House, and Pet Rocks were going the way of the Hula Hoop.it was a brand new day all the way from New York to LA and everyone was squeezed into denim so tight they had to use a coat-hanger and lie down to zip up.What many have forgotten for obvious reasons is how loud and crazy it got wherever you celebrated the annual rite of spring. Spring Break ‘76 was the time to get the party started, on the dance floor, on the beaches, in the bars and in the streets, and for some in a glamorous overnight lock box.Musically it was a wild time as well. People were listening to a great mish mosh of different kinds of music, split right down the middle between those who wanted to hustle and those who wanted to head bang. The air smelled like a 50/50 blend of Coppertone oil and exhaust fumes from a van with a wizard painted on the side.Disco and heavy metal was like mixing a Cuervo Sunrise with a Coors Rocky Mountain Sundance). KC and the Sunshine Band hooked up with Bad Company and things got very loud and very wet, all in the name of the red white and boogie down blue.Fort Lauderdale became Fort Liquordale when local bars began selling all you can drink beer for $1.50. But you didn’t have to get smashed to enjoy this Rock and Rip soundtrack that we are about to dive into headfirst while we hope there is water in the pool.I’m Professor Mikey and Old School is out of bounds! I just spent a brand new two-dollar bill, got my all night beer wrist band, and have enough left to hit the jukebox and never fear the reaper. Come on baby, we’ll be able to fly. It’s Spring Break 1976, the Bicentennial Boogie!The Sylvers make it big on the Midnight Special:SPRING BREAK 76 PLAYLISTDon’t Fear the Reaper Blue Oyster CultCherry Bomb The RunawaysBlitzkrieg Bop The RamonesDouble Trouble Lynrd SkynrdFool for the City FoghatJailbreak Thin LizzyNobody’s Fault Led ZeppelinRunning with the Pack Bad CompanyYou Make Me Feel LIke Dancing Leo SayerBoogie Fever The SylversYou Sexy Thing Hot ChocolatePlay That Funky Music Wild CherryGolden Years David BowieIn Zaire James WakelinKid Charlemagne Steely DanNightrider ELOIt’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) AC/DCLive is a Minestrone 10ccSo It Goes Nick LoweBohemian Rhapsody QueenListening to all this great music from 1976 is more than a little jarring. I mean 50 years have gone by and these songs sound as fresh as the day that they cut them into viny. Having been around in 1976. I can guarantee you that nobody gave much of a wit about the music that had come out in 1926. It was long gone like Babe Ruth in the great Gatsby.Many things struck me about the Bicentennials who birthed the Mllennials. One was the length of so many careers in this mix. Steely Dan was around for a long time and people are still amazed at the sound they put out… Blue Öyster Cult became a model for so many bands while they were originating a lot of darkness on their ow The disco darlings were doomed to be pigeon holed in an era of predictable music that had been helped out by the fact that so many hippies who had listened so closely to their Woodstock notions usually sat and grooved… for around 10 or 15 years. After that much sitting on their fannies music fans were ready to move it. They were ready to shake their booties. New music comes and goes, and if you’re lucky, it takes its place in the culture and then your heart and you’re able to go back to the spring break of 1976 with the flip of a switch. We are going to close with the biggest song of Spring Break 76, perhaps more popular today than it was a half century ago. On schedule to be around in 2076 and probably 2126 I’m Professor Mikey. Enjoy this podcast in anytime you feel like taking the trip back and staying out of jail Spring Break 1976. –Bicentennial Boogie!Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! Chances are you know someone who would LOVE this. This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

It’s been just about a year since Professor Mikey pulled out an Old School podcast entitled Brave New World. You can dial it up anytime anywhere you get your podcasts. I bring this up only because there are those who may think this particular episode is flying just a little too close to the 21st Century sunshine in tone and manner. Like Icarus singing “Here Comes the Sun” after a long cold lonely winter, this particular theme may indeed get singed wings and a quick trip down to terra firma.Enough similes and beatitudes. The theme for Old School episode 93 is MEAN OLD WORLD.Most of us need no convincing that there is a lot of meanness afoot. Not rudeness, not antipathy, just plain old rotten meanness. The kind you get from a portion of the population made up of jerks, tightwads, miscreants, lost loves, and bill collectors.So how can a set of music temper the ill effects of a Mean Old World. It ain’t easy, but this Old School lesson plan will try.Exhibit A.Humans are wired with what psychologists call negativity bias. Bad news grabs our attention faster than good news because, evolutionarily, ignoring danger could get you eaten by a tiger.So the brain remembers insults, losses, and dangers much more vividly than pleasant moments.Which leads to the famous newsroom rule: “If it bleeds, it leads.”Turn on the news from commercial radio, a source that fears for it’s FCC license. Or from public radio, an outlet that can no longer rely on government funding to supplement the truth.Media coverage amplifies that paranoid instinct we all share, focusing on disasters, war, and the price of eggs, rather than slow improvements. Over time that creates the feeling that everything is going to shit—even when many long-term indicators are improving.Then there is declinism–the belief that society is going to hell in a handbasket. For a long time now, at least ever since we began receiving instant news, we feel everything used to be better. So nostalgia and the love of old time rock and roll becomes even more important.Another weird fact. Where most people feel the world as a whole is getting worse, they feel their own lives will improve.Today we are going to spin tunes much older than that. Cautionary hits and deep cuts from more hopeful times. Are times better now than when these joints dropped. It is too heavy for me, that’s why I hide in an imaginary radio school with the curtains drawn and the volume cranked. We begin with a little show and tell from two honor students.Duane Allman plays a 1930s Dobro/Regal wooden-body resonator guitar using a Coricidin bottle for a slide. Eric Clapton accompanies him on acoustic guitar, with both playing in open G tuning.Welcome to Professor Mikey’s Old School, this is episode 93. Mean Old World.Mean Old World - Little WalterKing Heroin (Inst) - James BrownMean Old World - Duane Allman & Eric ClaptonMean Woman Blues - Roy OrbisonMama He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Ruth BrownMean and Evil - Elmore JamesMe and the Devil - Gil Scott-HeronEvil - Howlin’ WolfMean to Me - Dean MartinMean Mr. Mustard - The BeatlesKilling Floor - Electric FlagLonesome, On’ry, and Mean - Waylon JenningsWorld of Trouble - Big Joe TurnerMean When I’m Mad - Eddie CochranThe Unknown Soldier - The DoorsWar - Edwin StarrMean Old World - Sam CookeEnjoy the Silence - Depeche ModeCruel to be Kind - Nick LoweProfessor Mikey here, getting ready to put a cap on the nasty and draw the shades temporarily on Episode 93 of Old School, Mean Old World. It gets really mean out there, but the music can smooth those cosmic rough edges, especially with songs like our closer from Nick Lowe. A true cure for a world gone mean.If you are curious about the songs you just heard, you can listen to this podcast again anywhere you get your podcasts. The playlist is actually written down on the Old School newsletter which you can ready or subscribe to for free anytime at professormikey.substack.com.This episode had its share of samples and easter eggs along the way, including clips from the movie Devils Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, the instrumental background to James Brown’s “King Heroin,” Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men,” a real Coca Cola commercial with Roy Orbison, Kevin Spacey in “The Usual Suspects,” James Spader in the TV Series The Blacklist now available on Netflix, HBO’s series The Sopranos, The David Letterman Show with guest star Eminem, and US Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Any and all music heard resides within the public domain or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976.I’m Professor Mikey, join me next time on Old School. It gets really mean out there, but the music can smooth those cosmic rough edges, especially with songs like our closer from Nick Lowe. A true cure for a world gone mean.Here’s the link from our most recent world view:Thanks for reading and listening to Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

About once a year when Professor Mikey gets overloaded by projects and time tripping (human flight is possible, you must focus on the negative spaces) we revisit the early sessions of Old School when each episode included around four songs and ran about 15 min. Now that I’m told by the experts that podcast attention spans run about 45 secs I should be seeing the errors of my ways. Still, I hang on to the fantasy that listeners and audio explorers alike enjoy hearing whole songs, even though every Top 40 hit or Underground classic may hit the three minute mark, or even stretch into the unknown that comes with 7-minute tunes. Remember Alan Shepard’s first space flight was just 15 minutes, 22 seconds, two minutes shorter than Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”The original texts that accompanied these early episodes are included below and you can find those shows online at professormikey.substack.com. I think you will enjoy this foursome that includes LA garage, London prog rock, Memphis soul, original blues that inspired Led Zeppelin, excursions into the unknown, and the banshee bop from a St. Patrick’s Day jukebox.That’s the long and short of Professor Mikey’s preschool in the Old School episodes Eleven through Fourteen, where the Past is a Blast!SOMETIMES GOOD GUYS DON’T WEAR WHITE The StandellsThe Standells from Los Angeles will always be remembered for taking their garage sound all the way to number 11 on the pop charts with their ode to Boston “Dirty Water.” Lead singer/drummer Dick Dodd had been a Mousketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club. Larry Tamblyn, on the keyboards, was the brother of Russ Tamblyn who had starred in West Side Story. Tony Valentino had left Italy to go to Hollywood, and Gary Leeds eventually found himself in the Walker Brothers. They are caught on film in “Get Yourself a College Girl,” and “Riot on Sunset Strip” and even appeared in the TV sitcom The Munsters. As far as bands go, they have a great gritty sound and they really capture the summer of ’66, in that precious time after the British Invasion and before psychedelics. Here’s the Standells from their first album and Some Times Good Guys Don’t Wear White…BACK STREET LUV Curved AirCurved Air emerged on the prog rock scene in London in 1969 when members of the band Sisyphus added female singer Sonja Kristina Linwood. They took their name from a Terry Riley composition, “A Rainbow in Curved Air.” The vocals were the last step in their puzzle, but a very big part of their sounds were the sonic violin antics of Darryl Way. The band lasted from 1970 to 76, but time has not been particularly kind to this band. One of the reasons could be sloppy remasters of their CDs. With that in mind, we go back to the original vinyl and hear a forgotten masterpiece.SON OF SHAFT The Bar-KaysThe Bar-Kays were a Memphis soul ensemble that began life as an instrumental group, then faced the solemn task of rebuilding after major tragedy. Four members of the original group died in the plane crash that also claimed the life of Otis Redding in December of 1967. Trumpeter Ben Cauley survived the crash, bassist James Alexander had missed the flight. The group they assembled would back Isaac Hayes on his album Hot Buttered Soul. Cauley and his new guitarist Michael Toles also played on the Shaft soundtrack, which brings us to this cut, recorded Christmas Day 1971 with singer Larry Dodson.OLD SCHOOL #12 Led Zeppelin UncoveredThe Plebs 1964, Otis Rush 1956, Muddy Waters 1962Led Zeppelin is one of the most litigated bands in history. Like The Beatles, it is a big payday for any artist when a jury of their peers finds even a snippet of a song may originated elsewhere. Forget that Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (the bassist who stole his name from a famous navy admiral), might have improved the original. Bottom line, when an artist sells nearly 300 million albums, there is a significant bottom line.The band maintains all titles were researched for proper accreditations. Memphis Minnie was listed as a songwriter for “When the Levee Breaks,” updated by Led Zep 1971, and received healthy residuals. Randy California of Spirit sued over “Stairway to Heaven,” claiming the opening notes were way to close to his instrumental composition “Taurus” from 1968. His heirs were still in court when California passed in 1997. The dispute ended in Zeppelin’s favor in 2020.For a good legal brief on Led Zeppelin in court, check out this testimonial from Rolling Stone.Today we hear three tunes from the first Zeppelin LP that were mostly controversy free. “Babe I’m Going to Leave You” came from a Joan Baez recording of a song written in the Fifties by Anne Breton. Here we get it from the pop prep rambling Plebs. Willie Dixon was correctly identified as the composer of the other two songs, as we hear pre-Zep versions of “I Can’t Quit You’ from Otis Rush and Muddy Waters on “You Shook Me.”The Retrofit Old School podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, most anywhere you get your podcasts.BABE I’M GONNA LEAVE YOU The PlebsOne of the amazing things when you spend a lot of time in the Old School detention hall is that songs you always assumed were originals were really covers. That’s right, the walkin’ in the park every day knock out punch from Robert Plant was also the only release by The Plebs back in 1964. Stranger still, it’s a traditional folk song recorded two years before that by Joan Baez. But today we get it post-Joanie and pre-Robert Plant. The Plebs and “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You…”I CAN’T QUIT YOU Otis RushLeft-handed blues guitarist Otis Rush left his hometown of Philadelphia Mississippi when he was 14 years old. He headed straight for the South Side of Chicago, where he began playing in small clubs and working on the legend. In 1956 he was all of 21 when he signed with the Cobra label, where he stayed for three years until the label went bankrupt. Rush’s career went strong until a stroke sidelined him in 2004. British blues took a major page from the Otis Rush book. You can hear him in Eric Clapton and certainly in Led Zeppelin. Here he is from that first Cobra album in 1956, with a song that went to number 5 on the R & B Charts.YOU SHOOK ME Muddy WatersWillie Dixon’s song “You Shook Me” got covered twice in 1969. Once by the Jeff Beck Group featuring Rod Stewart, and another time on the debut album from Led Zeppelin. Dixon was 54 at the time and enjoyed the royalties, which were much more than he received when it was covered in 1962. Here’s that version, featuring Muddy Waters.OLD SCHOOL #13 St. Patrick’s Day JukeboxBelfast Gypsies 1967, Van Morrison 1973, John Lennon & Yoko Ono 1972, The Byrds 1966, Johnny Cash 2002It’s a great time for the St. Patrick’s Day Jukebox! There it is, up against a green wall in a green tavern, blasting out the tunes that made the holiday bubble like the Guinness Stout. Everybody wants an Irish song, so the jukebox is loaded. With quarters.The Old School Podcast begins with The Belfast Gypsies who sound like the Irish group Them with good reason. Brothers Jackie (the organist) and Pat (the drummer) McAuley had been along for that band’s string of successes that spotlighted lead singer Van Morrison. Somehow they hooked up with LA producer Kim Fowley in London in 1966, and formed a band that would produce one album, with the confusing title “Them Belfast Gypsies.”Since we heard Them without Van, it’s fitting we hear something from Van without Them. A lesson in recent Irish history comes next from John and Yoko. The “Mr. Tambourine Man”-era Byrds offer a Scottish/Irish ballad. The closer is from Johnny Cash. What’s a good memory filled holiday traditionally celebrated with alcohol without a cry in your beer tear jerker?Stick around for the videos. Ole Bing himself solves a holiday mystery centered around fashion and Irish cuisine. Roger Daltry and Sinead O’Connor rock steady with the Chieftains, the Pogues reminisce, the Irish Rovers and Dr. Dog sing about The Unicorn. Then get out the green handkerchiefs as Sinead returns to bid farewell to Molly Malone and St. Patrick’s Day.This is a free newsletter so share with your holiday wishes! Also download this episode on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Faith and begorrah y’all!GLORIAS‘S DREAM Belfast GypsiesLINDEN ARDEN STOLE THE HIGHLIGHTS Van MorrisonSUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY John Lennon, Yoko OnoWILD MOUNTAIN THYME The ByrdsDANNY BOY Johnny CashOLD SCHOOL #14 Muddy Rock Stars and the Rainbow VigilanteElliot Murphy 1973, Judee Sill 1973, Pete Seeger 1967, Gene Chandler 1963From that title you can probably guess it’s a mixed bag of beloved obscurities. Elliot Murphy released Aquashow in 1973 with a blowtorch of a rock roll onslaught appropriately titled “Last of the Rock Stars.” You are in the song, so don’t miss that.Judee Sill made it to 35. The music she left behind is haunting, beautiful, and full of the life mysterious. Someday somebody will make a movie about her, and it will have a sad ending.Pete Seeger was a lifelong folksinger who walked the walk in addition to singing the talk. He was belligerent and aggressive against anyone who wanted to ruin the earth, deny the human rights of human beings, screw the working man or woman, or send their children off to war. He popularized a song called “We Shall Overcome.” On this episode we have Pete, in trouble with the networks, for singing a tune that felt critical of President Johnson’s handling of the Vietnam War.Finally we get to Gene Chandler, loosening his tie, falling to his knees, and bringing an audience back alive, all by rocking a Rainbow.Thanks for tuning in! Whoever you get your podcasts from, click their equivalent of a 👍! Here are some visuals while you listen!LAST OF THE ROCK STARS Elliott Murphy (1949- )THE VIGILANTE Judee Sill (1944-1979)WAIST DEEP IN THE BIG MUDDY Pete Seeger (1919-2014)RAINBOW Gene Chandler (1939- )Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. This is the 4th collection of early, shorter episodes, and is a great way to introduce your friends to the podcast. Contribution is strictly up to you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Professor Mikey here, going through boxes of forgotten psychedelic gems. There’s a little bit of everything: RUBIES, diamonds, sapphires.No sooner had the garage phase of rock and roll kicked in when it was joined in an electrical romance by the sounds of psychedelia. Mind bending songs of fever dreams and mutated fairy tales took up their own hallucinogenic airspace. Artists expanded their horizons with kaleidoscopic under the counter pharmaceuticals. The mind blowing effects of LSD, mescaline, magic mushrooms, and what ever else might bend reality altered normal brainwaves into fountains of color and memory. The stars became a dot to dot puzzle and the consciousness expanding less than legal substances connected the dots.Before we overdose on the introduction, self realize that this is not a history of psychedelics, its just a walk in the wobbly woods. From late 1966 until half past Woodstock, music in general got a synthetic kick in these very personal moonlight serenades.Author Michael Hicks explained :“To understand what makes music stylistically “psychedelic,” one should consider three fundamental effects of LSD: dechronicization, depersonalization, and dynamization. Dechronicization permits the drug user to move outside of conventional perceptions of time. Depersonalization allows the user to lose the self and gain an “awareness of undifferentiated unity.” Dynamization, as [Timothy] Leary wrote, makes everything from floors to lamps seem to bend, as “familiar forms dissolve into moving, dancing structures”... Music that is truly “psychedelic” mimics these three effects.pSYCHEDELIC cEREMONY pLaYLiStis everybody in? the doors with william burroughsmy crystal spider sweetwaterLSD / midnight to six man the pretty thingsNo silver bird the hooterville trolleyValleys of neptune jimi hendrixMagic colors teddy robin and the playboysMy mirage iron butterflyMatilda Mother pink floydparallelograms linda perhacsthe red telephone lovetwo heads jefferson airplanethe sounds ten years aftera thousand shadows the seedspsychedelic shack the temptationsitchycoo park small facesMusic created under the influence of LSD and other psychedelic drugs—primarily known as psychedelic rock or acid rock—is designed to replicate, enhance, and mirror the altered states of consciousness induced by these substances.Technically and stylistically, this music is described by several core characteristics:1. Sound and Studio TechniquesMusicians used cutting-edge production to mimic the sensory effects of a “trip,” such as depersonalization and dechronicization (the bending of time).Layered Audio Effects: Frequent use of extreme reverb, phasing, flanging, and echo to create swirling, disorienting soundscapes.Tape Manipulation: Use of backward tape loops and reverse recording to create surreal, dreamlike atmospheres (notably in The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”).Panning: Moving sound aggressively from one side of the stereo track to the other to create an immersive, moving “soundstage”. 2. InstrumentationPsychedelic music often incorporates non-traditional or electronic instruments to expand the listener’s sonic reality. Electric Guitar Effects: Heavy use of feedback, fuzzboxes, and wah-wah pedals.Exotic Influences: Integration of Indian classical instruments like the sitar and tabla to provide “Eastern flavors” and drone-like textures.Early Synthesis: Use of keyboard instruments like the Mellotron (an early sampler), the theremin, and electronic organs to provide haunting or “trippy” textures. 3. Compositional StructureThe music often departs from standard 3-minute pop formulas. Fluid Structures: Abandonment of traditional verse-chorus-bridge formats in favor of disjunctive or free-form arrangements.Extended Improvisation: Lengthy, “rambling” instrumental jams and solos (central to bands like the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd) that allow for musical exploration.Tempo and Key Changes: Sudden shifts in rhythm and unconventional time signatures meant to create a sense of instability or “vibrant textures”. 4. Lyrical ThemesLyrics often diverge from straightforward narratives to explore the internal landscape. Abstract and Surreal: Use of whimsical, esoteric, or dreamlike imagery that often alludes to the drug experience itself.Literary Inspiration: Many songs drew from authors like Aldous Huxley or Timothy Leary (whose The Psychedelic Experience manual heavily influenced The Beatles).Philosophical Focus: Exploration of inner consciousness, social transformation, and a sense of “unity” or “interconnectedness”I hope you’ve enjoyed this Psychedelic Ceremony on Old School. The previous hour or whatever it eventually ended up being was not intended to endorse or condemn hallucinogenic drugs, but rather to explore some of songs that were heavily influenced by this mystery trend, mostly of the late 60s. I find the edgy, weird, and a lot of fun so if you have some favorites you would like to hear on a sequel sometime, interact. Like Old School wherever it is coming to you from, that’s always a big help, costs nothing, and it won’t jam your inbox. The original podcast can always be heard on my Substack that can be found at professormikey.substack.com, where you can subscribe for free or whatever seems reasonable. From there it branches out like a little bottle on an electronic ocean and can usually be found on YouTube unless there is a copyright strike, Substack, Apple, and many of the other excellent platforms that are out there. Your interaction is always appreciated, thanks for digging on the music with me. We are going to close this particular ceremony with a song different from many that we just heard in that it was a bonafide Top 40 Hit and you never get tired of a romp in Itchycoo Park with the Small Faces. Take care, beware and we will be talking at you next time from Professor Mikey’s Old School.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

Welcome to a Retro New Year’s celebration from the before times! Professor Mikey, a firm believer in the healing and hopeful aspects of music, takes off on another holiday musical expedition, this time to discover the heart of everybody's favorite midnight party.  What is a Lang Syne?  And how Auld is it?  What do Bing Crosby, Spike Jones, and Blind Lemon Jefferson have in common?  Do New Year's Resolutions really work?  Is the best New Year's duet of all time sung by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas?  And what's Carl Sagan doing in here? Don’t say he is back to tell us not to look up!These and other timely questions are answered in this full hour celebration of New Year's music. Plug in and buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy year. Get ready for  Blues classics like Smokey Hogg's "New Year's Eve Blues" from 1948, a New Year's Eve 1970 appearance by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, an absolute wacko resolution romp with the City Slickers and many, many more.  The genres melt into each other, the human condition gets a good going over, and we all resolve to be better next year!Happy New Year, push play, and be sure to click and download New Year’s Revolution to your podcast player!PlaylistWhat Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? King CurtisHappy New Year Spike Jones and His City SlickersLet's Start the New Year Right Bing CrosbyHappy New Year Blues Blind Lemon JeffersonAuld Lang Syne John FaheyAuld Lang Syne Frank Sinatra/Dean MartinAuld Lang Syne The Beach BoysAuld Lang Syne The CucumbersNew Year's Resolution Otis Redding/Carla ThomasWhat a Year for a New Year Dan WilsonA Glorious Dawn Carl SaganHappy New Year Lightnin' HopkinsNew Year's Eve Blues Smokey HoggNew Year's Resolution Blues Roy Milton Solid SendersNew Year's Resolutions Scary Gary AlanWhat Are You Doing New Year's Eve Nancy WilsonThe Closing of the Year The Musical Cast of Toys feat. Wendy & LisaAuld Lang Syne Guy Lombardo and His Royal CanadiansProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the leap into 2026, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

There is something about true lounge music that is slightly radical. It’s not another kind of rock n roll. I haven’t had that much egg nog. But still it is a departure for most of these artists because of the audiences they were used to playing to.You’ve seen them, smoking and knocking down martinis two at a time. Hanging out in the clubs and hotel hideaways on Mad Men. Providing seductive and mysterious backgrounds in old movies. Everybody dressed to the nines, our parents and grandparent’s generations, looking for a late night don’t kiss don’t tell hookup. But when the biggies of that era of music switch to Christmas music, there’s a bit of a warm and wacky disconnect. Somewhere, deep down, the singer knows he or she shouldn’t be singing in a swanky saloon. The old suave crooner know they should be home with the first wife and her children on Christmas, not showing up sometime before New Years with a limo full of toys.It’s for the kids, you know? And that damn cowboy Gene Autry made a mint right next to the old corral when he had 15 minutes left in a recording session and relented to his wife’s wishes and recorded “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” All that aside, here is a glimpse at that diamond ring and Cadillac world from a place way in the future. It’s a Marshmallow World of White Russians and Hot Buttered Rums, and baby, it’s cold outside. The Old School format is slightly different here. I took some mixer’s liberties that this music usually doesn’t experience. It has a more presentational form because it was created for public radio stations around the company to use over the holidays and perhaps move some Santa in the snow to make a small donation to an industry that has received nothing but coal lumps all year long.So hop on for the ride. It’s slick, its hot, its ritzy and glitzy and downright weird at points. Perfect for a celebration, for background while you are ripping into presets, for whatever floats your Deville. Think of it as mink seatcovers from another time. Merry Christmas Baby, you sure did treat me nice.—Professor MikeyProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

Ever since I was a tot with a tape recorder, I attempted to make annual mixtapes as others might try to fashion handmade Christmas gifts. As my studios got better the quality of the tapes got better. They progressed from cassettes to CDs to digital on and on into the future.This year, to avoid too much extra work during the holidays, I’m, posting the 2010 offering “Professor Mikey’s Chill Christmas” basically in it’s original version. It’s been offered to public radio stations via the Public Radio Exchange for 15 years. CHILL Fact #1 — The Coldest Planet“Quick chill check: the coldest planet in our solar system isn’t Pluto — it’s Uranus. Temperatures there dip to nearly minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cold enough to make a snowman reconsider his life choices.”The format is similar to the semi-regular Old School offering save for a particular detail. For the original Christmas tapes I did most of not all of my talking in the opening couple of minutes, leaving the rest of the hour (sometimes longer) as one long set. None of this “that was here come” radio jive. Huh-uh! My take was people might like to hear me saying Merry Christmas ya’ll for a bit, then they would prefer I shut up and give them a nice long stretch of hits, misses, quirky unknowns, comedy, lost commercials, and anyything else that might seem needed to complete an audio fruit cake.CHILL Fact #2 — Coldest Temperature on Earth“The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit, measured in Antarctica in 1983. At that temperature, exposed skin freezes in seconds — which is why nobody hosts Christmas there.”So journey with me now back to 2010. It’s not all oldies, there are a lot of 2008 and 2009 Indie Yule offerings in there. Obama was in his second year in the White House, as the snow gently fell upon the Rose Garden.CHILL Fact #3 — Coldest Drink on Record“The coldest drink ever served? A martini chilled with liquid nitrogen can hit temperatures below minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s technically drinkable… briefly… and best enjoyed by people with very good dental insurance.”Key Issues for Americans in 2010:Economy & Jobs: The top concern, with widespread worry about unemployment (nearly 10% nationally, higher for youth/minorities) and creating jobs after the recession.National Security: Defending against future terrorist attacks remained a high priority.Budget Deficit: Growing concern about the national debt and government spending.Energy: Dealing with the nation’s energy problems was a key concern, though slightly less than the year before.Financial Stress: Money, work, and the economy were major sources of stress for individuals.CHILL Fact #4 — Why Winter Sounds Quieter“Snow absorbs sound. That’s why winter nights feel hushed and intimate — like the world put down its phone and leaned closer to the music.”CHILL Fact #5 — Chill Before the Fridge“Before refrigerators, people cut blocks of ice from frozen lakes and stored them in sawdust. In some places, that ice lasted all summer. Which explains why old-time cocktails were so serious about their chill.”Major Events Shaping Concerns 2010:Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A major environmental and political disaster that dominated headlines, leading to criticism of the government’s response.Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): Passed in 2010, it sparked national debate and division over the government’s role in healthcare.Political Polarization: The rise of the Tea Party movement reflected deep partisan divides, particularly around economic issues and government’s size.Here is some of the original CHILL language:The word “chill,” as it relates to weather, was first used in England sometime before the 12th century. Thomas Beckett himself might have said the word CHILL to describe a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering. Chill, as in to chill out, took another 800 years to properly evolve. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Modern slang, it was first used in the Reagan era, around 1982. As an intransitive verb, used mainly in the United States, the modern definition of CHILL means “to become less tense, relax.”A little later in linguistic history, the Urban Dictionary reports an expanded version of the term “chillin’ like a villain.” To wit, to relax in such an overtly leisurely manner that one mimics the actions of a criminal who is so removed from society because of his evil deeds that he has no choice but to surrender and retreat into a state of absolute serenity. Example: “I’m so chillin like a villain I’m just illin.” To rest like one has no care in the world. To unwind and relax as though a major burden has been lifted.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it.The new meaning of chill puts a whole other twist on this year’s seasonal soundtrack. Become less tense? Relax? Absolute serenity? Can you think about that kind of stuff at the craziest, coldest time of the year? Perhaps. That would be the true meaning of this year’s mix tape. Put the lunacy on hold. Replace the nerves with some no guilt serenity. It’s going to be a cool Christmas. That’s what the next 700 megabytes are all about. Lay back and have a hang out attack. Musically it’s a mixed bag of a mix tape, no specific genres, no heavy messages. No pressure, no worries, just rest assured, as we take the world off 78 and drop it down to 33. We’ll start off with the Eels followed by the Department of Eagles. It’s time for Professor Mikey’s CHILL Christmas.MUSIC NOTESAlex Gimeno owned an underground comic book store in Miami before he made a career decision to make money off his massive record collection. He became the DJ Ursula 1000, and that was his remix of Julie London’s classic “I’d Like You for Christmas.” Long before the advent of mix tapes and the theme of a Chill Christmas, the idea of a little holiday quiet was conveyed quite well by Franz Gruber, when he was asked to put a poem by Father Josef Mohr. The idea was to play the song on Christmas Eve in 1818 at the appropriately named Church of St Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria. They needed something they could play on guitar, the story goes, because little Austrian mice had nibbled holes in the pipes of the church organ. Silent Night has been recorded over 300 times. This version I’m pulling off a 1990 collection of jazzy holiday favorites from the Blue Note Label called Yule Struttin. It’s by Stanley JordanThat’s MY CHRISTMAS PRAYER, offered up in the early 90s by the British trio St Etienne. Led by singer Sarah Cracknell, they formed in search of a sound that echoed that of swinging London, with a dreamy twist. Moving a little east from London, we find the East Hertfordshire district, which includes a tiny hamlet that would be a great place from where to mail your Chill Christmas cards. Imagine a postmark from “Cold Christmas.” Our next song could be put in the nostalgia category, if it wasn’t such a downer. You know what they say, nostalgia is when you remember the good parts, history is when you remember the bad. Decide for yourself and Sufjan Stevens takes us back …That was the worst Christmas everCHILL Fact #7 — The Chill Sweet Spot“Psychologists say the temperature most people find ‘comfortably cool’ is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit — cool enough to feel alert, warm enough to stay cozy. In other words, perfect listening weather.”Catching you up on the playlist, the group Pilate did a fabulous cover of the Pogue’s signature song, Fairytale of New York. The bit about wishing your dog talks on Christmas eve came from the Alakan DJ on Northern Exposure. The traditional O Come O Come Emanuel received an update from Belle and Sebastian. One of the original Split Enz, Neil Finn, sang about a Sweet Secret Peace, and In the Bleak Midwinter was done by Lauren Laverne. Still to come, Teenage Fanclub and The Apples in Stereo, but as far as breaks go, my holiday is about to begin. Professor Mikey here, hoping you’ve enjoyed this Chill Christmas, and wishing you a calm quiet holiday and reminding you that things will go better in the new year, you just have to find the right music. Support your local artists, your local record stores, and your favorite independent radio station. Peace out on earth…Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. It makes a great gift to take out a year’s subscription for someone you would love to rock. This holiday season remember to CHILL and consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Hello and happy holidays from the war zone! This edition is mostly about the audio which you can click on above. Subscribers can download it as a podcast. This show was originally aired in 2023, but it is evergreen to go every December from here on out. If you are a member of the Greatest Generation, or have one as friend or family, you will get a kick out of V for Victory and X for Xmas. Compiled from archival sources, it rolls like a tank into Berlin, blaring radio broadcasts, big bands, commentators, celebrities, and many more memories that bring you home for Christmas.As we get further away in time from the second World War, we tend to lose track of what life felt like during wartime.America’s entry into World War Two began 17 days before Christmas on Dec 8, 1941. For the next five holiday seasons “peace on earth” went on hiatus.What you’ll hear is not a history of World War Two, or a sugar plum romp through precarious yuletides. Most of this originated at Christmas time and was constantly by interrupted by breaking bulletins. It is a sound montage that features the newscasters and entertainers of the time communicating with their vast unseen audiences.It is a dark time. For much of the world, 1941 marks the third year of a war that has seen the German occupation of many European countries. War does not take a holiday.On the radio, it’s bombs and jingle all the way, starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Abbot and Costello, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, Judy Garland, Francis Langford, Dinah Shore, Glenn Miller, and the men and women of the greatest generation. 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

Professor Mikey here in the Old School, with a podcast that celebrates Freedom of the Press, the true buzz you get when you are kept aware of the world going on around you by true professionals who have no fear about job security because they have been hired to tell the truth.You got it. A rock and roll Old School episode that shouts out the greatest of newspapers like the New York Times , Mother Jones, and Rolling Stone. The best news reporters, like Walter Cronkite, John Chancellor, Clark Kent, and Kaitlin Collins. The best journalists like Lester Bangs, Anderson Cooper, Lillian Hellman, and Hunter S. Thompson. The list goes on. But this is a cautionary tale because we really only think about Freedom of the Press when it is under attack.Before we rock, take note that in 2005 American newspapers reached 50 million readers. Today that number is down to below 20 million. Newspapers are shutting down at the rate of about ten a month. Over the last 20 years 2,866 newspapers have vanished.Being aware of the news was always on the minds of rock stars. Like Elvis said:“I heard the news, I heard the news, I heard the news. There’s good rocking tonight.) John and Paul read the news today, oh boy. Bob Dylan knew you didn’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.Any relationship between the news of the past and what’s happening today is strictly intentional. I’m just waiting for Rachel Maddow to quote Janis Joplin: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”The number of newspapers are down, but great news coverage is available on your phone. If you ever hear anyone publicly bashing news and truth, justice and the American way be suspicious. Be very suspicious.Coming up we drop the needle on REM from their 1987 album Document. Joe McCarthy, the junior senator from Wisconsin made a lot of headlines in the early 50s as he carried out an honest to witch witch hunt across government and military lines in an attempt to out alleged communists. Finding Communists in the State Department was McCarthy’s generations weapons of mass destruction. What tripped him up was the Freedom of the Press, as championed by Edward R Murrow. Here’s the story behind the song Exhuming McCarthy from REM:The First Amendment is always #1 on the charts and it should be in our hearts and minds.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it.🇺🇸Freedom of the Playlist🏴‍☠️📻Extra Extra*Tommy Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1975)/Sunday Papers*Joe Jackson (1979)/Yesterday’s Papers*The Rollling Stones (1967)/News of the World*The Cure (1978)/Newspaper Mama*Peter Combe (1988)/Get Your Paper*Eddie Fisher (1953)/You Haven’t Done Nothing*Stevie Wonder (1974)/Don’t Believe the Hype*Public Enemy (1988)/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised*Gil-Scott Heron (1971)/TV Weatherman*Lothar and the Hand People (1968)/Exhuming Joe McCarthy*REM (1987)/ Pledging My Love*Johnny Ace/The Late Great Johnny Ace*Paul Simon/A Day in the Life ()*The Beatles (1967)/7:00 News-Silent Night*Simon and Garfunkel (1966)Amendment 1️⃣Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.Most of what you have just heard was inspired by the news of the day, something that has been protected by our revolutionary forefathers since 1789 when it was ratified in the original Bill of Rights. Much of this has referred to the importance as well as the commonality of a free press. Our closing set however is a bit more personal. Songs about how we remember where we were or what we were doing when we heard disturbing news.It begins with Johnny Ace, a 25 year old singing star who accidentally took his own life backstage in Houston Texas on December 25, 1954.Early reports suggested a game of Russian Roulette. Later eyewitness reports said that Ace had been drinking, and was merely playing with his pistol. As for “Pledging My Love” it hit #1 on the R&B chart on February 12, 1955 and stayed there for 10 weeks. Sad but true Johnny Ace became the first act to reach the Billboard pop charts only after death.Nearly 30 years later, Paul Simon wrote about the event in the second song in the set.” In that one he mentions another artist, who sings in the following song about the demise of a 21 year old Irish socialite. Because this song is so famous, Old School decided to air a lesser known version of various outtakes recorded in January and February of 1967, about a month after the fatal car accident that inspired the work in the first place.As we near the 60th anniversary of the recording of the last song, Paul Simon returns with partner Art Garfunkel to perform a Christmas song that was first recorded in 1905. The duo recorded it over a series of 1966 headlines, giving it an eerie sense of an ironic Christmas past.Thanks again for listening to this 88th episode of Professor Mikey’s Old School: “Freedom of the Press” (I Heard the News). 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

Apologies for your inbox getting this twice, but there was a bit of a glitch yesterday when I so carefully posted this episode a 6:07 am. I have a series of little boxes to check on this end, and missed the free/paid section kaboom. Paid subscribers were fine, those you who have received free subscriptions from me are the same as paid (I’m always happy to deal those out, just ask), but for many there was this insidious paywall. That in turn screwed up Spotify to whom I have made a solemn promise never to touch their money so they can play the artists we all love to hear and rake in the bank. Other podcast carriers who carry Old School kind of got broadsided also. SO! Here is the show, sent as free, that will fix all that chain of Old School distribution and get the show out there for all the people who have time to hear 6-7 minute songs, return to the glorious past of rock and roll and blunt the effects of the current future where we are caught like in the really cold part of Frozen. Enjoy, share and Cher alike. (Yes, Cher appears in this newsletter. See if you can find her. Answer to the mystery in the next episode with the working title “Freedom of the Press (I Heard the News)” come soon, free and in living color to a screen near you. Rock on.I knew nothing about the South Park/TikTok thing about 6 7 when I first saw that episode, but I thought hey, I feel a podcast coming on. Now the world has had about 40 crises since that was a thing for a day or two, but I think you will like the show that it inspire.,Put bluntly this is a simple show made up of six 7-minute songs. Back in the day of free form FM Underground the long song became a thing along with long sets with lots of segues and minimum chatter. Focus groups found out listeners tune in to music stations to hear music. Pay them and send they home.These six seven minute songs were fun to listen to for the most part, and if you were pulling a 6 or 7 hour shift, it meant you might get a little break. Hell Inna Gadda Da Vida was 17 minutes of Iron Butterfly flight, long enough for the DJ to go outside and have some fresh open air. Or it might make for a reasonable bio break, or a trip across the street to the convenience store to grab a 67 cent hot dog and a quarter soda, and be back just in time for the song to end.But I digress. Here we are in a worse future than anyone ever imagined. It’s like we are in the in between times that come after the good Old School days and the New Hope that starts off all the Star Wars Movies.Here is a quick unguided detour to 1971, ‘77, ‘71’ ‘85, ‘84’ and ‘85. It is a flow set and not a subject set, a lot of these were war horses on classic rock stations and now they have completely disappeared from the airwaves, just like all the good times. Can you dig it? I knew that you could. The newsletter has a coded playlist. But no spoilers means no front announces, no backsells, no rock critics, but maybe a few 18 year olds listening to these songs for the first time and putting their reactions up for 3 million viewers on YouTube. Hear are Six Seven Minute songs with no interruptions. Memories, discovery, and a rocking trip to anywhere you want to go. Old School # 87: “Six Seven Minute Songs.”Quick explanation courtesy of NBC’s “The Today Show”What Do Kids Mean When They Say 67?It doesn’t mean anything, which means that it can mean everything. Know what we mean?Oct. 21, 2025, 9:15 AM MDTRachel AskinasiIs your child walking around the house answering all questions with the words “six seven”? Are you deeply confused as to what it means? The TODAY.com team is here to help.You may be seeing it written out on social media as “67,” implying a pronunciation of “sixty-seven,” but it’s actually being said as “six seven” and often is accompanied by a double hand gesture you would use to tell someone that you’re weighing two options. The term flooded TikTok — the app currently shows 1.1 million related videos — and made its way into everyday text-speak and slang. Despite its prevalence, many people don’t actually know what it means. One TikTok user made an explainer video essentially saying that the phrase has so little meaning that it can be used in a wide variety of ways that, ultimately, do make sense to the user.Got it?Back announce:“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” – The Rolling Stones → 1971 (from Sticky FingersWe started with the Rolling Stones and they’re 1971 album Sticky Fingers, the one with the zipper cover that caused so many problems when they tried to ship it in normal album boxes were ripping into the backside of the other albums. After the main part of the song, the band continued playing, thinking the tape had stopped. One of the more famous accidental jams of rock ‘n’ roll happened because they thought the tape and stopped, rolling the subterfuge was orchestrated by saxophone the sax Bobby Keys, Mick Taylor playing guitar on his first complete album with the stones and 5yh Beatle Billy Preston on organ beside conga player Rocky Dejon.“Paradise by the Dashboard Light” – Meat Loaf → 1977 (from Bat Out of Hell)The studio wizard a true star Todd Rundgren, whose production layered up to 70 vocal tracks at a time. From the 1977 Bat Out of Hell, with passionate vocals from Ellen Foley Her singing was lip synced in a hot rotation Mtv classic by Karla DaVito. The baseball narrator earned the nickname scooter although everybody knew it was New York Yankee Hall of Famer who wasn’t sure what he was describing, Phil Rizzotto. Meat Loaf was never better, not even with okra and mashed potatoes.“L.A. Woman” – The Doors → 1971 (from L.A. Woman)LA woman was the title song for the last doors album to feature Jim Morrison an album they recorded in their personal studio at 8512 Santa Monica Blvd and witnessed the exit of their first and only producer, Bobby Rothschild. Bobby thought Riders on the Storm was cocktail music. Part of the production scenario including Elvis Presley bass player Jerry Scheff, fresh from the biggest cocktail party, Las Vegas. “Shout” – Tears for Fears → (from Songs from the Big Chair) this is the version known as the UK Mix from 1984 recorded at The Wool Hall in Bath, England. Producer Chris Hughes from Adam and the Ants called this a “drum manifesto, built from rhythmup instead of chord down.“Two Tribes” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood → 1984 (single from Welcome to the Pleasuredome). Producer Trevor Horn got over 90 take tracks going in this pre digital era and called it “the most complex piece of production I ever did.“How Soon Is Now?” – The Smiths → 1985 (initially released as a B-side in 1984, popular album version on Meat Is Murder compilation came later) Johnny Marr plays a 1959 Gibson ES-355 through four Fender Twin Reverbs with desynced tremolo circuits. It took three days to nail the guitar bed.More of the technical magic that went into this is in the playlist you can find on ProfessorMikey.Substack.Com. You could take out a free subscription, you could take out a paid subscription. At very least share this with a friend for 6 or 7 minutes.Professor Mikey’s Old School Number 87 was produced strictly for educational purposes. Any long dance or run in the park remains the property of the listener. All this mostly forgotten music resides within the public domain or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the CopyRight act of nineteen seven six. Thanks for listening to this episode, “6 7-Minute Songs” and join me next time for Old School!## 🎧 Technical Playlist: Heavy-Handed Liner Notes🎸 Can’t You Hear Me Knocking – Rolling Stones (1971)• Producer: Jimmy Miller • Engineer: Glyn Johns • Studio: Olympic Studios, London • Gear: 16-track tape, Gibson Les Paul → Ampeg SVT, Mick Taylor jam outro, Bobby Keys sax solo 🎷 — One of rock’s most famous “accidental” jams### 🎤 Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf (1977)• Producer: Todd Rundgren • Engineer: Neil Dorfsman • Studio: Bearsville, Woodstock, NY • Gear: 24-track Studer, 70+ stacked vocals, Fender Twins 🎸, Phil Rizzuto commentary ⚾, Ellen Foley duet — Steinman called it “a rock ’n’ roll West Side Story”### 🎸 L.A. Woman – The Doors (1971)• Producer: The Doors & Bruce Botnick • Engineer: Bruce Botnick • Studio: The Doors’ rehearsal space, Santa Monica Blvd. • Gear: Live 8-track recording, Morrison vocals in bathroom 🚿, Krieger SG → Fender Twin 🎸, Ray Manzarek Rhodes bass 🎹 — “Mr. Mojo Risin’” = Jim Morrison anagram### 🎹 Shout – Tears for Fears (UK Mix, 1984)• Producer: Chris Hughes • Engineer: Dave Bascombe • Studio: The Wool Hall, Bath, England • Gear: LinnDrum LM-1 🥁, Roland Jupiter-8 & Fairlight CMI 🎛, SSL 4000E, AMS Digital Delay — Hughes called it a “drum manifesto”### 🎛 Two Tribes – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Carnage Mix, 1984)• Producer: Trevor Horn • Engineers: Stephen Lipson, Julian Mendelsohn • Studios: Sarm West & East, London • Gear: Fairlight CMI IIx 🎹, Synclavier II, Oberheim OB-Xa & Prophet-5, SSL E-Series automation — Horn: “the most complex piece of production I ever did”### 🎸 How Soon Is Now? – The Smiths (1984)• Producer: John Porter w/ Johnny Marr • Engineers: Stephen Street, Tim Young • Studio: Trident Studios, London • Gear: ’59 Gibson ES-355 🎸, 4 Fender Twins w/ desynced tremolo, Eventide H910, Lexicon 224, tape echo on snare 🥁 — Porter: “We accidentally invented its pulse”****Thanks to Michael Bloomfield’s collection “From His Head to His Heart To His Hands” that featured the instrumental version of Like a Rolling Stone heard under the openings that was produced by Tom Wilson that featured the musicians Bob Dylan, Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Paul Griffin, Joe Mack, Bobby Gregg and Mr. Tambourine Man Bruce Langhorne.The closing music was Section 43 (EP Version) by Country Joe and the Fish as it was featured on the Rhino box set Love Is th Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970.)Here is a list of 6 or 7 curiosities: Octopuses have three hearts. Two of the hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third pumps it to the rest of the body. The tip of a shoelace is called an aglet. It is the plastic or metal part that prevents the shoelace from fraying. QThe letter “Q” is the only letter not found in any U.S. state name.The world’s oldest cat, Creme Puff, lived to be 38 years and 3 days old . The Sun makes a sound, but we can’t hear it: because sound waves cannot travel through the vacuum of space. Before alarm clocks, some people were paid to wake others up. They would knock on their windows to ensure they were awake for the day. The TIMES of Their LIVES : Lived until 67(((Secret preview from Professor Mikey’s upcoming book The Times of Their Lives. Publishers and agents take heed.)))People who made it to 67…Around 67Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperorc.747 – Jan 28, 814“To have another language is to possess a second soul.”Jethro Tull Farmer, writer The Horse-hoeing Husbandryc. 1674 – Feb 21, 174167 years, 1 day (24,473 days)Ingrid Bergman ActressAug 29, 1915 – Aug 29, 1982Breast cancer“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.”67 years, 10 days (24,482 days)Ava Gardner ActressDec 24, 1922 – Jan 25, 1990Pneumonia“I have only one rule in acting - trust the director and give him heart and soul.”67 years, 5 months, 1 day (24,624 days)Lon Chaney, Jr. ActorFeb 10, 1906 – July 12, 1973Unspecified“Of course I believe that The Wolf Man is the best of my horror films—because he is mine!”67 years, 6 months, 17 days (24,662 days)Catherine the Great Tsarina of RussiaMay 1, 1729 – Nov 17, 1796Stroke“I praise loudly. I blame softly.”67 years, 6 months, 23 days (24,676 days)Benjamin Harrison 23rd U. S. PresidentAug 20, 1833 – Mar 13, 1901Pneumonia“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process.”67 years, 7 months, 3 days (24,690 days)Hunter S. Thompson Journalist Fear and Loathing in Las VegasJul 18, 1937 – Feb 20, 2005Suicide“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”67 years, 8 months, 22 days (24,736 days)Liberace PianistMay 16, 1919 – Feb 4, 1987AIDS“You know that bank I used to cry all the way to? I bought it.”“I love my work but do not know how I write it.”67 years, 9 months, 15 days (24,760 days)Alan Jay Lerner Lyricist, librettist An American in ParisAug 31, 1918 – Jun 14, 1986Lung cancer“Men die but an idea does not.”67 years, 10 months, 4 days (24,768 days)George Washington 1st U. S. President (1789-1797)Feb 11, 1732 – Dec 14, 1799Pneumonia“Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.”67 years, 10 months, 21 days (24,796 days)e e cummings PoetOct 14, 1894 – Sept 3, 1962Cerebral Hemorrhage“Listen; there’s a hell of a good universe next door: let’s go.”67 years, 10 months, 23 days (24,801 days)Josef Mengele Nazi SS physician “The Angel of Death”Mar 16, 1911 – Feb 7, 1979Drowning67 years, 11 months, 10 days (24,817 days)Sugar Ray Robinson Boxer, Welterweight and Middleweight championMay 3, 1921 – Apr 12, 1989Alzheimer’s“To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.”Professor Mikey’s OLD SCHOOL is powered by fans like you. Take a spin from casual listener to certified groove archivist — keep the songs of the forgotten past alive and your playlist dangerously cool. 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

The Witches of Eastwick. Ronald Dahl ‘s Witches. The witch of Blackbird Pond pond. Wendy the good witch. Sabrina the teenage witch. Marvel’s Scarlet Witch.No matter how many buckets of water you empty, how many stakes you ignite, how many houses you drop on them, the wonderful witches of pop culture never fly completely away. They cast spells, ring bells, read books, and light candles. Samantha Stevens used to wiggle her nose to tidy up her 1962 living room.With all their hocus pocus, they hardly have time to put down the broom, to kick back and relax. Where do they go to bend an elbow with their friends, enjoy an autumn brew, and maybe light up a Salem?For that answer, we have come to the groove yard of golden goodies. Music celebrates the weird sisters, rarely discriminating between good and bad witches. Obviously Professor Mikey has spent a little too much time in the witches brew pub. I blame that midnight happy hour and the eye of newt calamari. And the music! The juke boxes Blair witch projects long after the witching hour.Old School loves to trick or treat at the Witches Brewpub. Keeps you out of Halloween traffic, clarifies multiple levels of focus, and thumps floorboards with a music too fun to be forgotten. After a few tall ones, you note the devil’s jukebox is exhaling brimstone, hemlock and headbangers. Serious observations, swinging cats, witched up rockabilly thugs, enchanted troubadours, all celebrating the risings of the moon on a time of bewitched and bothered rock and roll. All these song were created inspired by enchanted women of healing, magic, and strength. And flight.🅆🄸🅃🄲🄷'🅂 🄱🅁🄴🅆🄿🅄🄱 🄿🄻🄰🅈🄻🄸🅂🅃THE WITCH The Sonics 1964 MAD WITCH Dave Gardner 1957 WITCHCRAFT Frank Sinatra 1957 WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS Redbone 1971 SHE’S MY WITCH Kip Tyler 1958 MY GIRLFRIEND IS A WITCH October Country 1968 THE SALEM WITCH TRIAL Kiriae Crucible 1968 THE WITCHWOOD The Strawbs 1971 WITCH’S PROMISE Jethro Tull 1970 BURN WITCH, BURN Circus 1967 WITCHCRAFT IN THE AIR Betty LaVette 1962 WITCH HUNT Rush 1981 WITCH GIRL The Mystrys 1966 YOU MUST BE A WITCH The Lollipop Shop 1968 SEASON OF THE WITCH Brian Auger and Trinity w/ Julie Driscoll 1967 DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD Sammy Davis Jr. 1966Witches Brew ShapeshifterIngredients:* 1.5 quarts lime sherbet* Green food coloring, optional* 1 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda (like Sprite), chilled* 2 cups pineapple juice, chilled* Dry ice, gummy worms, and gummy eyeballs for garnish, optional* 1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)* 1/2 cup brown sugar* 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon* 1/4 tsp ground ginger* 1/8 tsp ground nutmegIn a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until smooth.* Add the lime sherbet to the bowl and stir until it is mostly melted.* Add the lemon-lime soda and pineapple juice to the bowl and stir until everything is well combined.* If you want to add green food coloring to give it a more witchy look, add a few drops now.* If you want to add dry ice for a spooky smoke effect, be sure to follow all safety precautions when handling it.* Serve in glasses with gummy worms and gummy eyeballs as garnish if desired.Enjoy your Witches’ Brew with pumpkin!1. Wicked Witch of the West: From L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” this iconic character is known for her green skin and flying monkeys. 2. The Sanderson Sisters: Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson are the witches from the movie “Hocus Pocus.” 3. Gandalf and Saruman: Wizards in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” series, they are often referred to as wizards but share many characteristics with traditional witches. 4. Bellatrix Lestrange: A prominent dark witch in the “Harry Potter” series created by J.K. Rowling. 5. Elphaba: The green-skinned protagonist of Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked,” which also inspired a popular musical and monster movie franchise. 6. The Witch in “Snow White: The evil queen who uses magic to try to eliminate Snow White. 7. Circe: A character from Greek mythology known for her magical abilities, featured in various works of literature. 8. The White Witch (Jadis): A character from C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, known for her ice-cold magic.* Sycorax is an unseen character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (1611). She is a vicious and powerful witch and the mother of Caliban, one of the few native inhabitants of the island on which Prospero, the hero of the play, is stranded.* The Grand High Witch. In The Witches (1990), based on the 1983 book of the same name by Roald Dahl, the Grand High Witch is the all-powerful leader of the world's witches. She maintains children smell like dog droppings.🐕💩Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Zzzzzzzz…..One likes to think that as soon as someone finds an agreable podcast (namely this one) they go back scrolling through older episodes to fill their spare time. Of course that is not the case so that, along with my rigorous attitude of keeping up a algorythmically correct posting schedule, the habits of the usual suspect Old School student body is particularly difficult to chart, predict, or analyze.But there are some episodes you should not miss. The pipe of dreams was creatively passed down from Samuel Taylor Coleridge and other British dope champions to the rockers of the Age of Aquarius.“Pipe Dream” is one of those terms that gets totally misunderstood. We live in a time of piping and dreaming, so naturally many people believe the term is inspired by drugs.Though the narcotic reference is probably the more enticing, for years the phrase itself had little to do with inhaling and/or inebriation. In fact a pipe dream was pretty innocent.It radiated—hope. Like the definition from the Cambridge English Dictionary:An idea or plan that is impossible or very unlikely to happen: “Her plans are not realistic - they'll never be more than a pipe dream.”Still, the roots of calling out a pipe dream for what it really is, have basis in history. According to the Grammarist website:A pipe dream is an unrealistic and unattainable goal, an impossible hope. The pipe alluded to in this term is a smoking pipe, but the substance being smoked is not tobacco. Pipe dream stems from the practice of smoking opium, and though many English writers turned to opiates for inspiration, the term pipe dream originated in the United States. In the mid-1800s to the late 1800s, the western United States was rife with opium dens, places where opium from China was sold and smoked.So there it is. The pipe dreams that became subjects of various drug songs, especially in the hallucination we know as The Sixties, were grounded in this tradition. It involved touching a flame to something that grew in poppy fields. In those woozy times, dreams of rock and roll stardom rode side by side with rampant munchies and urges to tie dye the curtains.This episode includes A-Listers (Rolling Stones, The Byrds, Donovan), faded flames (Spooky Tooth, The Blues Magoos), art rockers (Procol Harum, Soft Machine, Lamb), and those obscured by the years and stale smoke (The Sound Sandwich, World Column.)You’ll find some related videos below, but don’t get all buzzy and forget to listen to the podcast itself. Keeping it rolling for 5 minutes is as good as a like to a blind horse. Listening it to it for an hour in traffic will shorten the trip considerably. Giving it an electronic vote of confidence is the equivalent of a field goal through goal posts on a Harvest Moon.Still, there is hope this Old School podcast will get a zillion downloads and ultimately elevated by Apple, Spotify, or whatever your favorite delivery system may be…No matter what definition grabs you🎸The TITLES in BOLD are what you will hear on the podcast. The various videos (VV) are alternate tunes by the bands who made the pipe.PIPE DREAM The Blues Magoos (1967)LOST IN MY DREAM Spooky Tooth (1969)QUEEN OF DREAMS The Strawbs (1972)IN ANOTHER LAND The Rolling Stones (1967)MIND GARDEN The Byrds (1967)LANTERN GOSPEL World Column (1968)SONG FOR A DREAMER Procol Harum (1971)APOTHECARY DREAM The Sound Sandwich (1967)SLEEPWALKERS Lamb (1971)HEMPSTEAD INCIDENT Donovan (1967)WHY ARE WE SLEEPING The Soft Machine (1968)I HAD TOO MUCH TO DREAM LAST NIGHT The Electric Prunes (1967)Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for listening. Sweet dreams… 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

Greetings. Professor Mikey here, still basking in the hot soul sun of 1965. You don’t have to have heard our previous episode in order to listen to this one. But Summer of Soul Vol 1 has a lot of things you will be expecting to hear. For this edition, it is certainly more of the same. The first full year of the British Invasion was rocking the planet. The the sounds of the Mersey beats combine on the radio with great American soul power, and careers for the likes of James Brown, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and more, were launching like 21st century outer space exploration startups.There’s a lot of music left to unpack, so insert headphones. It’s one thing that the Booker T and the MGs song Plum Nellie that’s going on in the background will no doubt inspire a Led Zeppelin lick in about 4 years. But there is so much more. We are about to get started with a twin spin from Otis Redding that includes a song that Aretha Franklin will cover quite soon.Get in the groove, we have another hour of summer to move smooth. It’s the 1965 Summer of Soul Volume II. Things go better with soul. And a little respect.Respect OTIS REDDINGI Can’t Turn You Loose OTIS REDDINGRide Your Pony LEE DORSEYAgent Double Oh Soul EDWIN STARRSome Other Guy RICHIE BARRETTTake Me in Your Arms KIM WESTONBack in My Arms Again THE SUPREMESOo Wee Baby FRED HUGHESI Don’t Know What You Got LITTLE RICHARDHold On JOE TEXBoy from NYC THE ADLIBSCandy THE ASTORSI Take Whatever I Want SAM AND DAVESnatch It Back and Hold It JUNIOR WELLESTracks of My Tears SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLESRainbow GENE CHANDLERHurt So Bad LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALSAsk the Lonely THE FOUR TOPSWhen Otis Redding cut Respect in ’65, it was a man pleading with his woman. Two years later, Aretha Franklin flipped it on its head — and turned it into a demand that redefined the song forever.”“ I Can’t Turn You Loose. “This wasn’t just another single — it became his stage theme. The horns blast, Otis shouts, and the crowd knows they’re in for a ride.New Orleans. Lee Dorsey’s Ride Your Pony, produced by Allen Toussaint. James Brown himself admitted he stole a few tricks from this groove.Spy games in soul music? Edwin Starr thought so. His first hit, Agent Double-O Soul, let him ham it up onstage in a tux with a toy gun — years before War made him a household name.Back in Liverpool, the Beatles never recorded Richie Barrett’s Some Other Guy, but they loved it. One of the earliest TV clips of the band shows them rocking it live at the Cavern (above).Kim Weston’s Take Me in Your Arms didn’t catch fire in ’65, but a decade later the Doobie Brothers turned it into a monster hit.The Supremes with Back in My Arms Again. This was their fifth straight number one — tying the Beatles at the time. Pure Holland-Dozier-Holland.From Chicago, Fred Hughes and Oo Wee Baby. He had the smoothness of Sam Cooke — but never quite broke through.Rarity: Little Richard’s I Don’t Know What You Got. One of the few studio cuts where a young Jimi Hendrix actually backed Richard on guitar.The Boy from New York City by The Ad Libs. In the ’80s, Manhattan Transfer brought it back to life, but in ’65 it was pure street-corner pop.Out of Memphis and Stax Records came The Astors with Candy. Booker T. & the MG’s were behind them — bopping the Memphis sound.From the Stax label, Sam & Dave with I Take What I Want. Written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.Junior Wells and Snatch It Back and Hold It. Guitar duties? Buddy Guy.One of Smokey Robinson’s personal favorites: The Tracks of My Tears. Years later, the Library of Congress picked it for the National Recording Registry. Gene Chandler, the ‘Duke of Earl,’ reinvented himself mid-decade with smooth ballads. Rainbow showed he wasn’t just a one-hit wonder.Little Anthony & the Imperials with the heartbreak ballad Hurt So Bad. Linda Ronstadt would cover it 15 years later and land in the Top 10 all over again.The Four Tops with Ask the Lonely. It didn’t climb as high as their later smashes, but Levi Stubbs’ voice here — that raw ache — proved why he was Motown’s secret weapon.Its going to Hurt So Bad to leave the Soul Summer of ‘65 Volume 2. If you havent heard Volume 1 yet, there’s a link at the bottom of the page on Substack, where you can subscribe to the Old School newsletter for free anytime and be the first kid on your block to get the latest podcasts. You’ll find that at professormikey.substack.com.1965 was a pivotal year for the Civil Rights movement, as well as the soul music charts. Some of the most iconic and pivotal tunes of the year came right in the middle of the decade. Remember this is a free podcast, subscriptions and likes always work well, so thanks in advance. This podcast is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976.Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I’m Professor Mikey, thanks for listening and join me next time when we cut classes to attend Old School!Here’s the code for SUMMER OF SOUL VOLUME 1 on Substack: 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

Hey Old Schoolers. Professor Mikey here with another attempt to bring the past back to where it belongs. In our hearts and minds. If I were building a time machine school bus, I’d make sure it had a great sound system before it had anything else. Especially a search engine. Ha ha.Old School loves the underground years, but in ‘65 a lot of things were getting figured out. The British Invasion was full on and the USA had surrendered to the long hair, the mersey beat,mini skirts and swinging London.But they all share something in common besides the paisley pants, and swinging London. All these groups and many more were enchanted and influenced by the stone cold grooves blasting out from Black America. The Stones loved the Muddy Waters of the Chicago Blues. John Paul George and Ringo stopped in the name of love to groove on those Motown harmonies. Eric Burdon lived in the House of the Rising Sun.So for this show we are going to the songs that were powering American soul trains and soul radio. Putting them together sounds like a street symphony of wisdom and groove, inspired by the restless need to be free and totally expressive through a music that was ascending to new heights.If you had the opportunity to find a late night soul station in the summer of ‘65 this is some of what you might have heard. Put on your high heel sneakers, don’t be too proud to beg, sugar pie honey bunch. Old School is turning it over for episode 86.It’s the Soul Summer of ‘65, in the midnight hour, in any hour. As a culture, Papa’s got a brand new bag.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it.Professor Mikey, about to wrap up episode 86 of the Old School, “1965 Summer of Soul.” The obvious problem, this old jukebox has swallowed up all my dimes, and there are still lots of great songs we haven’t heard yet. So lets do this. Lets make this Volume 1, and we will come back at you with a Volume 2 for our next episode. The music is already there, including more Otis Redding, more Supremes, more Marvin Gaye, plus some lesser known artists like Gene Chandler, the Marvelows, Mel Carter, Lee Dorsey, and even a 60s comeback from Little Richard. 1965 Summer of Soul Volume 2, coming soon to Substack or a podcast player near you.If you like the show, forward it to a friend. Professor Mikey’s Old School is produced for educational purposes, and the chance to get your groove on. The music we hear is either in the public domain, cleared by the podcast providers, encouraged by the artists and their families, or is used within the guidelines of Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976, wherein the definition of “fair use” becomes especially muddy. We prefer Muddy Waters.A free subscription to my newsletter takes a second and its the fastest, easiest way to get the latest episode, plus roam the stacks of what has come before. Do that at professormikey.substack.com. Come see about me.Thanks for listening, rock on with your bad self, and keep the music coming. Stay safe, stay cool, and keep it Old School.And be sure to have a good answer when you they ask you “What were you known for?”1965 Summer of SoulMidnight Hour Wilson PickettPapa’s Got a Brand New Bag Pt 1, 2, 3 James BrownThe Jerk The CapitolsCan’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) The Four TopsShotgun Jr. Walker and the All-StarsBoomerang Jr. Walker and the All-StarsThe Clapping Song Shirley EllisIko Iko The Dixie CupsDo I Love You Billy StewartSee Saw Don CovayUptight (Everything’s Alright) Stevie WonderAll or Nothing Patti LaBelle and the BluebellesYes I’m Ready Barbara MasonTonight’s the Night Solomon BurkeI’ve Been Loving You To Long Otis ReddingThe Birds and the Bees Jewel AkensAin’t That Peculiar Marvin GayeStop! In the Name of Love The Supremes 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

Summer’s here and the time is right for podcasting at the pool! (Player above, Apple and Spotify links below.) This show is a reunion of sorts. Attendees are solid gold seniors who had no relation to each other, other than their heydays and their expiration dates. They hooked up for one mad love affair in the Troy Donahue-Connie Stevens summer of 1963, then went their separate ways. Sometimes they might see one another on a Rhino oldies collection, but other than that they were cast into that great audio convalescent care stack-o-wax we know as Golden Oldies.It’s a great bunch once you get to know them. Collectively they represent one of the last summits of pop culture before The Beatles hit the beaches and the rest of the fab but gear British Invasion followed. Culturally, what was on the horizon was the equivalent of sound coming to the movies.The artist contributions are significant. They offer a sweet last snapshot of Fifties culture that lingered well into the early Sixties. Focusing their talents on the singles market, still the only game in town, they were a mixture of young talent and old business. They played by rules that had been around too long and still managed to deliver unique and original product. Cool, young, and under contract, they rocked the radio, jolted the cash registers, and spoke to young people.There were so many songs that charged this magical last summer of the before times. This is only the tip of the iceberg floating in the deep end. Some of these songs haven’t been played next to each other in over a half century. They still play well together, unaware of the future, masters of their space in their time. On the beach.Poolside ‘63 listeners weren’t thinking of all these cultural changes as they showed up in their swimsuits with their beach towels, their lotions and potions, their flotation devices. The pool was for fun and relaxation and the tunes blasting the chlorine filled air just felt right. It felt loud.Special thanks to the artists who made this magic summer so unforgettable, to DJ B. Mitchell Reed, to the Coca-Cola Company, to The Chantays on Lawrence Welk) to Japan, to the Bronx, to Saigon, to country, to the blues, to jazz and everything else that got shaken up in this sound kaleidoscope from an endless summer.IT’S MY PARTY - Lesley GoreTHE MONKEY TIME - Major LanceDA DOO RON RON - The CrystalsSUKIYAKI - Kyu SakamotoEASIER SAID THAN DONE The EssexIF YOU WANNA BE HAPPY - Jimmy SoulHEATWAVE - Martha and the VandellasFINGERTIPS PT 1 & 2 - Little Stevie WonderSALLY GO ROUND THE ROSES - The JaynettesIN DREAMS - Roy OrbisonPIPELINE - The ChantaysSURF CITY - Jan and DeanYOU CAN’T SIT DOWN - The DovellsDENISE - Randy and the RainbowsHE’S SO FINE - The ChiffonsMY BOYFRIEND’S BACK - The AngelsWIPEOUT - The Surfaris 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

Happy Fourth, happy birthday, sail away to a few American tunes! It’s a special Old School All American Red, White, and Blue Mixtape. The stories are all on the podcast, so push play. It’s a holiday.Recommended for: long waits at the airport, backyard barbecues, setting off fireworks, flag waving, Constitution reading, taking the Fifth, drinking a Fifth, wishing for the Fifth, steering clear of the tainted potato salad, playing volleyball in the park, testing your waterproof earbuds, slipping on the Slip and Slide, and trying not to harsh the mellow of your dear old Uncle Sam.These tunes for good times from all times. Audio fireworks!Happy 4th of July from Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! Share this with someone with whom you once spent the holiday.The Beach Boys. "Spirit of America" Little Deuce Coupe. Capitol, 1963. 🏖🏝☀️⛱🏝🏖Chuck Berry. "Back in the USA" The Great 28. Chess, 1964. Johnny Cash. "Ragged Old Flag" The Essential Johnny Cash. Columbia, 1974. Roger McGuinn. "The Ballad of Easy Rider" Easy Rider. Hip-O Records, 1969. Blitzen Trapper. "American Goldwing" American Goldwing. SubPop, 2011. John Prine. "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" John Prine. Atlantic, 1971. Alice Cooper. "I Love America" Dada. Warner Bros, 1983. Bill Parsons (Bobby Bare). “All American Boy” Single. Fraternity, 1959.Stan Freberg. "Declaration of Independence "A Man Can't Be Too Careful What He Signs These Days"" Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America. Rhino, 1961 Steppenwolf. “Monster/Suicide/America” Monster. ABC Dunhill Records, 1969.David Bowie. “I’m Afraid of Americans” Earthling. Virgin, 1997.Cat Power. "American Flag" Moon Pix. Matador, 1998. Ry Cooder. "FDR in Trinidad" Into the Purple Valley. Reprise, 1971. Bob Dylan. "Dear Mrs Roosevelt" Tribute to Woody Guthrie. Warner Bros, 1968. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. "American Dream" American Dream. Atlantic, 1988. Spinal Tap. "America" This Is Spinal Tap. Polydor, 1984. James Brown. "Hey America" The Singles Vol 7 (1970-1972). Hip-O Select, 2009. Prince. "America" Single. Warner Bros, 1990. Stan Freberg. “Finale: “America, America! (Reprise) Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Vol. 2. Rhino, 1996. 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

You have probably heard snips of “Surfin’ Safari” more in the past couple of weeks than at any time since it was released in October of 1962. That song, along with “Good Vibrations” and “Surfer Girl” highlight the fleeting media tributes to Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 - June 11, 2025) the driving force behind The Beach Boys.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it.Luckily, Professor Mikey’s Old School goes a little longer and digs a little deeper than the usual media minute mourn. Still there isn’t enough time in one show to access the loss of an American rock n roll legend, who ruled the charts, the waves, the shoreline, and the hot California sand. But the attempt here will be to catch a wave and sit on top of the world.Brian didn’t surf. He was a composer, a bandleader, a singer, a keyboard and bass player, a producer, and a mysterious and reclusive giant of the American music scene. He was also a son, a brother, a cousin, a father, a label founder, a confounding genius, and an introverted wizard.There are tons of Brian Wilson stories and hopefully you will have time to hear them all. The tales of the Beach Boys are not all about the waves of Waimea and Malibu, bikinis and 409s. hallucinogens and cheese burgers, hot rod boys and surfer girls .Rather than trying to reconstruct a bio, or review a musical output of six plus decades, or watch a video of someone professing to have never listened to a Beach Boys track until they hit it big on YouTube, I have sailed the Sloop John B in a different direction. Whats next is an unsolved puzzle pieced together like the band might have done with reel to reel 60s and 70s snippets in the Sunset Sound Recording Studios.All the Wilson brothers are gone now. Dennis drowned in 1983 at Marina Del Ray about three weeks after his 39th birthday. Carl contracted lung cancer that moved to his brain and claimed him at 51 in 1998. Brian was 82.Don’t Worry Baby, everything will turn out all right. And now let’s roll tape and do some beachcombing on Professor Mikey’s Old School # 85: “Scenes from The Life of Brian.”Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a rocking reader-supported podcast and publication. To receive new posts and support dope oldies, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Beach Boy fans! Enjoy the roaring shredding of underground surf tunes. Tune in to the MONSTERS!!🦖🦖🦖 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

Everybody knows about one-hit wonders. They may have had long semi successful recording careers, but at only one time in their entire career did the sun truly shine on them. They had that one song that came along at the perfect time, grabbed the public’s attention, and bought them a house on the outskirts of Palm Springs.So I started digging a little deeper. Deep in the Audio Closet of No Return are many albums by people you never heard of singing songs that were not widely heard outside of their mother’s kitchen.i may have doomed this episode by getting cute and calling it No-Hit Wonders. “No hits” will never fly with Top 40 limitations or Android Smoke Signals or Twenty First Century F F F Focus Groups. The pop music world thrives on success and an artist’s ability to make money for someone in a suit he or she will never meet. It’s a business of hits, not misses.As I started pulling albums that might fit the description, I found that many of the choices I made came from the early 80s. There is no scientific explanation. I was working for a station where music reps brought me stacks of albums. But new decades are a time of promise and possibilities.MTV didn’t start until August of 1981, so what you are about to hear is a collection of people who didn’t get to be big names just before video killed the radio star. It doesn’t mean they didn’t try. And, as you are about to discover, it doesn’t mean they produced sub par rock and roll. I dropped the needle through all of these albums and found songs I think history might have sadly overlooked.So much for the “no hitter.” From the Oscar broadcast, Franke Previte of Frankie and the Knockouts accepts the honors for writing “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” for Dirty Dancing.“That was Sweetheart from Franke and the Knockouts. It came and went in 1981. But the lead singer, Franke Previte would be remember for a much, much bigger song. In 1987 he got a call from the head of Millennium Record, Jimmy Ienner, who asked him if he would be available to compose something for an upcoming movie. When he was told the title, he thought he was being asked to write for a porn flick, and he was sure his career was sinking. The movie however, was Dirty Dancing. He joined co writers John DeNicola and Don Markowitz and their song not only bumped a Lionel Ritchie song for the climactic dance by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray, the trio won Oscars for the best composition of the year.”It’s easy to say these weren’t particularly successful entertainment sources in their time, which for most of them seem to be on the cusp of a new decade. Through with the 70s, the 80s on top of them. A new unscripted baby of an era fairly unsure of what is about to happen, it only knows it is going to require a lot of mousse to replicate the glitzy Fifties, and for music and movies, an acceleration of drug use, particularly cocaine, on the highway to getting things done. For this handful of musicians the possibility of failure and being forgotten in a distant future is not there, like the haunted girl lost by the heartbroken Zombies in their debut hit of the 60s.You be the judge. This show is 100% vinyl, and about the same percentage obscure. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. From England we start with The Sinceros and a prophetic song called “Disappearing.” Get ready for Professor Mikey’s Old School #84: “No Hit Wonders: The Early 80s!”But if you have listened to as many records as an ancient DJ you have either lost all your audio tastebuds, or you have figured out that the music that comes out of an artist has little or nothing to do with the size of their bank accounts. Poverty struck down and outhouse cowboys have produced tear jerkers that rolled into the driveway in the rain with beautiful songs of heartache and redemption.⚾️PLAY (BALL) LIST(Coaches note: Batting order changed at the last minute)I’m So Attractive The Photos * I Don’t Wanna Hear It The Shoes * All Messed Up and Ready to Go The Records * Fotogenic Ellen Shipley * Hey You’re On the Run New England * Sweetheart Frankie and the Knockouts * Give Me a Little Time R.A.F. * At the End of the Day Mike Rutherford * Real Life Fast Fontaine * No Turning Back Sherbs * Disappearing The Sinceros * Fade to Grey VisageVisage fading to grey means we are coming to the end of the No Hit Wonders Old School podcast, and still no hits. Hopefully you got the point. Even the biggest hit makers sometimes find themselves in creative jungles. Chopping and charting through swamps and skullduggery, sure that whatever it takes to become a success has eluded them completely. Many of these artists disappeared or went different directions. Others persevered, sometimes into miserable failure. But other times they won the rock and roll.We close with a little known thematic project called Smallcreep’s Day. The artist is Mike Rutherford. He stayed in the background for a lot of his career. He was no Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel, but he did play bass for Genesis. He also made some solo albums, and eventually founded a little group called Mike and the Mechanics. In this, the closing movement from a genius unknown album, he looks forward to better times. If you are a musician, or you just feel like your needle has yet to settle in the groove, there is still time, and there is always hope, especially if the subject is rock and roll. Everybody’s looking for something. You could be next!Professor Mikey’s Old School is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. Playlists, pictures, and first access to all podcasts requires a free subscription to my newsletter which you can find at professormikey.substack.com “The past is a blast.” 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

FOR a beat down of pure syrupy nostalgia, there’s nothing like an Old School prom night. Unless it’s an old basketball court gymnasium prom night. Or a Kiwanis Hall.Everyone is in their teens which means they will never look better. Small town princesses in their royal gowns, awkward guys all greased back and stiff in their rented tuxedos. Becoming a grownup is a mystery just a few miles down the road. Maybe if the music glides into romantic and dreamy, things might slow down a bit. The lights go low, the geometry teacher can’t see how close you are dancing.Before the limo arrives, the weather does its thing. It starts raining on prom night. Windshield wipers swipe back and forth, spreading droplet jewels before more fall. Uncomfortable but flashy dancing shoes go splashy through the puddle. Inside you can hear the Thunder under the Marshals and the Fenders.The rain is falling, the night is calling, some of the corsages have been in the freezers for close to 70 years. Much of this predates classic rock. So I guess it’s Baroque. It’s definitely romantic. And it’s coming down cats and dogs.Prom culture, like teen culture, has not stood still. For this playlist we hover pretty much around the late Fifties into the early Sixties. The oldest song is from 1952, but it has such staying power it was required on prom setlists for over 20 years. A couple of modern tunes from 1966 are present, just to keep the sass in tact. But mostly the prom sweet spot coincides with the peak years for doowop, a genre that takes to the floor after the Blues and just ahead of Soul. The greatest hits of Doowop were associated with Proms at one time or another. Heartfelt love songs that drifted through dreamy harmonies. All the sweetness and tenderness that true love can inspire in the poetry of an uncertain era. The importance of Doowop is a big chapter in any popular music history. Tonight however we are in love with the possibilities of everything working out just right for ever and ever.NEW SCHOOL PROM FILLERA girl usually tries on 10 dresses before she finds the perfect prom ensemble! Corsages were meant for the waist Teens usually spend $1,500 on their prom including tickets, limo, dresses, and flowers! 62% of prom-goers take home memorabilia to remember their prom night 15% of girls see prom as equal importance as their wedding Prom Industry earns about $4 Billion each year! The average prom proposal costs $325 Most girls shop for their dress 3 months before their prom. Source: Ambassador Limousines Weird Prom FactoidsIn 1975 Susan Ford (President Gerald Ford’s daughter) invited her peers to the White House to have their prom! Her father was not in the states that night so the Secret Service took it upon themselves to be the chaperones. It was held in the East Room. Once the night was over the students went on the Presidential yacht and cruised underneath the stars!This was supposed to end about twelve, and it’s a quarter till I guess. Nobody’s really looking at the clock. Throughout the evening people have been peeling off. Most of the teachers have gone home, there are still a couple of chaperone stretching out over multiple folding chairs. Balloons have popped, confetti is coming loose.But there’s still a dozen or maybe two dozen (its really dark in here) couples, and this is serious heartfelt intoxicating busy time. The DJ shuts up, the only music that’s going to work for the up close and personal is one long dreamy set of heaven sent Doo Wop. The Flamingoes have wet feathers because it’s still raining on prom night.Right now you might be thinking of a friend who would get a kick out of this show. Think no more! Send it to them! Cheaper than a corsage!The ProgramWalking in the Rain THE RONETTESCrying in the Rain THE EVERLY BROTHERSA White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation MARTY ROBBINSAt the Hop DANNY AND THE JUNIORSLoillipop THE CHORDETT7 Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat THE AVONSBorn Too Late THE PONI-TAILSWIshin’ and Hopin’ DUSTY SPRINGFIELDPopsicles and Icicles THE MURMAIDSTeenager’s Romance RICKY NELSONJohnny Angel SHELLEY FABRESVenus FRANKIE AVALONRhapsody in the Rain LOU CHRISTIERumble LINK WRAYHe’s a Rebel THE CRYSTALSAngel Baby ROSIE AND THE ORIGINALSNothing Takes the Place of You TOUSSAINT McCALLI Love How You Love Me THE PARIS SISTERSAll These Things THE UNIQUESI Only Have Eyes for You THE FLAMINGOSOnce Upon a Time ROCHELL AND THE CANDLESIn the Still of the Night THE FIVE SATINSTonight Tonight The Meello KingsThere’s a Moon Out Tonight THE CAPRISRemember THE EARLSThe Angels Listened In THE CRESTSYou Belong to Me THE DUPREES 1962Come Softly To Me THE FLEETWOODSI Love You So THE CHANTELSEbb Tide THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERSFor Your Precious Love THE IMPRESSIONSFor Your Love ED TROWNSENDIt’s Raining On Prom Night CINDY BULLINS from GREASEDon’t forget to check out OLD SCHOOL on YOUTUBEProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

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 1965, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and Yeh Yeh…YEH YEH George Fame and the Blue Flames!THAT’S WHEN I REACH FOR MY REVOLVER Mission of BurmaExactly where 80s punk was going to go was still a big question in 1981, when Boston’s Mission of Burma released their first EP, Signals, Calls and Marches. Here was a four piece band, with three traditional instruments and one guy running tape loops from a mixing desk, onstage no less.Singer and bass player named the song after a Henry Miller essay, only to find out later that Miller had gotten the title from one of Hitler’s favorite Nazi sycophants, Hermann Göring. Here’s Mission of Burma, and a sweet little novelty entitled “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver…”=====📻==OLD SCHOOL #9 Nothing But Psychopathia SexualisThe Flirtations 1969, Lenny Bruce 1959, The Associates 1967The Flirtations with a bold realization kick off #9! Then a yet to be lionized Lenny Bruce releases a single from his second groundbreaking (check the cover) album, recorded in 1958 at Ann’s 440 Club in San Francisco. He’s a young comic seeking to shock, relieve, poke, educate, and entertain all in 2 minutes of jazz poetry doomed for zero airplay.Fast forward almost a decade down the line, and the hippy darlings of Grand Rapids, Michigan, hang the bedspreads on their 1967 garage walls, inhale a little Escanaba Waba, and memorialize their tie-die lifestyle in song.NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE The FlirtationsThe Flirtations were an all girl soul group who could have called themselves the Pearce Sisters, except sisters Betty, Shirley, and Earnestine included their friend Viola Billups. They began life in the early 60s as the Gypsies, but changed their name in ’65 when they were signed by Josie Records. Betty left the group a year later. In 1967 the remaining Flirtations did their own American invasion, and moved to England, where they began recording for the Parrot, then the Deram label. Their big song of 1969 is what they are remembered for, a swinging big sound with enough Top 40 hooks to fill a tackle box. And even though it was a hit in the U.S., the group stayed in Great Britain for another ten years. Here’s the Flirtations and Nothing But a Heartache…PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS Lenny BruceComedians have been going into recording studios for a long time. Novelty hits are a fast payday if they click, and if they don’t, there’s always another club. In his 40 years, Lenny Bruce would change the face of stand up comedy, not only because he brought dirty words to the stage, but because his vision of humor included savage observations on bigotry, religious contradictions, evil politicians, and everything that can go wrong in life and love. Lenny loved jazz and was a beatnik at heart, both which come through on this single that was released from the 1959 album The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce. BLESS OUR HIPPY HOME The AssortmentToday we dip into the Michigan garage sound of the 1960s. The Fenton label hailed from Sparta, Michigan, and ultimately became more famous than any of their bands. Most of their acts were little known, never made it nationally, but were huge on the Grand Rapids and Muskegon sock hop circuit. They also had excellent studio recordings made of their garage sounds, thanks to the Fenton engineers. Here’s a good example, a pretty dumb song with great production values. From 1967, it’s The Assortment and Bless Our Hippy Home…OLD SCHOOL #10 Honky Tonk Women's HistoryBig Mama Thornton 1953, Wanda Jackson 1961, Loretta Lynn 1975 , Kitty Wells 1951Ellen Muriel Deason, aka Kitty Wells, was 32 in 1951. Her latest country hit “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” crossed the line. It blamed men for a few glaring inequities.It was heard by Alabama-born Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, 25. She had just signed with Peacock Records and was aiming for similar success. Her statement song was so powerful it was covered by Elvis Presley.Loretta Lynn was a 19 year-old mother of three, still two years from receiving her first guitar from her husband as a birthday present. Wanda Jackson at 14 was already performing on the Oklahoma City radio stations where she first heard Kitty Wells and many others. She would snag a recording contract at 17.All four scored in a tough, male dominated music business orbited around rough bars, juke joints, and smoke filled honky-tonks. They played one-nighters, visited out-of-the-way radio stations, and performed standing on orange crates in music centers and record stores.And more than once they pondered real life in real songs. Grab a beer, it’s time for some “Honky Tonk Women’s History.” And don’t come home a-drinking with lovin’ on your mind.HOUND DOG Big Mama ThorntonBig Mama Thornton’s version of Hound Dog, recorded almost four years before Elvis Presley got hold of it, takes on a whole new meaning when sung by a woman. And what a woman. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller wrote the song for Thornton, who at the time was singing with the Johnny Otis band. It topped the R&B charts in 1953, then turned into a legal nightmare. The Peacock label gave Otis writing credit, then the lawyers swarmed in when various takeoffs were released. The story goes that Elvis was unaware of Big Mama’s version when he recorded what would become a monster hit in 1956. Still, savvy critics noted that the song made little sense when sung by a man. Here’s the original, exhibit A, Big Mama Thornton recording in Los Angeles on August 13, 1952.FUNNEL OF LOVE Wanda JacksonBorn in the tiny town of Maud, Oklahoma in 1937, Wanda Jackson is today considered to be one of the first true female voices on the vast landscape of rock and roll. She got her break when Hank Thompson heard her singing on the radio in Oklahoma City. She dated Elvis, who told her to move away from country gospel and to use that big voice to rock out. Her first record came out in 1956. We’re going to tune into a 1961 song, wherein she combines the power of love with a familiar sight on the Okie weather Map. From 1961, Wanda Jackson and Funnel of Love…THE PILL Loretta LynnIt is hard to imagine today the controversy that surround Loretta Lynn’s ode to birth control, a song called simply, The Pill. She was once quoted as saying “I’ve always said that you have to be different, great, or first. So maybe I was first—first to come to town, write my own stuff and sing it. You know, I think that’s what the whole deal has been.” In 1975 she became the first recording artist to mention birth control in a song. T. D. Bayless wrote the lyrics, Loretta recorded the song in 1972, but her fearful label sat on it for three years. The idea that a woman might have control over her life by regulating the number of children she bears was simply too hot to handle. Even when the song was released, many country radio stations took it upon themselves to shelter the public from these radical notions. Here it is, uncut and uncensored. From 1975, Loretta Lynn and “The Pill.”You wined me and dined me when I was your girl, Promised if I'd be your wife, you'd show me the worldBUT all I've seen of this old world is a bed and a doctor billI’m tearing down your brooder house 'cause now I've got THE PILL All these years, I've stayed at home while you had all your funAnd every year that's gone by, another baby's comeThere's gonna be some changes made right here on Nursery HillYou've set this chicken your last time 'cause now I've got THE PILL This old maternity dress I've got is going in the garbageThe clothes I'm wearing from now on won't take up so much yardageMiniskirts, hot pants, and a few little fancy frillsYeah, I'm making up for all those years since I've got THE PILL I’m-tired of all your crowing how you and your hens playWhile holding a couple in my arms, another is on the wayThis chicken's done tore up her nest and I'm ready to make a dealAnd you can't afford to turn it down 'cause you know I've got THE PILL This incubator is over-used because you've kept it filledBut feeling good comes easy now since I've got THE PILL It’s getting dark, it's roosting time, tonight's too good to be realAw, but Daddy don't you worry none 'cause Mama's got the pill Oh, Daddy don't you worry none 'cause Mama's got THE PILL💊IT WASN’T GOD WHO MADE HONKY TONK ANGELS Kitty WellsUnlike many successful country stars, Muriel Deason was actually born in Nashville. Her husband Johnnie Wright of Johnnie & Jack added her to open the show, but he changed her name to something a little catchier, after the old folk ballad I'm a Goin to Marry Kitty Wells. In 1952, she exhibited her own bit of cat power, with a single that served as an answer to Hank Thompson's Wild Side of Life. A feminist cowgirl who claimed unfaithful women were the spinoff from unfaithful men was something new and dicey, and the song itself solidified her as the Queen of Country Music, someone for young Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette to look up to. Here she is with the song that put her name in lights. Kitty Wells and “It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels...”Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for catching up on the good old days of Old School. Don’t miss the current installment and share with friends you know who need a rock ‘n’ roll vaca! The past is a blast! 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

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 version of Twist and Shout, produced by Phil Spector. Songwriter Bert Berns never liked that version. In 1962 he brought it to the Isleys scored their first top 40 hit with "Twist and Shout", which reached number 17 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the R&B chart, staying on the charts for 19 weeks.The Twist came and went in such a fast blur, it seemed almost too silly to be occupying news space alongside the real possibility of nuclear war. Chubby Checker released “The Twist” about 6 weeks before John F. Kennedy accepted the nomination to compete for the presidency against Richard Nixon in 1960. They were doing the Peppermint Twist at the Peppermint Lounge while Russia’s Sputnik 4 sailed about 500 miles overhead. And the birth control pill had been approved only a short time before Sam Cooked released “Twisting the Night Away” in 1962. Timing was everything.We know now the Twist was a hot mess of a craze that prepared the world for a surprise attack that was on the horizon. No sooner had Chubby Checker moved on to the Limbo than the Beatles arrived in New York for their first appearances on the Ed Sullivan show. Checker had already been there and done that.Professor Mikey here, hoping you took the time to kick out some early 60s jams with Episode #83 of Old School, Hey Let’s Twist. There’s an accompanying playlist online on the Professor Mikey’s Old School YouTube Channel, and while you are rolling up the rug you should take a moment to see the pictures and a lot of extras, including the complete “Hey, Let’s Twist” motion picture starring Joey Dee and Teddy Randazzo on the Old School newsletter on Substack. (ProfessorMikey.Substack.Com)Even though the fad really was a fad that lasted just under three years, we’re going to close out with a beloved homage to the Twist that entered popular culture in the Quentin Tarentino motion picture “Pulp Fiction,” released in 1994. Thanks for checking out the episode, enjoy the newsletter, and sit back to hear the music Mrs.Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega twisted to at Jack Rabbit’s Slim’s Twist Contest.Twist the night away, here comes Chuck Berry, and we will be in touch next time on Professor Mikey’s Old School!Episode playlist* Hey Let’s Twist - Joey Dee and the Starlilghters* The Twist - Hank Ballard and the Midnighters* The Twist - Chubby Checker* Twist Around the Clock - Clay Cole and the Capris* Twistin’s U.S.A. - Danny and the Juniors* Twist and Shout - The Top Line* Let’s Twist Again - Chubby Checker* Roly Poly - Joey Dee and the Starliters* Peppermint Twist Pt 1 & 2 - Joey Dee and the Starliters* Dear Lady Twist - Gary U.S. Bonds* Twist Twist Senora - Gary U.S. Bonds* FrankensteinTwist - The Crystals* Twisting Christmas - The Marcels* Twisted Humor Segment: Twisting Hound Dog - Ray Anthony, The Alvin Twist - Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mama Don’t Allow No Twisting - Bonnie Dane, Tequila Twist - The Champs, Twist and Freeze - Bill Kuhn, Mother Goose Twist - Oliver Twist* Twistin’ Postman - The Marvelettes* Twistin’ the Night Away - Sam Cooke* Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharpe* Twistin’ with Linda - The Isley Brothers* Twist and Shout - The Isley Brothers* Shout - Joey Dee and the Starliters* You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berrybb “The past is a blast.” 🎥📽️MOVIE BONUS🍿🎦“HEY, LET’S TWIST!” starring Joey Dee plus “DON’T KNOCK THE TWIST” starring Chubby CheckerProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. 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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 the podcast first, new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

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

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 past is a blast.Mystery QR:This podcast is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. 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

“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 from New Orleans, released his version, Gale Storm, star of TV’s “My Little Margie” produced a cover version. It shot up to #2 on the Billboard charts, earning her a gold record. Blues writer Bill Dahl recalled that that Storm’s version killed Lewis’s version, writing that “Storm swiped his thunder for any crossover possibilities with her ludicrous whitewashed cover of the plaintive ballad.” To make matters worse Lewis earned the tag of a “bad luck singer” because every cover dimmed the success of his original. English singer Jill Day recorded the song in 1956, Connie Francis followed in 1959. The last nail was driven in 1961 when Bartholomew produced Fats Domino's remake of the song. I’ll play a little of the Gale Storm version, then the original of “I Hear You Knocking but No Doors are Opening for Smiley Lewis.”And then there was Elvis Aaron Presley, the 18-year-old Memphis truck driver who wandered into Sun Records in the summer of 1953 and paid four dollars for the time in the studio it would take to record a couple of songs for his mother. We know now that Elvis would not invent rock and roll, he would merely change the world.In 1954 he recorded Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right” and the earth moved under all feet. Coming up we will hear a song he released on December 29, two days before 1955. Then another that came out in summer, as he toured with the Louisiana Hayride. The timing was right and soon after RCA would buy his contract for an incredible sum at the time of $40,000.Coming up, two songs released on Sun Records by Elvis in 1955 Rock Year One. The first was an original blues piece released by Kokomo Arnold during the great Depression and titled the “Milkcow Blues Boogie.” It opens like no other Elvis record. Then it’s all aboard for a 1953 B-Side and Presley’s favorite Junior Parker song in a year of change and musical mystery. It’s impossible to hear as it must have sounded then, with no hint at the times that were about to be changing. What a rush.It’s impossible to play every vital critical blast off of a rocking song from 1955. Nothing was important and everything mattered. Elsewhere on the first rock planet, Castro organized his revolution in Cuba. Disneyland opened, so did McDonalds. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born, Albert Einstein died, . The first Johnny Carson TV show debuted on CBS, and Sony introduced their transistor radio. Harmon Killebrew hit his first home run. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. James Dean picked up his Porsche and took it out for his last test drive.Youth culture had it’s first martyr, it’s first hero, a righteous cause for civil rights, and a new way to blow off steam.I’m, Professor Mikey, thanks for listening to Old School #79. 1955: Rock Year One.Any music you may have heard in this session resides within the public domain or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. Podcast carriers compensate artists directly.Every unexpurgated episode of Old School originates on Substack, where you can subscribe for free at professormikey.substack.com and receive not only the podcast but additional material, playlists, and pictures. The podcast is also heard on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes are also available on my YouTube Channel, where a like or a subscription would always help.Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Bill Haley and His Comets formed in 1947 and played until Haley’s death in 1981, recording nine top 20 singles, one in particular that reached number one. They originally recorded and released Rock Around the Clock in 1954, but the earthquake impact was delayed almost a year until it was included in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. It was number 1 on the pop charts for two months and went to number 3 on the R&B chart. It’s a fitting close to a year like no other. 🎸 1 9 5 5 Tutti Fruitti LITTLE RICHARD Maybelline CHUCK BERRY At My Front Door THE ELDORADOS Good Rockin’ Daddy ETTA JAMESY Bo Diddley BO DIDDLEY Only You THE PLATTERS My Boy Flat Top DOROTHY COLLINS Rock and Roll Wedding THE MIDNIGHTERS Don’t Be Angry NAPPY BROWN All Around the World LITTLE WILLIE JOHN She Put the Whamee On Me SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS Earth Angel THE PENGUINS Blue Suede Shoes/Honey Don’t CARL PERKINS The Seventh Son WILLIE MABON Dust My Blues ELMORE JAMES I Hear You Knocking but You Can’t Come In SMILEY LEWIS Too Much BERNARD HARDISON Flip, Flop, and Fly BIG JOE TURNER When You Dance THE TURBANS Speedo THE CADILLACS Ain’t It a Shame FATS DOMINO I Got a Woman RAY CHARLES Red Hot BILLY “THE KID” EMERSON Mannish Boy MUDDY WATERS Milkcow Boogie/Mystery Train ELVIS PRESLEY Rock Around the Clock BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETSNeed more ROCK? Here’s the prequel to 1955 Rock Year One: 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

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 exposed the vulnerabilities of fast growing cities and quickly inspired fresh building codes and urban planning.Modern Confusion and the Echoes of Classic MayhemIn our time of messy mass communication, mayhem has shifted from violent and grim origins to a constant din, filling newscasts and galvanizing communities with quickly edited scenes of confusion, disorganization, unrestrained energy, and our own amusement with anything rude or borderline appropriate. Sports commentators ove mayhem on the field when a coach is shoved by an overheated player; journalists describe political upheavals or markets imploding as moments of “financial mayhem.” Advertising that feature sour luck and accidental violence as our special guest, the Allstate “Mayhem” campaign, personify the a world in humorous calamity.Echoes of the classic meaning remain. Events like riots, protests turned violent, or natural disasters evoke the primal, uncontrollable force of mayhem’s original definition. Consider the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol: a chaotic convergence of ideological fervor, misinformation, and mob mentality. This modern mayhem, though far removed from the mutilations of medieval law carries the weight of its historical roots in upheaval and loss of control. But ten years from now our history books may paint a quite different picure, which presents a different kind of mayhem.Connecting Past and Present MayhemAt its core, mayhem represents more than just chaos; it symbolizes the tipping point where order dissolves into unpredictability. From its beginnings as a legal term for bodily harm to its application in describing everything from revolutions to slapstick comedy, the word retains a visceral power, reminding us of the fragility of the structures we build to contain life’s chaos.Mayhem, in any time operates on a precarious balance between order and disorder. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a rock anthem. When it relays historic or political information, it could be John Lennon’s or U-2’s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” or David Bowie’s “Panic in Detroit”. If, on the other hand, the subject is mayhem in human relations, it might be “Don’t Come Home A-Drinking (With Loving on Your Mind” from Loretta Lynn,” “There’s No Home for You Here” by The White Stripes, or “Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats Domino.Echoes of the classic meaning of mayhem remain. Events like riots, protests turned violent, or natural disasters evoke the primal, uncontrollable force.of mayhem’s original definition. This modern mayhem, though far removed from the mutilations of medieval law carries the weight of its historical roots in upheaval and loss of control. But ten years from now our history books may paint a quite different picture, which presents a different kind of mayhem. At its core, mayhem represents more than just chaos; it symbolizes the tipping point where order dissolves into unpredictability. From its beginnings as a legal term for bodily harm to its application in describing everything from revolutions to slapstick comedy, the word retains a visceral power, reminding us of the fragility of the structures we build to contain life’s chaos.We are going to put a temporary stop to all the mayhem now, with a song written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr in 1986, working in the headline shadow of the events at Chernobyl. Professor Mikey’s Old School is a newsletter with an attached podcast on Substack, you can also hear many of the episodes on your favorite podcast delivery system. The music is either from the public domain, is cleared through the various podcast carriers, or has been made available by labels who believe music should be heard and not hidden.Join me for the next episode of Old School when there’s a little mayhem in the air. Thanks for listening. U R the bestThis is a free podcast, so please share with a friend!Thanks so much,Professor Mikey“The past is a blast.” 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

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 riseWith the sleep still in their eyesAnd they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'But they'll pinch themselves and squealAnd they'll know that it's for realThe hour that the ship comes inBlowin in the Wind - Peter Paul and MaryAll I Really Want to Do - CherIt Ain’t Me Babe - Johnny Cash & June CarterThe Times They Are A Changing - The ByrdsMasters of War - The Staple SingersA Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall - Leon RussellWith God On Our Side - The Neville BrothersAll Along the Watchtower - Dave MasonFrom a Buick 6 - Gary U S BondsPositively 4th Street - Johnny RiversLike a Rolling Stone - Sebastian CabotThe Ballad of Hollis Brown - Nina SimoneSimple Twist of Fate - Bryan FerryOne Too Many Mornings - The HighwaymenHearing 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 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

We’ve had a lot of rock and roll lately. Music for rolling down the windows and ripping through guitar solos that frighten people at the stop lights. Historically it’s been an active and jittery time. Sometimes however, your get up and go disc jockey needs to realize that these podcasts are going to orbit the earth like space junk forever. Listeners who haven’t even been born yet will come along and want to be hippies and wonder where all the peace and love went.So here comes a post love child high tech outdoor nap in a pile of color changing leaves of grass. Songs and writers who plied their trades just before the culture dictated everybody hide in their bedrooms and get sad.The goal is to mellow down easy. Come away with a playlist that isn’t really therapy as much as it is a step back. Happiness runs in a circular motion. You can be anything if you let yourself be.That’s a Donovan line. At the time of this recording he’s an old man, just as cosmic as ever. Simon and Garfunkel still don’t speak much, but they sit on the park bench like bookends.The Fab Four recorded Let It Be during a legal session from hell that would dissolve the Beatles forever, and it just turned out to be another stop on the highway that was the long and winding road.Join us now for a break in the action with some wise tunes that never made any charts. Except for maybe this one. This is Old School #76, Professor Mikey with the Let It Flow Chart.Let It Flow / Jimmie Spheeris 1972The Boy with the Moon and Star on His Head / Cat Stevens 1972Caribbean Blue / Enya 1991 Shahdaroba / Roy Orbison 1963Nature Boy / Nat King Cole 1947Sand and Foam / Donovan 1966Dawn / Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny 1975Dust / Fleetwood Mac 1972I Found a Reason / Velvet Underground 1993Traction in the Rain / David Crosby 1971 Strawberry Letter #23 / Shuggie Otis 1971Sisters of Mercy / Leonard Cohen 1967Running Up That Hill / Kate Bush 1985Electrolyte / R.E.M 1996 The past is a blast. 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

#75 A Graveyard Smash…the Party TapeProfessor Mikey here with a haunted hour that is specific to Halloween. It’s the time of year when you need some innocent but creepy tunes to liven up a part, or to bluetooth the bushes outside your door for the trick or treaters.People are on the move, trying to see through the eye holes in their mask. Most will never get through listening to an entire song. It’s pretty safe stuff too as if anything is going to frighten the Old School #75. A Graveyard Smash, The Party Tape!HALLOWEEN WELCOME ZacharlyPET SEMATARY The RamonesJACK THE RIPPER  Screaming Lord SutchROCKIN’ ZOMBIE The CrewnecksHAUNTED CASTLE The KingsmenHALLOWEEN The MisfitsMIDNIGHT MONSTER’S HOP Jack and JillMY SON THE VAMPIRE Alan ShermanCLAP TRAP The VampiresSWAMP GAL Tommy BellBO MEETS THE MONSTER Bo Diddley PSYCHO The Sonics HALLOWEEN SPOOKS Lambert Hendricks and RossCREATURE FROM OUTER SPACE Sonny Day & The Tony Ray ComboROBOT The Tornados I WAS A TEENAGE CREATURE  Lord Luther with The King’s MenI WAS A TEENAGE MONSTER The KeytonesTHE WEREWOLF Carl Bonafede and the Gem-TonesNIGHTMARE AbstractsGO GO GORILLA The Shandells THE CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN Roky Erickson and The AliensTHE CREATURE STOLE MY SURFBOARD Dead Elvi PSYCHIC VOODOO DOLL Deadbolt SPOOKS NIGHT OUT Legendary Invisible MenThe past is a blast…Happy Halloween! Vote! 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

Professor Mikey here, with a wild suspicion that the Old School is possibly haunted. Or the students are just ignoring their lessons until they disappear completely.Have you ever been ghosted? Has there been someone in your life, on your phone, in your texts, authors of mountains of email, even in your bed or at your breakfast table, who disappeared completely? The texts stopped completely. The emails bounce back like a daemon. All contact is dropped and the person we are talking about has disappeared from the face of everything electronic or otherwise?It’s a little jolting. Especially if they owe you money. And their Venmo account has been deletedAs we roam the grooveyard grave yard, we find quite a few seasoned tracks that dealt with ghosts. Their haunts were of the more traditional variety, but if you listen closely you will hear more than just the occasional bump in the night.These tunes could have been written about being ghosted in modern times, where there is no nostalgia for anything.Tune in with me now as we travel in the mist through the ghost world of distilled spirits. It’s a bit scary, but so is this time of year. And so are the people who all cozy then disappear from  Snapchat and Wickr me, Snapseed, Cluster, and Boo I’m a Ghost gram. This is Professor Mikey’s Old School Number 74. Totally Ghosted. Give a listen before it disappears forever…The unexpected death of Elvis Presley in 1977 sparked countless ghost stories, but one of the most persistent is about his spirit lingering not at CBS in New York where he did the Ed Sullivan Show, not in Viva Las Vegas but at his home in Memphis Tennessee. You know, Graceland, purchased by the King when he was just 22 years old for a price of $102,500 in 1957. Now one oh two five may sound like a lot of money, but keep in mind it came with 13 and a half acres of prime Tennessee countryside around it.Catching a glimpse of Elvis reflecting in the windows and mirrors, even in the Jungle room, has become a favorite activity for both staff and visitors over the years. Graceland is a pilgrimage site for fans, and many claim to feel an overwhelming presence of Elvis, especially around the anniversary of his death.👻Ghost of a PlaylistSpirits in the Material World THE POLICE 1981The Ghost FLEETWOOD MAC 1972Ghost Train VIRGIL HOLMES 1961Ghost Train MARC COHN 1991Big Joe and the Phantom 309 TOM WAITS 1975Ghost Town THE SPECIALS 1981  Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man CONCRETE BLONDE 1992 Mr Ghost Goes to Town THE 5 JONES BOYS 1937Are You Lonesome Tonight? ELVIS PRESLEY 1960Midnight Stroll THE REVELS 1959Paris 1919 JOHN CALE 1973Dead Man’s Party OINGO BOINGO 1985Rock ‘N’ Roll Ghost THE REPLACEMENTS 1989The Ghost in You PSYCHEDELIC FURS 1984Some Eighties ghostings from Oingo Boingo, The Replacement, and coming up, the Psychedelic Furs. Professor Mikey here, about to disappear, only to show up again when we have another session of Old School session. All music you just heard resides in the public domain, was provided by the podcast originator, or resides within protections known as fair use, provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976.This has been episode 74, Totally Ghosted, an homage to disappearing in the right now, as well as the afterlife. Special thanks for commentary from Russell Brand, Don Knotts, Bob Hope, and the ghost of Graceland Elvis Presley. The talk show snip came from Virgin Radio in Montreal and just an FYI, everything got figured out. Shortly after the initial hookups, the guys beloved dog died, he went into grieving at the Pet Cemetary, and lost his new friend’s phone number. At least we got that cleared up.Ghosting is not new, people have been disappearing on people for years. What is new is the technology that makes hiding and identity shifting much easier. Be kind, rewind, and respect your fellow travelers. And while you are at it, remember to hit a like on Youtube, Spotify, Apple or wherever your podcasts appear! The newsletter is free, you can always get the latest podcast in your email. It comes with a player, you can skip podcasting software completely. Check it out at professormikey.substack.com. We return you now to your regularly scheduled random access surfing. Join us next time in the Old School, where the past is always a blast!Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

Professor Mikey here. Thanks for marking the attendance sheet today on Old School. 🏫 Something you notice when you transcend from being a young punk disc jockey into being an old professorial spinner of the tunes, part gasbag, part profound, is …well…how you pick your music. Don’t get me wrong. There are lots of good golden oldie shows out there. And most of them are based on the number of listens that get piled up over 40 to 60 years. It’s like they are working for out of focus groups. If they say Eagles, the machine says Hotel California. If they say Fleetwood Mac the machine goes for Rhiannon. In the process, a lot of great tunes get forgotten or never heard by the new cool kids on the block.That’s were the vintage wine of the ones and twos kick in. Old DJs remember every song they ever played, as well as the people who dug the sounds that were going down.Human programmers can do something that never occurred to Algo and the Rhythms. They can take sidetrips that lead to who knows where. The destinations appear to them in visions about halfway through the current song thats being heard.Funny, that’s the theme of this edition of Old School. These are all destination songs, but not exactly road trip songs. These are all great places to go, but they might give Waze and Google Maps an error code, even if the kickoff tune started in New York City.Stay with me on this. The longer you listen the longer the tracking machines like it. There is one podcast for every three people on the planet now, so Old School needs all the help it can get. Hit subscribe and I’ll take you there.We have much ground to cover, so let’s get started. With the hard rock Beatle, John Lennon no less. And our first song is not Imagine. Or Strawberry Fields.Thanks for listening. This is Old School number 72. Buckle you seat belts. The destinations are all Side Trips! NEW YORK CITY John Lennon & Yoko Ono  197250,000 MILES BENEATH MY BRAIN Ten Years After 1970JOURNEY TO TYME Kenny and the Casuals 1965PRIMROSE HILL John and Beverly Martin 1970ONE WAY STREET Nine Below Zero 1971 SHAMBALA B. W. Stevenson 1973HITCHHIKE Marvin Gaye 1962STRANGER IN TOWN Del Shannon 1965CHELSEA Elvis Costello 1978BERLIN Lou Reed 1973SECRET LIFE OF ARABIA David Bowie 1977OKLAHOMA USA The Kinks 1971BILOXI Jessi Winchester 1970DEBRIS Faces 1971THE GIRL FROM MILL VALLEY Jeff Beck Group feat. Nicky Hopkins 1969PROMISED LAND Chuck Berry 1964A side trip is a wonderful thing in music when you are a disc jockey, free as a bird, without a corporate playlist or strict directions delivered by someone who doesn’t like music. Traditionally it means you are in the midst of a trip when you realize you wouldn’t have to go far out of your way to experience a completely different destination. You are at Disneyland, and find out Knott’s Berry Farm is just 7 miles away.In free form radio it means you have 3 or 4 minutes to find another record that will sound good after the one you are playing.For this episode #72 we chose from a number of possible musical destinations that were generated by musicians who may have been planning to do something else. You never know with these guys and girls.Twice we have pondered rock and roll destinations on Old School. I’ll put the links at the bottom of the newsletter page, which you can get to for free at professormikey.substack.com. They will get you to Episode 25, Omaha Shout, a theme show about place names that may or may not have come from Peyton Manning while trying to throw the defense into confusion. It featured powerful yet easy to understand directions from Moby Grape, Nina Simone, and the Dead Kennedys. Great city songs from  Episode 21, “Location Location Location” worked a real estate vibe with classic recordings from The Runaways, The Jam, Porter Wagoner, and T Rex.As always Professor Mikey hopes Old School is becoming your jam. If you hear this on Spotify, just a comment or any kind of signal that the the Spotify empire in Stockholm might see or hear. Old School is produced for educational purposes, with whole songs coming from the public domain, with encouragement from labels from years gone by, or are used within the guidelines of fair use stipulated in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1967. It was a very good year.Thanks again for listening, avoid dead air, and I’ll be back very soon with another edition of Old School. The past is a blast!Links to similar side trips 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

*Show note: Old School GT students. Don’t be confused. This is the same show as the original #2. My apologies for sending again, there’s been a rogue wave that knocked some episodes out of Spotify. So we can sit in the sand and hope things work out, or we can just grab our guitars, hop on our boards, and ride the reptilian surf one more time! A few episodes back we heard from the Monsters of the Surf Guitar, them rocking reptiles and low-fi lizards that hit the beach with us just as things were warming up. As the summer went by, too fast as always, a lot of you made it evident you were craving more surf guitar, that twangy genre that ruled the charts in the early 60s just ahead of the British Invasion. If you haven't heard that episode, it has lots of gila monster history, ferocious feedback, and reptilian reverberation. Odds are pretty good if you dial back a few episodes to Old School Number 66, you’ll find it. But you don’t have to have heard that one to paddle out for this one. I was even thinking of making this a sleep tape. Could people really nod off to dreamland while rocking to the memories of surf, sleep, and Stratocasters?Most of these artists surfed the waves at Oblivion Beach, where their reputations came and went like the great waves at Wiamea bay. Can you dig it? We’ve got guitars that scream like a shark on a spree,And lizards that strum with wild jubilee.The crocs and the gators are ready to jam,With riffs so hot, they could fry a clam!So slide on your shades and hang ten with the best,Where the surf meets the scales and Black Lagoon Creature don’t rest.It’s a wild, wacky ride and its just aheadWith monsters and Fenders and creatures who shredCan you hang ten with the toes and the flying fins and fingers of the larapin lizards of the lost legends of the surfside sidewinders and their dreamy dinosaur dramas?I thought you could. The Original Surfaris start of this last set of the Old School Endless Summer with a track called EXOTIC. It’s the return of the Monsters of the Surf Guitar. Number Two. Just for you.MONSTER PLAYLIST🦖Exotic  THE ORIGINAL SURFARISGear  DAVE MYERS & THE SURFTONESThe Breeze and I  STEVE AND THE EMPERORSIshamatsu THE CENTURIONSEl Gato  THE CHANDELLESPressure  THE PYRAMIDS Surf Rider THE LIVELY ONESMidnight Surfer  JERRY COLE & HIS SPACEMENFugitive  JAN DAVISDance of the Ants  THE STRANGERSBongo Shutdown  NEW DIMENSIONSRam Charger  THE DELVETTSYep  THE SURFARIS Scorpion  THE VIBRANTSThe Gremmie Part 1  THE TORNADOESRampage  THE CHALLENGERSCheater Stomp  THE FABULOUS PLAYBOYSMoon Shot  KENNY & THE FRIENDSSurf Medley  THE VENTURESTravelers  SPANISH MOONProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and keep the dust off the vintage wax, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. “The past is a blast.” 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

Today I’m turning the dials over to one of the original architects of rock and roll, the late great cooler than cool master of the microphone, Hercules of the hits, the original Daddy O with stacks of wacks, and the answer to the question who put the bomp in the bomp shu wamp. Alan Freed.Freed was the original radio hustler. He knew he had stumbled on lightning in a bottle. He just wasn’t quite sure how to monetize it. In a buttoned up post war world where the fuse for the coming teenage rebellion had been lit, how the explosion was going to play was still a bit of a mystery. Like Robert Oppenheimer, Alan Freed just knew things were going to be different.Alan Freed came up with the term rock ‘n’ roll as it applies to music in 1951, at least four years before anyone heard of Elvis. The phrase had been batted around for years in the blues culture as a synonym for, well, getting down and dirty and bumping to the music. Had the parents of squeaky clean Make Room for Daddy music fans known that, it would have been banned in Boston and everywhere else.Freed brought his act to radio, to live audiences, to television, to movies and to congressional hearings. He introduced legends including Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Richie Valens and many more. He was controversial and raised eyebrows because he thought this great music was for everyone. His shows featured black artists as well as white, and his audiences all rocked out together, regardless of race, color, or creed. That may seem tame, but in the changing world that birthed this controversial soundtrack, it was a very big deal.The show we will hear reflects the diversity of the product to which Alan Freed dedicated his short life. On the surface it may not sound like a revolution. It’s a little square and presentational. Freed isn’t lighting any fires here, no auditorium seats were harmed during this recording. The guy who changed radio forever sounds pretty laid back. He’s wrapped up in the nostalgia of some music that was less than ten years old. There was no such thing as classic rock, and if there was Alan Freed would never have played songs for 50 years straight.This was one of the first compilation albums, so exactly how to pull it off had not been worked out.  Alan reverently introduces each song. Some of these songs had only been pressed on 45, so they were hard to find in a non digital world. Ginormous giants and the forever forgotten are crowded together in a cramped skipping and popping time machine.  This was released in 1961, just four years before Alan Freed’s untimely death at the age of 43 in 1965. Its heavy on the doo-wop, and listening to it from another timespace, it was probably intended for sweet young makeout sessions. It features early performances from The Dells, The Flamingos, The Five Satins, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and many more. Let’s let the boss tell you the rest. Rock, roll, and remember. This is Old School #73, Alan Freed’s Memory Lane.I hope you enjoyed that. If you are a doo wop fan I’m pretty sure it was a breath of fresh air from the distant past. If you have never encountered this music before, you are probably already searching for box sets. And who better to take us down the romantic Memory Lane than the late great Alan Freed. In addition to his work as the original pioneer of rock and roll, Alan left some fun movies that you should check out when you can, including “Don’t Knock the Rock,” “Mr. Rock and Roll,” and “Go Johnny Go.” The plots are cornier than movie buttered popcorn, but they all include state of the art filmed performances of early rock stars in their dawn of time genius modes.More info on Alan Freed’s Memory Lane can be found on my free newsletter that you can click on anytime at professormikey.substack.com. The podcast is there, and anywhere else you find your podcasts. Subscribes and likes are the bitcoin of the new audio communication, and are always appreciated.Professor Mikey’s Old School is produced solely for educational purposes, and any dancing or kissing that may result is the sole proprietary responsibility of the listener. Any and all music heard resides within the public domain or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. I’m Professor Mikey, thanks for listening, join me next time on Old School where the past is always a blast!* Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1169/alan-freed: memorial page for Alan Freed (15 Dec 1921–20 Jan 1965), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1169, citing Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave. 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

Professor Mikey in the Old School, thanks for attending class today.Were you ever a hippie? Did you ever get called a hippie?I did. On the streets of Los Angeles back in the early 70s. By an old guy on a bicycle. I was minding my own business, letting my hair blow in the breeze, wearing a tie dye tshirt and bell bottom jeans that had a lot of patches. And Jesus boots, or sandals as they would eventually be known.I was so impressed. LA of all places. I was into it. I loved psychedelic music, I couldn’t wait for the next concert. Unlike a lot of hippies I had a job. And unlike a lot of people who had jobs, I worked on the air at a radio station that was so square and strait laced I had to wear a short hair wig. It was like a swimming cap with a fraternity haircut.But enough about my minor dishonesty in the name of staying employed and paying the rent. I could go to work and play Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Spirit, Country Joe and the Fish. You know. Hippy bands in there with the Archies and Bill Withers.Today’s internet often refers to hippie songs, but people who weren’t there have a tendency to get off track. They go for drug songs and anything that might mention peace or love. WHich is okay, but most of those miss the lifestyle and the actual ethos of Hippiedom.  The point about changing the world through love, becoming a vegetarian, and smoking pot that you grew yourself. In these next few songs, we are going to try to get back to the garden. This is not only where it’s at, it is were it was. Incense, love beads, tuning in, turning on, and dropping out. Within reason.Welcome to Old School #71. Sit anywhere. We are going to change the world, one doobie at a time. Its a unique time in/and space, that begins on Broadway and eventually hitches a ride to San Francisco.Pull back to reveal the Summer of Love, 1967. The atmosphere in the city where Tony Bennett misplaced his ticket is electric, thick with the scent of patchouli and the strumming of a thousand guitars. It may be California, but it’s a different state of mind altogether. It’s groovy, it’s laid back, it’s casual Friday for the cosmic universe.The streets of Haight-Ashbury are alive with Peter Max color, a swirling kaleidoscope of tie-dye, beads, and flowing fabrics that catch the sunlight as mostly young people wander with an almost dreamlike sense of purpose. We see bell-bottoms,  fringed vests, and crystal spectacles paired with peace signs, love beads, and flowers tucked into long, Beatles 2.0 hair. The fashion here craves statement over style in a rebellion against the buttoned-up norms of the previous decade.Everywhere you look art sprouts and erupts on the walls, on the clothing, even on the super high faces of the people all beautiful. Psychedelic posters tout Fillmore music happenings, where bands like Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead are exploring night trips to the centers of the minds. Tangible good vibrations, a sense of unity and shared experiences draw crowds and converts at all hours. Strangers greet each other with “Peace” and “Love,” and it feels genuine, as if they’ve tapped into something deeper than just freaky holiday.The air is thick with the sweet middle earthy scent of cannibas, mingling with the sexy spice of Nag Champa. Conversations drift from spiritual awakening to civil rights, to Lewis Carroll and chamomile. Many question the merits of meditation alongside the damnation of war. There’s a feeling that this generation is on the brink of something that could change the world (personal computers?) or at least their own reality.  It’s easy to lose yourself here, to be swept up in bedrock optimism, the sense that anything is possible. All you need is love.A new music spills out from every corner—birthed in raw inspiration and reverb, echoing the plugged-in heartbeat of this loosey-goosey movement, a soundtrack to revolution that will place flowers in rifle barrels. It’s a renaissance fair in Itchycoo Park that asks if you are going to be at the Love-In.HIPPIE PLAYLISTRENAISSANCE FAIR * The ByrdsITCHYCOO PARK * Small FacesARE YOU GOING TO BE THERE (AT THE LOVE-IN) * Chocolate WatchbandAQUARIUS * Original Broadway Cast of HAIRLOVE STREET * The DoorsGENTLE PEOPLE * Biff RoseSAN FRANCISCO (WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR) * Scott MackenzieHIPPIE FROM OLEMA * The YoungbloodsDON’T BOGART THAT JOINT * Fraternity of ManWHAT ABOUT ME? * Quicksilver Messenger ServiceCLOUD NINE * The TemptationsTHE HIPPIE ELEVATOR OPERATOR * The W. C. Fields Memorial Electric String BandEPISTLE TO DIPPY * DonovanCOME TO THE SUNSHINE * Van Dyke ParksWON’T YOU TRY/SATURDAY AFTERNOON * Jefferson AirplaneSAN FRANCISCAN NIGHTS * Eric Burdon and the Animals YOUNGER GENERATION * The Lovin’ SpoonfulLETS GET TOGETHER * Dino ValentiSECTION 43 * Country Joe and The Fish “The past is a blast.”Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it. 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

Surfs up again!  A few episodes back we heard from the Monsters of the Surf Guitar, them rocking reptiles and low-fi lizards that hit the beach with us just as things were warming up. As the summer went by, too fast as always, a lot of you made it evident you were craving more surf guitar, that twangy genre that ruled the charts in the early 60s just ahead of the British Invasion. If you haven't heard that episode, it has lots of gila monster history, ferocious feedback, and reptilian reverberation. Odds are pretty good if you dial back a few episodes to Old School Number 66, you’ll find it. But you don’t have to have heard that one to paddle out for this one. I was even thinking of making this a sleep tape. Could people really nod off to dreamland while rocking to the memories of surf, sleep, and Stratocasters?Most of these artists surfed the waves at Oblivion Beach, where their reputations came and went like the great waves at Wiamea bay. Can you dig it? We’ve got guitars that scream like a shark on a spree,And lizards that strum with wild jubilee.The crocs and the gators are ready to jam,With riffs so hot, they could fry a clam!So slide on your shades and hang ten with the best,Where the surf meets the scales and Black Lagoon Creature don’t rest.It’s a wild, wacky ride and its just aheadWith monsters and Fenders and creatures who shredCan you hang ten with the toes and the flying fins and fingers of the larapin lizards of the lost legends of the surfside sidewinders and their dreamy dinosaur dramas?I thought you could. The Original Surfaris start of this last set of the Old School Endless Summer with a track called EXOTIC. It’s the return of the Monsters of the Surf Guitar. Number Two. Just for you.MONSTER PLAYLIST🦖Exotic  THE ORIGINAL SURFARISGear  DAVE MYERS & THE SURFTONESThe Breeze and I  STEVE AND THE EMPERORSIshamatsu THE CENTURIONSEl Gato  THE CHANDELLESPressure  THE PYRAMIDS Surf Rider THE LIVELY ONESMidnight Surfer  JERRY COLE & HIS SPACEMENFugitive  JAN DAVISDance of the Ants  THE STRANGERSBongo Shutdown  NEW DIMENSIONSRam Charger  THE DELVETTSYep  THE SURFARIS Scorpion  THE VIBRANTSThe Gremmie Part 1  THE TORNADOESRampage  THE CHALLENGERSCheater Stomp  THE FABULOUS PLAYBOYSMoon Shot  KENNY & THE FRIENDSSurf Medley  THE VENTURESTravelers  SPANISH MOONProfessor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and keep the dust off the vintage wax, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. “The past is a blast.” 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

Hey Professor Mikey here and I’m all wet! The Old Schoohouse cleaning continues with the last pool party of summer. Some of you might have seen this in June, others might have had important things to do. But Spotify missed it and maybe you did to. In this episode we head back to the summer of 1963 when swimming pools were cool and music was blasting over the loudspeaker. I held my breath and made this playlist from songs that would have made big splashes in the early part of the 60s, just before the British Invasion changed everything.Believe me, when you are under water it’s still all about that bass. So do some stupid tricks off the diving board, eat a cheeseburger in the water while the lifeguard isn’t looking, and bring some of your hottest tracks to slip into the poolside turntable.  It’s early 60s for you and me and we are back to the pool, fool!THE LOCOMOTION Little Eva HOT PASTRAMI The Dartells TWISTIN’ MATILDA Jimmy Soul THE WANDERER Dion and the Belmonts THE PEPPERMINT TWIST Joey Dee and the Starlighters WHIP IT ON ME Jessie Hill TWIST AND SHOUT The Isley Brothers DAUGHTER The Blenders DA DOO RON RON The Crystals EASIER SAID THAN DONE The Essex IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY Jimmy Soul HEATWAVE Martha and the Vandellas FINGERTIPS (Pts 1 &2) Stevie Wonder SALLY GO ROUND THE ROSES The Jaynettes IN DREAMS Roy Orbison C’MON AND SWIM Bobby Freeman WAH-WATUSI The Orlons YOU CAN’T SIT DOWN The Dovells MOCKINGBIRD Inez and Charlie Foxx DENISE Randy and the Rainbows COME GO WITH ME Dion and the Belmonts DEEP PURPLE Nino Tempo and April StevensWe want to thank Dick Clark and Wolfman Jack for the special guest roles they played on this episode. The Turtles perform on Dick Clark’s “Where the Action Is”Old School 69 Back to the Pool is just one of almost 70 Professor Mikey podcasts you can find online on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever podcasts run free. With a little more restriction but an audience the world has never seen you can also hear select episodes on YouTube. The free newsletter will send love to your inbox and any given moment, you can subscribe at professormikey.substack.com.The early 60s rolled out over a mixed musical landscape that was just starting to think about things like civil rights, equal opportunities, and people hooking up with people. Change was in the air, and when it went in the jukebox it reflected the times with music that still resounds a half century or later.We close with a dreamy tune that gave a Hard Rock band their unforgettable name. Nino Tempo and April Stevens sing Deep Purple, and there is no smoke on the water. They are closing the pool for the night; it will be a while before the sun goes down and we climb the fence to sneak back in for a night swim. This is Professor Mikey. You stay forever young and forever cool when you keep it all inside the Old School. See you next time!Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to help champion the cause for older and better music, obscurities, and vicious vinyl, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. It’s really less than a used Terry Jacks album, especially if you only subscribe on YouTube. 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

Teenagers had been taking themselves out in automobile accidents for at least 30 years when the 50s rolled around. But they rarely sang about it.Prof Mikey here, welcome to a grim but thoughtful edition of Old School.Most of these gruesome goldies have arrived from a very different era. Back whey they were recorded, car accidents were the number one reason for death among teens aged 13-19. Today car crashes rank as the number 2 killer of youth. What could be number one?Cars were different in the 50s, just before they were declared “unsafe at any speed.” The windshields weren’t as unbreakable, there were no airbags, no excess safety padding. Just lots of metal and chrome. No pesky seat belts to sit on either.And coming semi-regularly from the push button AM radio scattered among the Top 40 classics were eerie little ballads about joy tides gone bad. Love was in the air, but rain and heartbreak were on the road.We are about to happen upon some love affair snuffed in tragic instances. When these songs were new they clogged the request lines. Fasten you seatbelt, its going to be a bumpy night. The is Professor Mikey’s Old School #68, “Teen Tragedies: Accidents Will Happen.”TEEN ANGEL 🪽Mark DinningLAST KISS 💋J Frank WilsonTHE PROM👗Del ShannonI WANT MY BABY BACK 😢Jimmy CrossNIGHTMARE #5 🧟‍♀️Al KooperTERRY ✨TwinkleHELLO THIS IS JOANNIE ☎️Paul EvansENDLESS SLEEP 😴Jody ReynoldsTELL LAURA I LOVE HER ❤️Ray PetersonTELL TOMMY I MISS HIM 💔Laura LeeLEADER OF THE PACK 🏍️The Shangri LasTRAGEDY 🎭The FleetwoodsWhat made these songs so crazy popular was much more than a class ring clutched in tight feminine fingers. As odd as these tales of blood and gore on the highway could get, they represented something new in this still very young genre.Where so much of rock and roll was about dancing, having whole lot of shakin going on parties, and falling in love with contemporary babes like Peggy Sue, Venus, Boney Maronie, and Be Bop a Lula, the violent highway tear jerkers offered kernels of blunt truth. Sure listeners were drawn to the audio equivalent of watching a car wreck. But these sick sidetrips to the dark side revealed a facet of story telling that was controversial and raw. Records so shocking they were banned from radio were definitely on to a new and dangerous path. There was something truly appealing about songs so controversial they horrified the older generation.We will close the lid on this coffin by burying a charismatic character who was not buried with his motorcycle, because there wasn’t much of it, or him, left. The Shangri Las roar off into the sunset with their arms around the leather jacket of the leader of the pack. Stick around for a sweet coda offered by The Fleetwoods.I’m Professor Mikey, this has been Old School #68 “Teen Tragedies: Accidents Will Happen.” Join us next time, keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your device tuned to Old School! “The past is a blast.” 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

Professor Mikey here, welcome to Old School.Today we are GOING DOWN, literally and figuratively. Down is a direction. We all know the difference between upside and downside. Or Upside down.Down is also a direction for so many things. How your life is going, how your love life is going, where you are headed. Downtown? Down south? Down to the sea in ships? Downton Abbey?Down could be an emotional bummer, but is not always a negative. Especially if you are down with something, or you are getting down, or just giving directions about how to get down the road.Without much more to go on, I started digging through the stacks, seeking downright great music that examines the downside of life and how various situations were addressed in various genres that might get down and get funky.You might not think of these songs and hurry to write them down. But many of them occupy the same headspace. So if you are feeling down, knowing your are in rockstar company might help you put on a happy face. Or help you get through traffic that has slowed down just to get on your last nerve.Are you down for the count? Good let’s free fall starting with the great Texas bluesman Freddie King, who is about to tell you where he is going. And that would be down.Down, down, gotta shake off the frown,Pick myself up before I drown.Feet on the ground, but my spirit's in flight,Gotta turn things around, make it all right.PLAYLISTGoing DOWN / Freddie King (1971)DOWN / Harry Nilsson (1971)Boogaloo DOWN Broadway / The Incredible Johnny C (1967)Hung Upside DOWN / Buffalo Springfield (1967)You Burn Me Up and DOWN / We the People (1967)Don’t Bring Me DOWN / The Animals (1966)ungle Boogie  / Kool and the Gang (1973)Mellow DOWN Easy / Little Walter (1954) DOWN in Mexico / Ella Mae Morse (1956)DOWN in the Valley / Otis Redding (1965)DOWN in the Boondocks / Billy Joe Royal (1965)Sit DOWN I Think I Love You / The Mojo Men (1967)Floating DOWNstream in An Inflatable Raft / The Second Helping (1967)Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire / TIM CURRY (1979)Sunday Morning Coming DOWN / Kris Kristofferson (1970)Ups and DOWNS / Paul Revere and the Raiders (1978)Professor Mikey here. We just presented an hour of down songs and I feel better having heard them. Hope you do to. When you seek this among your podcasts or on YouTube Search Professor Mikey’s Old School, and this one is Episode #67 Going Down.The way pop songs is we’ve gone from a time when Down was almost always a depressing state of mind. Today it means you are just in agreement. You are down. I am down. I am so down to get this out to you. Remember down is only a temporary a condition, like being hungry. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you’ve had a little chow. So remember what Grace Slick said: “Feed Your Head.” It always gets better. A little food. A little music. Thats better.Old School is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. You sharing what you like is a great way to get the word out. Subscribing on YouTube means you will never miss a rocking discovery. The newsletter remains free and those subscribers hear the new podcasts first. Subscribe anytime at professormikey.substack.com.We leave you with a serious opus from 1978, where the members of this revolutionary band reflect on the ups and downs of life, and reason with themselves that they have in fact been all around. Going up and down with Paul Revere and the Raiders. We will catch you next time on Old School.Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To consider becoming a free or paid subscriber, bonk the red button! And thank you! 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

Editors Note: This edition of PMOS came your way about a month ago. At that time Substack and Spotify were patching some new wires and a couple of my dispatches got lost in translations. (The other was “Prog Fantasy” and it will get a fresh send also.) So thanks for your patience. Feel free to forward etc. If you didn’t hear it the first time around, or you simply have it on hot rotation, enjoy some love in the afternoon.Jane Birkin made her film debut in 1965 in “The Knack and How to Get It.” She was married to John Barry at the time, whose day job was producing the James Bond films with Sean Connery.  After they broke up, she hooked up with Serge Gainsbourg in France, and recorded one of the hottest and most controversial pop songs of all time.  It hit number one on the charts in England, despite the fact that it was banned completely from all radio.  Today you can hear it on compilations such as Music to Shag By.  Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg from 1969, with “Je T’aime…moi non plus.”WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"Je t'aime... moi non plus" (French for "I love you… me neither")🇫🇷SERGE Born Lucien Ginsburg on April 2, 1928, in Paris, France. • Rose to fame as a singer, songwriter, and musician in the 1960s. • Achieved international success with songs like “La Javanaise” and “Bonnie and Clyde.” • Notable collaborations with artists such as Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. • Known for his provocative and avant-garde style in both music and fashion. • Continued to release successful albums and singles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. • Recognized as a cultural icon and influential figure in French music and popular culture. • Passed away on March 2, 1991, in Paris, France.JANE • Born on December 14, 1946, in London, England. • Rose to fame as an actress and singer in the 1960s. • Became internationally known for her role in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966), and Kaleidoscope (1966). • Gained further recognition for her collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, including the controversial song “Je t’aime… moi non plus” in 1969. • Continued to pursue both acting and music throughout her career, releasing numerous albums and starring in various films. • Received awards and honors for her contributions to the arts, including a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1985. • Actively involved in humanitarian efforts, particularly in support of refugee causes. Died July 16, 2023, at 76. No official cause of death but she had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2002. She had also suffered a stroke in 2021.DiscographyStudio albums* Je t'aime... moi non plus (1969, with Serge Gainsbourg)* Di doo dah (1973)Lolita Go Home (1975)* Ex fan des sixties (1978)* Baby Alone in Babylone (1983)* Lost Song (1987)* Amours des feintes (1990)* Versions Jane (1996)* À la légère (1999)* Rendez-vous (2004)* Fictions (2006)* Enfants d'Hiver (2008)* Oh! Pardon tu dormais... (2020)Live albums* Jane Birkin au Bataclan (1987)* Intégral au Casino de Paris (1992)* Intégral à l'Olympia (1996)* Arabesque (2002)* Au palace (live) (2009)* Jane Birkin Sings Serge Gainsbourg via Japan(2012) “ The past is a blast.”Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To always receive the latest new posts consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribing over at YouTube (@professormikeysoldschool) also helps keep the learning going and the paddles swinging. 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

Hello ho-dads and beach babes, and anyone else who likes to hang out at the beach, ride the waves, and groove on the sounds of the boss guitar.The surf craze hit the beach just ahead of the British Invasion. For the better part of nearly 3 or 4 summers, roughly 1960-1964, it was time to ride the wild surf. So what if you were miles from the nearest coastline? You had a radio didn’t you?It was a wholesome phenomenon, devised for dancing in the sand, shaking bikinis, and fabulous reverberations that could be heard at the top of a 40 foot wave. Surf bands featured multiple guitarists, dancing and kicking in sync, and a drummer who tried so hard to be heard over a few dozen cranked Fender amplifiers.Rarities, hits, surprises, and grimeys await you. I have a cover of Wipe Out which is so strange, and even a segment of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand where he gets into a deep discussion with the guys in the audience about whether or not they would shave their heads if the money was right. Somewhere along the pipeline we hope to recreate the Sixties beaches of southern California, and the 90s movies of Quentin Tarantino. This is Old School #66 as we say welcome to the endless summers of the Monsters of the Surf Guitar.The Monsters of the Surf Guitar are still riding their boards and the stratocasters into the endless summer sunset. We are putting the bookmark into the episode of old school at the beginning of the British Invasion which ended the first waves of the genre. Surf punk came along in the late 70s. It’s a fact that there are more surf bands playing today than were ever around in the 60s. So we are hardly finished with the bitchin’ majesty of the Surf Guitar.Professor Mikey’s Old School is a podcast produced for educational purposes. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts, just search the whole name because everybody including the little old lady from Pasadena has a podcast called Old School. We also appear semi regularly on Professor Mikey’s YouTube channel depending on whether the censors got lucky recently.Any music you may have heard in this show resides within the public domain, was offered or loaned for perpetual promotional use by the labels or the artists, or it is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976.We will close with a favorite from the Chantays, and band who originally called this song “Liberty’s Whip,” inspired by the Lee Marvin/John Wayne Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The next movie they saw featured the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, and the song got a new name that would put it in surf rotation for the next half century and probably a lot longer.Hang five, hang ten, hang out anytime with PROFESSOR MIKEY’S OLD SCHOOL.Peter Gunn Theme - DICK DALEListen to the King of the Surf Guitar - DICK DALELet’s Go Trippin - DICK DALELet’s Go Surfin’- JIM WALLER AND THE DELTASWalk Don’t Run - JOHNNY SMITH, CHET ATKINS, THE VENTURESBustin’ Boards - THE TORNADOESDance Legless, Russian - THE MOONTREKKERSWipeout - THE SAINTSMr. Moto - The Belairs (1961)The Lancasters - SATAN’S HOLIDAY (1963)The Astronauts - BAJAThe Astronauts - SURF PARTYThe Strangers - ROCKING REBEL (1959)The Trashmen - SURFIN’ BIRDBulldog - THE FIREBALLS (1960)Surfer Joe - THE SURFAIS (1963) Penetration - THE PYRAMIDS (1964)Pipeline - THE CHANTAYS (1962) 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

Lee Michaels was almost a one man band.  He played all instruments, usually keyboards, and was accompanied by one person, a chunky drummer named Frosty.For Lee’s 4th album Barrel in 1970, he wrote a fairly depressing song for what seemed like a war without end.  Lee Michaels “What Now America” on Old School!Need more? Here’s the album:Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To always receive new posts and surprises, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Jane Birkin made her film debut in 1965 in “The Knack and How to Get It.” She was married to John Barry at the time, whose day job was producing the James Bond films with Sean Connery.  After they broke up, she hooked up with Serge Gainsbourg in France, and recorded one of the hottest and most controversial pop songs of all time.  It hit number one on the charts in England, despite the fact that it was banned completely from all radio.  Today you can hear it on compilations such as Music to Shag By.  Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg from 1969, with “Je T’aime…moi non plus.”WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"Je t'aime... moi non plus" (French for "I love you… me neither")🇫🇷SERGE Born Lucien Ginsburg on April 2, 1928, in Paris, France. • Rose to fame as a singer, songwriter, and musician in the 1960s. • Achieved international success with songs like “La Javanaise” and “Bonnie and Clyde.” • Notable collaborations with artists such as Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. • Known for his provocative and avant-garde style in both music and fashion. • Continued to release successful albums and singles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. • Recognized as a cultural icon and influential figure in French music and popular culture. • Passed away on March 2, 1991, in Paris, France.JANE • Born on December 14, 1946, in London, England. • Rose to fame as an actress and singer in the 1960s. • Became internationally known for her role in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966), and Kaleidoscope (1966). • Gained further recognition for her collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, including the controversial song “Je t’aime… moi non plus” in 1969. • Continued to pursue both acting and music throughout her career, releasing numerous albums and starring in various films. • Received awards and honors for her contributions to the arts, including a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1985. • Actively involved in humanitarian efforts, particularly in support of refugee causes. Died July 16, 2023, at 76. No official cause of death but she had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2002. She had also suffered a stroke in 2021.DiscographyStudio albums* Je t'aime... moi non plus (1969, with Serge Gainsbourg)* Di doo dah (1973)Lolita Go Home (1975)* Ex fan des sixties (1978)* Baby Alone in Babylone (1983)* Lost Song (1987)* Amours des feintes (1990)* Versions Jane (1996)* À la légère (1999)* Rendez-vous (2004)* Fictions (2006)* Enfants d'Hiver (2008)* Oh! Pardon tu dormais... (2020)Live albums* Jane Birkin au Bataclan (1987)* Intégral au Casino de Paris (1992)* Intégral à l'Olympia (1996)* Arabesque (2002)* Au palace (live) (2009)* Jane Birkin Sings Serge Gainsbourg via Japan(2012) “ The past is a blast.” 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

Professor Mikey here. Welcome to Old School. This adventure starts near the beginning of time, flourishes at the round table of King Arthur,  road trips with Gandalf the Grey, and strays onto a mushroom in Wonderland with a girl called Alice. As the genre’s popularity explodes in the late 60s and 70s, young Pink Floyd records across the Abbey Road halls from the Beatles, while others dabbled in red magic in the Court of the Crimson King.What lies ahead is the dawn of a delightful subgenre that is post psychedelic, pre ProTools, and straight magic. It is stirred and shaken by the likes of Emerson, Lake, Palmer, Black Sabbath, Gentle Giant, Hawkwind, Yes and many others who harnessed lightning in an hourglass, filling the jukeboxes with wylde tales from the ancient days of yore and synthesizers. It is an early form of Prog Rock where…Roads go ever ever on,Over rock and under tree,By caves where never sun has shone,By streams that never find the sea;Over snow by winter sown,And through the merry flowers of June,Over grass and over stone,And under mountains in the moon. —J.R.R. TolkienEarly Prog cast a spell upon the charts, splashed briefly in the mainstream, filled concert halls and fronted world class orchestras. Inspired by spirits, spells, grim fairy tales, Viking folk songs, and rock and roll wizardry, Prog artists flourished, spinning straw into gold records.Dim the lights, spark a few candles, watch the incense shadows orchestrate themselves into grand crusade of artistic rock and roll that appears in time just before the tsunami of disco. Our maps show that we can start anywhere, as long as we promise to get good and lost along the way. They say satire is the sincerest form of flattery, so we touch quill to lambskin and begin with a tale of Stonehenge, stuck on eleven with spinal Tap. It’s episode 65 of Old School. It’s a PROG FANTASY. PROGLISTStonehenge SPINAL TAP (1984)Road to Babylon MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND (1976)Master of the Universe HAWKWIND (1971)Why Are We Sleeping SOFT MACHINE (1968)From the Beginning EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER (1972)And You and I YES (1972)  A Gnome PINK FLOYD (1967)  The Wizard URIAH HEEP (1972)  Happiness Stan SMALL FACES (1968)The Wizard BLACK SABBATH (1970) Cross Eyed Mary  JETHRO TULL (1971) Hero and Heroine STRAWBS (1974)Proclamation GENTLE GIANT (1974) Air Born CAMEL (1976)Time Machine BEGGARS OPERA (1971)The King Must Die ELTON JOHN (1970)The Court of the Crimson King KING CRIMSON (1969)  Nights in White Satin THE MOODY BLUES (1967)  The prog era never ended, it just shifted its shape. New prog bands still appear with the regularity of a witch’s moon. It did get a little grandiose perhaps even a little silly. Rick Wakeman, the keyboard cipher of Yes, made a solo album with a song for each of the six wives of Henry the Eighth. The follow up featured the London Symphony Orchestra on a 40 minute ride to the center of the earth.Jethro Tull has sold over 60 million albums worldwide and won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989.Emerson Lake and Palmer sold 48 million albums, two million more than Uriah Heep. One highlight involved Keith Emerson getting tangled up in a piano suspended upside down high above the stage. He had to be rescued by roadies at the California Jam festival in 1974.No fewer than 23 musicians have been a part of King Crimson over the years. They still play, Robert Fripp is still a genius. Check out their live album recorded in 1999 in Mexico City.Ozzy Osbourne became a reality TV star. Ian Anderson is a gentleman farmer.But as disco danced into the late 70s, gnomes and wizards were replaced by John Travolta in the club, Donna Summer in love, and KC and the Sunshine band shaking their collective booties.You can still find examples of a glorious time passed in record store bins, at garage sales, and in your father’s record collection.  The Moody Blues sold 70 million albums.For the finale, a couple of tunes. My guess is you have never heard them back to back, unless you were listening to me on the radio. It begins with a troubadour who became a knight under the sword of Queen Elizabeth in 1998, and concludes in a magic hall where we have been requested to wear red.Professor Mikey here, this has been episode 65 of Old School, a prog fantasy. The road goes ever on.MORE…Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”: Although Pink Floyd’s catalog includes several classic prog albums, “Wish You Were Here” stands out. Its blend of intricate compositions, emotional depth, and memorable tracks like “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and the title track make it a timeless favorite1.Genesis - “Selling England By The Pound”: This album showcases Genesis at their creative peak. With tracks like “Firth of Fifth” and “The Cinema Show,” it’s a must-listen for prog enthusiasts2.Yes - “Going for the One”: Yes was known for their virtuosic musicianship and complex arrangements. “Going for the One” features the epic title track and remains a fan favorite3.Jethro Tull - “Minstrel in the Gallery”: Jethro Tull’s blend of folk, rock, and prog elements shines on this album. The title track and “Cold Wind to Valhalla” are highlights3.Camel - “Mirage”: Camel’s instrumental prowess and melodic sensibilities are evident on “Mirage.” Tracks like “Lady Fantasy” showcase their signature sound3.Rush - “A Farewell to Kings”: Rush’s mix of hard rock and prog reached new heights on this album. “Xanadu” and “Closer to the Heart” are standout tracks3.Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) - “Brain Salad Surgery”: ELP’s ambitious compositions and Keith Emerson’s keyboard wizardry define this album. “Karn Evil 9” remains an epic prog rock suite3.King Crimson - “In the Wake of Poseidon”: King Crimson’s second album features intricate arrangements and Robert Fripp’s guitar work. “Pictures of a City” and “Cadence and Cascade” are highlights3.Traffic - “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys”: Although not strictly prog, Traffic’s blend of rock, jazz, and folk influenced the genre. Moody Blues - “On the Threshold of a Dream”: The Moody Blues’ orchestral approach and poetic lyrics shine on this album. “The Past Is a Blast.” 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

Hey Professor Mikey dropping into your audio rotation with Old School. If you are a follower of the podcast, you’ll know we usually have better organized themes than what I’m going to throw at you next. None of these songs were huge hits, in fact the most nostalgia driven listeners may not recognize any of this. The Boomers, the Millennials, the Gen-Exers, the GEICO Caveman, all tossed into a dark room with big speakers.I’m even going to borrow a great title. Tales of the Unexpected was a fun TV series that ran 112 episodes from 1979-1988 and will be on YouTube when your great grandchildren are watching it on their sneakers.. Before that Tales of the Unexpected was a great DC comics published 106 issues from 1956-1968. It was mostly sci fi anthology, although there were some great recurring characters including  Space Ranger, Automan, Green Glob, and Spaceman-At-Work.I will put links into the newsletter, which you can get for free simply by typing professormikey.substack.com.Comics:https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Tales_of_the_Unexpected_Vol_1TV EpisodesThe only thing the TV show or the comic book have in common with what is all cued up is the Unexpected. Surprises every time you drop the needle. Certainly the first podcast to ever include Creedence when they had another name, Yma Sumac whose name backwards really Amy Camus, some British invasion that never got off the boat, and at least one song the censors banned because it sounded like a duet making loud passionate love on prime time radio.Go figure. Not everything has a great plan, but this one is a real getaway. Professor Mikey’s Old School, Number 64, “Tales of the Unexpected.”Babalu  YMA SUMAC 1952Larf and Sing  FAMILY 1971Itty Bitty Pieces  THE ROCKIN’ BERRIES 1963The Janitor Drives a Cadillac PAPA JOHN CREACH 1971Nerds  THE ROCHES 1980 Fight Fire  THE GOLLIWOGS 1966 My Name is Jack  MANFRED MANN 1968Dust My Blues ELMORE JAMES 1955Uncle Willie ZOOT MONEY 1964Little Girl JOHN AND JACKIE 1958Bring It to Jerome BO DIDDLEY 1956Professor Mikey hopes you enjoyed these Tales of the Unexpected. The playlist was not approved by a programming committee or a focus group. Back in the beautiful days of freeform radio, this is often how shows came together. Browsing through the music library, picking what feels right. Pearl diving along the bottom of the Sea of Love. Finding tunes that have been waiting for you for years.To receive new posts as well as access to the files of forgotten favorite, remember that Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. At least share. Or do a no strings attached YouTube subscribe.Old School is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. You sharing what you like is a great way to get the word out. Subscribing on YouTube means you will never miss a rocking discovery. The newsletter remains free and those subscribers hear the new podcasts first. Subscribe anytime at professormikey.substack.com.Since we are in a good collaboration kumbaya mood, lets close with a song about working together and appreciating those who help our dreams come true. Jerome Green played maracas and provided vocals in Bo Diddley’s band. Some of Bo’s greatest songs involves hard charging call and response with his friend and bandmate. From Bo Diddley’s first album in 1956, here is Bring It To Jerome I’m Professor Mikey, thanks for listening.  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

Hey and welcome to a special edition of Old School. I’m Professor Mikey. My lesson plans are all about digging into the lost world of 20th century rock and roll and listening to records rather than delivering lectures, assigning homework, issuing grades. It’s all pass, no fail.Last year we had our first 50th anniversary rite of spring party with episode 44. You can hear it anytime by searching Spring Break 73. It racked up thousands of hits last year, which tells me we had older listeners grooving on the music of their glory days, and even more younger ones  who feel they were born to late, to late for the cool that settled upon the earth before  algo rhythms and cell phones.Now it is 1974. The tunes are still rocking but there are signs that a dance craze is on the horizon. Disco is being born, just as  the Watergate scandal dies down. President Nixon will turn in his resignation before the end of summer. Also a bare assed craze is sweeping the country. It involves people jumping out of their clothes and jogging in their birthday suits, wherever they can find a large crowd. It’s called streaking, and it’s just weird. But that’s the naked truth.The times are still changing. Nineteen year old heiress Patricia Hearst, kidnapped by the radical lefties of the Symbionese Liberation Army in January, has now joined the group and is helping with bank robberies and demands to feed the poor and bring about social change through violence and regular meals. Skylab just spent 84 days in space. Right in the middle of spring break, Hank Aaron will break Babe Ruth’s record by hitting the 715th home run of his career. Muhammad Ali is in training to fight George Foreman around Halloween.And though it isn’t making headlines, the annual tradition of spring break is swerving toward the drunk and crazy spectacles that will evolve in the next couple of decades.So much for history. Now lets hear some tunes. What got played at beach raves and beer busts was a mixture of Top 40, underground, and the freewheeling fabulous foundations of funk. For our purposes the music selection boundaries fall between September of 73 and about May of 74. It’s long on music, but there’s some sound bites of the time, in this the last year of beach blanket bingo before JAWS becomes part of pop culture.Get ready to slice some sand, chill some Lone Star, fall in love with a stranger, and introduce another Endless Summer with a Spring that is hardly silent.We start with where we have landed in our time traveling Mustang. It’s the Golden Age of Rock and Roll by Mott the Hoople. It’s not me doing the introduction, but I think this guy sounds great. This is Professor Mikey’s Old School…Spring Break 74!!!Professor Mikey’s Old School is on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, anywhere you get your podcasts. It’s a crapshoot whether or not YouTube will have it on my channel because they are so strange about what music they block and what they post, even though every song included in Old School mixes can be found elsewhere, streaming away on YouTube with no problem. Last years 50th anniversary show entitled Spring Break ‘73. In case you missed it, the links are below. Enjoy your Spring Break!1974The Golden Age of Rock and Roll  MOTT THE HOOPLERock On DAVID ESSEXLa Grange Z Z TOPThe Wild One SUZI QUATROStone Cold Crazy QUEENThe Loco-Motion GRAND FUNK RAILROADSneaking Sally Through the Alley ROBERT PALMERThe Man Who Sold the World  LULU1984  DAVID BOWIEDon’t Eat the Yellow Snow  FRANK ZAPPABad Company  BAD COMPANYBoogie Down  EDDIE KENDRICKSDancing Machine  JACKSON 5The Streak RAY STEVENSJungle Boogie KOOL AND THE GANGBaby’s On Fire BRIAN ENOI Don’t Want to be President BILLY VERAFunky President (People It’s Bad) JAMES BROWNThe Holdup DAVID BROMBERGLong Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) Leo SayerMust Have Got Lost J. GEILS BANDRock and Roll Heaven THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERSYou Make Me Feel Brand New THE STYLISTICSI’m in Love with a Girl BIG STAR 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

Coming to you live on a podcast, it’s Old School with Professor Mikey. Professor, not doctor. I can’t diagnose what is bothering you. I can’t write you a prescription. But I can replace a hypodermic needle with the kind that plays records from all over the last half of the 20th century that will make you feel better and help you tolerate an overdose of traffic on the way home.Most of these prescriptions were written for or by artists who were feeling under the weather until they visited their doctor. There they would find any and every malady could be cured with a little Vitamin L. When I talk about LUV (shangri las) Fill out the questionnaire. Do you feel you listen to too much music? How many times a week do you feel you have lost interest in everything? Crank up the Old School podcast and call me in the morning. Time to scrub up, find a vein for the IVs, have a martini and an MRI, and see how many beats per minute you are getting from the blood pessure cuff. How can you snap your fingers while wearing a pulse oximeter?This show is a medical emergency, a therapeutic necessity, a fast ride in a hot rod of an ambulance, and you can get it over the counter.  Purely organic Aretha Franklin, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, the Thompson Twins and many more at the door.  Zero deductible but if you would subscribe it would help the out of pocket expenses.Here to check your vitals is Felix Cavaliere…and the Young Interns. I mean the Young Rascals! It’s Old School #62: Pharmaceutical Grade Rock and Roll.💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊RX GRADE PLAYLIST GOOD LOVE The Rascals (1966)BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU Robert Palmer (1978) EMERGENCY Jefferson Airplane (1968)ROCKIN PNEUMONIA AND BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns (1957)DOCTOR DOCTOR Thompson Twins (1984) CALL THE DOCTOR J. J. Cale (1972)DR FEELGOOD Aretha Franklin (1967)I DON’T NEED NO DOCTOR Ray Charles (1966)DOCTOR DOCTOR The Who (1966)MY DARK HOUR Steve Miller Band (1966)ROCK AND ROLL DOCTOR Little Feat (1978)MR PHARMACIST The Other Half (1982)      DR. STONE The Leaves (1967)     HEART ATTACK AND VINE Tom Waits (1980)CURE FOR PAIN Morphine (1993)TWISTED Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (1961)DR MUSIC Blue Oyster Cult (1979)THE HOSPITAL SONG 10cc (1973)RUN THAT BODY DOWN Paul Simon (1972)I DON”T NEED NO DOCTOR Humble Pie (1971)HIT TAKERS1. David Bowie (1947-2016): In 1976, Bowie suffered a serious cocaine addiction and faced physical and mental health issues. He sought medical care, underwent rehabilitation, and eventually conquered his addiction. 2. Eric Clapton (b. 1945): Clapton battled alcohol and drug addiction in the early ’70s. He sought help through rehab, embracing sobriety, and focusing on his music. 3. Mick Jagger (b. 1943): In 1979, Jagger underwent heart valve replacement surgery in New York. The rock icon recovered successfully and resumed his energetic performances. 4. Keith Richards (b. 1943): Richards struggled with substance abuse during the ’70s and ’80s. While he initially resisted medical intervention, he eventually sought help for his addictions. 5. Lemmy Kilmister (1945-2015): Diagnosed with diabetes in the ‘80s, the Motörhead frontman managed the condition while continuing to rock. Lemmy’s resilient spirit kept him performing until his passing. 6. Freddie Mercury (1946-1991): In the mid-’80s, the Queen vocalist faced rumors about his health, later revealed to be complications from AIDS. Mercury sought medical care but kept his diagnosis private until shortly before his death. 7. Steven Tyler (b. 1948): The Aerosmith lead singer struggled with substance abuse throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Tyler eventually sought rehabilitation, leading to a successful recovery. 8. Joe Perry (b. 1950): Aerosmith’s guitarist, Perry, faced health issues related to drug abuse in the late ‘70s. He sought medical care and overcame his addiction, contributing to the band’s continued success. 9. Syd Barrett (1946-2006): The founding member of Pink Floyd faced mental health challenges in the late ’60s, leading to his departure from the band. Barrett struggled with mental illness and withdrew from the public eye for the rest of his life. 10. Keith Moon (1946-1978): The legendary drummer of The Who battled alcohol and drug addiction, contributing to his erratic behavior. Moon’s excesses eventually led to his untimely death at the age of 32. Despite his struggles, he left an enduring mark on rock history.Professor Mikey’s Old School ©️2024 by Mike Flanagan, [email protected] and ProfessorMikey.Substack.com 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

Jack Fascinato had a couple of claims to fame.  First, he was the conductor and arranger for the little old pea picker Tennessee Ernie Ford.  He was also the musical director for an early day kid’s TV show called Kukla, Fran, and Ollie.  Zany puppets and top selling religious albums weren’t enough for Fascinato, he had to put his own orchestra together and in 1959, record an album that has been called the holy grail of space age pop.  Music From a Surplus Store featured traditional instruments being played alongside tools and hardware.  This cut features “stressed helical springs plucked with a surplus Medical Corps scalpel.”  Really.  Move over rock and roll, it’s time to get really weird.  Jack Fascinato and “Spring, Sprang, Sprung.” 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

“Why--hello, dear. Now tell me quickly, which one are you?”                                     -- Sheila Graham to George Harrison“We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us--the hairdo more than the music, originally.  A lot of people’s fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, “Don’t be fooled, they’re wearing wigs.”                                                                                   —Paul McCartneyThe buildup was boss. Fab. Gear. The Beatles had been wowing England since January of 1963 when “Please, Please Me” had topped their charts. Without an internet or an American label push, their reach across the Atlantic had dragged.  When George Harrison visited his sister in the summer of ’63, news of it barely rippled. One local newspaper said “the next Elvis Presley” was visiting,” When his sister Louise introduced her brother that was yet to be called “the quiet Beatle, her friends just didn’t get it.The going rate for a phenom on the Sullivan show was $50,000 for three performances, set in 1956 by Elvis Presley. In Nov 1963, Ed was visiting London when he offered Beatles manager Brian Epstein $10,000 for one performance. Brian was aware of the Elvis number, but more than the money, he was interested in the exposure. He countered with an offer that his Beatles would play three shows for the same amount if they could open and close each show. Ed thought he had gotten the best of them.  All the goodwill hit the fan the night of Jan 3 when NBC’s Tonight Show host Jack Paar aired some BBC footage of the Beatles wowing swinging London. Ed wanted to be the first and he was pissed. Brian wanted Ed to be the first and he was pissed, charging his lawyers to rattle legal swords at the BBC. The network felt his pain, but could not take back time. Ed railed and threatened but cooler heads prevailed. The show was on.The Beatles, their entourage and a crew of British journalists on Pan Am Flight 101  from Heathrow, landed at JFK Friday, Feb 5. The band emerged, waved to thousands of screaming fans, and were hustled straight to their first American press conference, a cheeky affair of thick Liverpudlian quips, cigarettes, and a refusal to sing a song.  “We need money first,” said John.Then it was off in the limo, radio blasting.“We were so overawed by American radio, Epstein had to stop us: we phoned every radio in town, saying, ‘Will you play the Ronettes doing this?’ We wanted to hear the music. We didn’t ask for our own records, we asked for other people’s. In the old days we listened to Elvis, of course, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Little RIchard and Eddie Cochran, to name but a few, but now we liked Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, Shirelles, all those people.”                                                                                         --John LennonIf there was any worry, it was over George Harrison’s health. He had been out of the groove since a series of Paris shows. Alll he wanted to do was check into the interconnecting ten rooms in the suites that had been rented on the twelfth floor of the Plaza Hotel and get to bed. On Saturday John, Paul, and Ringo strolled forth into the drizzle of Central Park for photos. Then they visited the CBS Studios on 53rd Street where they were required to join AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) before performing on live television.  George stayed down, the doctors having put his sister Louise in charge of his care.Exactly what was troubling him has been reported as tonsillitis, strep, and flu. His temperature was 104° on Saturday afternoon and Harrison missing the big show was a real possibility.  Road manager Neil Aspinall stood in for camera run throughs on Sunday.  Said early biographer Hunter Davies in The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (McGraw, Hill, 1968): “George was by this time ill in bed and it appeared he would miss the Ed Sullivan Show. Neil stood in for the rehearsal but George managed the show, filled with dope.”His wit was the first thing to heal.  The famed well wishing telegram arrived backstage, signed “Elvis and the Colonel,” and George answered “Elvis who?”That Sunday afternoon, before the first live broadcast, they taped their segments for the third Sullivan appearance that would run on Feb 23 after their return to England.  Sandwiched in between, the second show would come Feb 16 in sunny Miami. There they rehearsed in swimsuits, were photographed in a pool for the cover of LIFE, and visited Cassius Clay at the gym where he was training for his upcoming title fight with Sonny Liston.Competition for Sunday night viewing on Feb 9 included Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color with an episode of a Robin Hood series. Gryndl a sitcom with Imogene Coca, and “Arrest and Trial,” a 90-minute drama on ABC rounded out the three-network lineup. A whopping 60% of American televisions tuned to Ed and CBS. The Rev. Billy Graham said he broke his rule of no TV on the sabbath to see what the fuss was about.Brian Epstein paced, nervous and precise. At one point as the countdown had begun he collared Sullivan and said “I would like to know the exact wording of your introduction.” Ed barked back: “I would like you to GET LOST.”Then it was showtime, 8 P.M. EST. The same viewing community wouldn’t get together in these numbers until a man walked on the moon. The hype had hit blg, now it was time to see if the Brits with a big song could back it up. Seventy-three million people, all there for put up or shut up time.Sullivan greeted his live audience of 728.. That many out of 50,000 had gotten in.  Walter Cronkite and Richard Nixon had both pulled strings for their daughters’ tickets. Leonard Bernstein got turned down.Our master of ceremonies raised his hands, the hard nosed newspaper columnist who had fought his way to the top in his own dull but special way (“Quiet down kids, these are ambassadors of goodwill”). He cited the Elvis telegram and threw the show to commercials from Aero Shave and Griffin Shoe Polish. Clean shaved and shoes shined, America was back.“Now yesterday and today our theater’s been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that this city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles. Now tonight, you’re gonna twice be entertained by them. Right now, and again in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles! Let’s bring them on.”                                                                                  --Ed SullivanFirst song: “All My Loving (Video from Ed Sullivan Show unavailable.)Author: McCartney 100%  “It was the first song I ever wrote where I had the words before the music. I wrote the words on a bus on tour, then we got the tune when I arrived there.”Lennon: “‘All My Loving is Paul I regret to say...because it’s a damn good piece of work. But I play a pretty mean guitar in back.” First recorded: July 30, 1963, Abbey Road, 13 takesSecond song: “Till There Was You” (Video from Ed Sullivan Show unavailable)Author: Meredith Willson, for the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, originally sung by Robert Preston and Barbara Cook.Note: During the Sullivan show, this was the song where their first names were superimposed because many were still trying to figure out who was who,  “Paul,” “Ringo,” “George,” “John-Sorry girls he’s married.”First recorded: July 18 and 30, 1963, Abbey Road, 8 takesThird song: “She Loves You”Author: Lennon 50%, McCartney 50% (Lennon: “It was written together. It was Paul’s idea. Instead of singing ‘I Love You’ again, we’d have a third party.” Written in a Newcastle hotel room after a performance June 26, 1963.Released in UK Aug 23, 1963, entering the charts at #2.  Stayed at #1 for 6 total nonconsecutive weeks and sold 1.3 million copies, the biggest hit in the UK in 1963.Capitol and Vee Jay refused to release in the US after poor performances by the previous two singles. Epstein persuaded Swan records to release it and it spent 14 weeks on the US charts. The week it hit #1 in March, the Beatles had 5 songs in the Billboard Top 40. It was the group’s first million seller.First recorded July 1, 1963, Abbey Road, takes unknown.Following those first three songs, magician Fred Kaps  got the honor of flipping through some card tricks. He was followed by members of the Broadway cast of Oliver! singing “I’ll Do Anything.” Future Monkee Davy Jones performed with the ensemble that night and he was a little Dickens. Next Georgia Gibbs of the same ensemble performed “As Long As He Needs Me.”Impressionist Frank Gorshin, two years out from donning the green question mark tights for the Riddler role on TV’s Batman, was next introduced. His bit was, “Wouldn’t it be funny if Hollywood personalities decided they wanted to get into politics?” The fantasy ran on with imagined campaign speeches by Broderick Crawford, Marlon Brando, and Kirk Douglas.A medley from Ireland’s Tessie O’Shea, 51, followed (“the peroxide pumpkin...turns into a boisterous Cinderella” the New York Times had said in a recent show review), then the rushed comedy of McCall and Brill.Another commercial, and the Beatles were at long last returned.Fourth song: “I Saw Her Standing There”Author: McCartney 80% Lennon 20%The authors say the song was written in Paul’s living room while playing hooky.Lennon: “That’s Paul doing his usual good job of what George Martin used to call ‘a potboiler.’ I helped with a couple of the lyrics.”Working title: “Seventeen”B-side in the US of “I Want to Hold Your Hand”Recorded: Feb 11, 1963, Abbey Road, 17 takes.Fifth song: “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”Author: Lennon 50%, McCartney 50% (Lennon: “We wrote a lot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball...we were in Jane Asher’s house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time...Paul hits this chord and I turn to him and say ‘That’s IT!’ I said,“Do that again!” In those days we really used to absolutely write like that, both playing into each other’s noses,”Recorded Oct 17, 1963, Abbey Road, 17 takes.Notes: Released in UK Nov 29, 1963, debuted at #1 and stayed for 7 weeks.  By Jan 17, 1964, sold 1.5 million.Released in US Jan 13, 1964 after being leaked unofficially since before Christmas. First US #1, held that position for 7 weeks and spent another 14 in the Top 40. Capitol Records finally got on board, the huge some of $50,000 was spent to promote just this single, and receptionists were instructed to answer the phones, “Capitol Records, the Beatles are coming.”The Beatles were almost the last act. Perhaps adrenalin had kicked in for the performers, the show was a little short, so stand by acrobats Wells and the Four Fave got to tumble for their lives in front of an audience they could never have imagined. Hey!!Following the show, disc jockey Murray the K., who had been “adopting” the band on his daily show on WINS radios, took the three healthy Beatles to chow at the Playboy Club. George went back to bed. From dinner, the entourage boogalooed to the Peppermint Lounge at 128 West 45th Street in Manhattan, where they danced until 4 A.M.For such a world and culture changing event, much of the media chose to play things reserved and underwhelmed, responding more to a shipment of 35,000 Beatle wigs arriving in New York than what Ed Sullivan had wrought the night before. The New York Herald said the Beatles were “”75% publicity, 20% haircut, and 5% lilting lament.” “Asexual and homely,” snipped the Washington Post in a terse dismissal.The best reviews came from law enforcement. It was reported that the crime rate in America was lower during the show than at any time in the past half-century. New York police precincts noted a drop in juvenile crime. All five boroughs reported zero hubcap theft during the entire Sullivan airing. (Snopes reported in our era that this was an urban legend.)The Beatles on Ed Sullivan was the giddiest high point of the 60s, a turbulent and joyful conclusion to the first wild weekend of the British Invasion. Much of the audience thought that this was the apogee of the ultimate for the Fab Four, still clueless of what had just launched. Others were gobsmacked on the Epiphany level, drawn to rock, roll, and originality in ways that had never occurred to them. Within a decade, analysts would be asking their clients their favorite Beatle as a first insight into their souls.Recalling the event on her 59th wedding anniversary with her husband Charlie Brill in 2014, Mitzi McCall remembered, “For us it went lousy. It was terrible. We were doing a sketch. We couldn’t hear each other because of the screaming”  After a pause she reflected and referred to the evening as a sort of “honor.”“We were there when the world changed.” Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the educational mission of bringing 20th century rock to modern listeners consider becoming a free or paid “The past is a blast.” 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

It has happened every February 3 since 1959. Waking to the news of one of rock music’s earliest tragedies, the plane crash that claimed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper near Clear Lake, Iowa.Holly was 22, Valens 17, J. P. Richardson the Bopper 28. Richardson got his seat on the plane from Waylon Jennings. Bob Dylan saw their penultimate show the night before at Duluth, Minnesota.I saw Buddy Holly two or three nights before he died. I saw him in Duluth [Minnesota], at the armory. He played there with Link Wray. I don’t remember the Big Bopper. Maybe he’d gone off by the time I came in. But I saw Richie Valens. And Buddy Holly, yeah. He was great. He was incredible. I mean, I’ll never forget the image of seeing Buddy Holly up on the bandstand. And he died – it must have been a week after this. It was unbelievable.Bob Dylan (to Kurt Loder, March 1984)So many ironic threads run through the tragic conclusion to the Buddy Holly story. Here’s some visuals to go along with the audio. PS the music never died!Rave on!Chuck Berry and Alan Freed introduce Ricardo Valenzuela in Go Johnny Go! (1958)The Bopper on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand 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