There’s a moment in Mel Brooks’ “History of the World Part 1” where we’re told that shortly after the first artists came the first art critics…..I’ll leave you to determine what happens…. The music world is certainly not short of people with opinions in regards to others’ ability to perform and provide nuance to the work they present for us as music lovers to listen to. In the classical world, interpretation of the canon of baroque, classical, romantic and modernist music can be a mystery to some of us who are not classically trained musicians.  There’s no shortage of classical soloists who’ve captured the wider public’s imagination, yet have their critics as well. Welcome to episode 128 of See Hear Podcast. Glenn Gould is regarded as one of the great pianists of the 20th century, known in particular for his love of and heavy focus on the composition of J.S. Bach. However, he wasn’t unanimously revered. Pianist Alfred Brendel was vocally not a fan. Even Leonard Bernstein who did love Gould’s approach  covered himself before a TV broadcast of a Brahms piano concerto by saying Gould’s approach was not going to be for everybody. Therein lies the heart of the matter – when you depart from an accepted orthodox style of playing of the canon, you’re going to upset people. Glenn Gould upset some people. BUT….the reason he is still being talked about was for what he DID, not what he didn’t do. He’s most famous for his first and last released recordings, Bach’s Goldberg Variations (1955 and 1981). Even there his recordings are wildly different, and the latter upset some who championed the earlier recording. He’s also remembered for his intellect and could discuss may other issues outside of music – something he did on radio and TV specials. In 1993, film director Francois Girard released a brilliant biopic / documentary called “Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould”. Like its subject, the film takes a wildly different approach from the accepted norm of musician biopic. As the name implies, the film comprises of 32 shorts featuring narratives, interviews, performance and experimentation that provide a strong sense of Gould’s character. There is a 3 act structure, but not in the usual way that you get in a conventional musician biography. June 2025 sees the reissue of the film by Criterion, and I was thrilled to welcome Francois to the podcast to talk about this film and Gould in general. Unfortunately, we couldn’t coordinate the timing to have Tim or Kerry available, but I still had a fascinating conversation with Francois that I hope you find illuminating. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Zappa is an odd duck. His massive back catalogue of albums attracts both reverence and ambivalence from music fans. Stylistically, he covered so much ground covering doo wop, blues, psych, jazz fusion and dissonant orchestral music. Unlike many of his rock and roll contemporaries, he always believed in infusing a sense of humour into his music – both compositionally and lyrically….though since what strikes some as funny is so subjective, it couldn’t appeal to everyone. He wrote about commercialism in America, the hypocrisy of conservatives and liberals in American society, and….umm….body parts. Welcome to episode 127 of See Hear Podcast. Tim, Kerry and I pontificate about the work of Frank Zappa with an eye towards his 1971 film, 200 Motels. It’s a surreal work that’s supposed to be his take on what life on the road is like for a working band – encountering rednecks and groupies, band egos and paranoia (the latter for good reason in this instance), and drug use. The film is vignette based with music provided by the 2nd incarnation of the Mothers of Invention and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Zappa spent 4 years composing and arranging the music, and much less time writing a script. That works out as well as expected. As well as discussing 200 Motels, we put the background towards its creation in context, thanks to an excellent documentary called “Frank Zappa – Free Jazz, Movie Madness & Another Mothers”(available on Tubi). Many thanks to Tom Stein for making us aware of that film’s existence. If our discussion goes all over the place, maybe it’s a tribute to the structure of 200 Motels. Tune in and hear where we stand on this surreal piece of cinema. Is it Luis Bunuel? Well….would Luis Bunuel have dressed Ringo Starr up as a tall dwarf with a desire to do something with a genie lamp to Keith Moon dressed as a nun? The answer is probably “When will we get paid….” If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not too often that a story will make a connection between Linda McCartney, The Beastie Boys and The Clash, but this month's film does just that. Welcome to episode 126 of See Hear Podcast. When the average person is asked to name a single important figure in reggae music, they'll most likely say Bob Marley. Without taking away from his importance, reggae's production giant, who helped Marley in his early years, was Lee “Scratch” Perry. For this episode, we look at a 2008 documentary called The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry. He was born in a rural area of Jamaica, but after working on a job to build a road in the western region of the island, he claimed to have found a connection between the sound of the rocks he helped move and the sound of music – sure beats the usual musician story of stealing their sibling's record collection. The film certainly tells a story, but is also more of a character study about Perry. He was a musical innovator being an early innovator in dub reggae. He'd recorded and produced music that was ska and rocksteady reggae, but it's his experiments in dub he's most remembered for. He's also remembered for burning down his beloved music studio because a rubber ball placed on his console had been moved – okay, the story's a little more complex than that. Was he eccentric? Was he a charlatan? Was he really named Pipecock Jackson, and looking to become American president? The film only looks to Perry for discussion, so without other talking heads, we ask if he's a reliable narrator. Kerry, Tim and I discuss Rastafarianism, the link to Sun Ra, sound systems, our connections to reggae music, and the scary connection to Dennis Wilson. Please join us for a fun conversation. You can find the film on Kanopy, but our conversation can be listened to independent of the film. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The use of non-diagetic songs in cinema is often designed to provoke a type of nostalgia, or at least an understanding of the era the film is set in. Apocalypse Now opens very effectively to the sounds of The End by The Doors. Goodfellas keeps updating the jukebox as the story travels over the years (Scorsese is a master of that). So, if you watch a film set in the 50s like American Graffiti or That’ll Be The Day, the jukebox soundtracks to these films are like characters constantly reminding the viewers where they are timewise. The romantic (and sometimes lascivious) songs of the doo wop era paint a picture of American life in the 50s somewhat removed from the turmoils of segregation, a conflict in Korea, and McCarthyism….they paint the picture that many films are trying to portray. Welcome to episode 125 of See Hear Podcast. One of the singers in the latter part of the original doo wop era was Kenny Vance, a member of beloved group, Jay & The Americans. His experience as a young man singing with the group brought him into contact with so many other doo wop groups and eventually figures in the soul and pop world (he supported The Beatles on an American tour). He went on to be a musical director consultant for many films focusing on the 50s era. Eventually, he decided to become a director and document the original doo wop scene as he and some of his colleagues recalled it, what they went on to do, and how their pioneering sound influenced many others who don’t even realise the gigantic shoulders they’re standing on. The film he directed is called “Heart & Soul: A Love Story”, and it is a thing of beauty. Tim and I were joined by Melbourne doo wop guru Peter Merrett (of the Malt Shop Hop radio show) to chat with Kenny not only about his film, but a vast number of topics all related to his time in doo wop, the people who ran the labels, the session musicians, and the singers he worked with. WE get stories about Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Flamingos, The Chantels and so much more. I have to say that Kenny’s memory is sharp and he regaled us with many incredible stories from a life in music. He’s a true mentsch….and he even sang for us!!!! We’ve done our share of episodes, but this is one I will be remembering for a long time. If you haven’t tuned into an episode in a while (or never have), start here….you don’t need to have seen the film to appreciate this wonderful conversation, but we would certainly encourage watching it first chance you get. Our thanks not only go to Kenny for hanging out with us, but also to executive producer Liz Nickles who put us in contact with him. Tim and I also are grateful to Peter Merrett for bringing his expertise to the conversation. For details about screenings, go to https://www.heartandsoulthemovie.com/ If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com . Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've recently lost one of the great directors over the last few decades in David Lynch who was known for showing the dreamy and nightmarish side of America (and we need you now, David). The other great tellers of American stories over the same period have been Joel and Ethan Coen. They have protagonists who start out in precarious positions in life....then things go downhill. Welcome to episode 124 of See Hear Podcast. There's definitely a rhythm to the Coen Brothers' films....even if their films are not ABOUT music or musicians, they feel musical (and having Carter Burwell score many of their films doesn't hurt in that regard). Two films, however, stick out as music films in their catalogue – O Brother, Where Art Thou and Inside Llewyn Davis – it's the latter that is the focus of this episode. Sadly, neither Kerry nor Tim were available to record this show, but I welcome back film professor, author, and fellow podcaster Neil Fox back to the show. He selected Inside Llewyn Davis for our discussion, and I couldn't have been happier to revisit this 2013 film that has seemingly divided people on its merits (spoiler alert – we both love it). The film starts off in Greenwich Village in 1961, and is about a few days in the life of folk musician Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he moves from couch to couch, gig to gig, kindness to kindness....and he responds poorly despite being the recipient of others' good nature towards him. Is he an awful human being, or is he lashing out due to a terrible event regarding a former musical partner? Neil and I had a great conversation about this film and a variety of related issues. Since the film is Bob Dylan adjacent, we had to bring in our thoughts about the recently released Dylan biopic focusing on his early years, A Complete Unknown and see how its tone contrasts with the Coens outlook. I am grateful for Neil giving over his time to chat with me. He brings a perspective I was fascinated to hear. If you wish to hear more of Neil, you should tune into his show The Cinematologists hosted with Dario Llinares. Info at https://cinematologists.com/ Also, look into his great book “Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music”. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com . Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1981.....music and film fans could only guess as to what the coming decade held – both in art and in the real world. If art reflects the real world, then a portmanteau film centred around a force that contains the sum of all evils seemed like a reflection of the environment the film was born into. Welcome to episode 123 of See Hear. In 1981, following on from the magazine it aligned itself with, Canadian animated film Heavy Metal was sent out into the world. Ralph Bakshi may have paved the way for this to be possible – make no mistake, this was no Disney cartoon. The stories here were filled with gore, naked flesh, fantasy and music (only some of it was heavy metal)....in other words, it was exactly what teenage boys were clambering to watch. Usually, See Hear focuses on films that are ABOUT music or musical culture. Despite its name, Heavy Metal isn't such a film, but Kerry, Tim, our friend Paul and myself discuss why we think it is a See Hear film nevertheless. Our conversation incorporates film noir, Looney Tunes, 2001: A Space Odyssey, how a ball of green goo can influence mankind to evil, and....of course....the soundtrack....and a lot more. Not many other films feature the music of Black Sabbath, Devo, Stevie Nicks and Prendecki. Huge thanks to Paul for joining us and for his great insight and historical knowledge. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you attended high school, did you have a music program? If so, were you enthusiastic about playing what was selected for you? In the early days of music tuition, chances are you had to play dull tunes that were in line with your limited abilities....on a recorder!!!!! Within 3 or so months of picking up an instrument, could you play tunes made famous by, say, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman? No? The girls (and a boy) at Yamakawa High School did.   Welcome to episode 122 of See Hear Podcast.   Kerry was unavailable, but Tim and myself carried on to discuss the 2004 film “Swing Girls”, directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. Beat for beat, this is the same film as Yaguchi’s 2001 film “Waterboys”, but replacing a group of inept boys learning synchronised swimming with a group of inept girls learning to play jazz and form a swing band. A jazz version of School of Rock? It seems similar on the surface, but these kids are motivated differently to learn their music.....their only drive IS the music, not to win a competition. They learn to love swing jazz (essentially, it's pop music) and realise it's not – as they first surmise – for “brandy snifters”. Cards out on the table – we adore this film. We look at its universality (Japanese school kids playing a distinctly American art form), how a film with no villains or conflict can still be compelling, and mostly we celebrate a love of music. Tim rightly compares this film to an earlier one we discussed about a love of music for its own sake but the style was vastly different – home is here your musical interests lie.....the rest is detail. Swing Girls is available in full to watch on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEz_TNtkCRc&t=381s If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you like music films? Dumb question, I guess, because if you've deliberately downloaded an episode of See Hear, you know that music films are our niche in the podcast world. For us to discover that there was a new book about the subject that drives this very podcast....well, there was much cheering and jumping for joy. Welcome to episode 121 of See Hear Podcast. We welcome to the show Professor Neil Fox of Falmouth University. He's written a terrific book called “Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music”. He felt that music films were poorly regarded in the wider space of cinematic genres.....which is stupid. As our show has proven, the wider umbrella of music cinema can include discussion of class divides, social structure, civil rights, the cult of celebrity, mental health, and knocking down Stonehenge. Neil's book puts specific films under the microscope and links them thematically.....many made in the 21st Century. He shows that the wider umbrella of music cinema has much to say....regardless of whether you want something deep or something fluffy. It should be celebrated as much as anything out there. You may think you know a thing or two about music films, but Neil's book reveals so many interesting films that deserve a wider audience. You don't even need to be a fan of the music some of these films celebrate.....just an interest in stories well told....and that, dear friends, is what drives this very podcast. Huge thanks to Neil for being such a great conversationalist. Extra thanks go to the host of the Beatles Books podcast, Joe Wisbey for making the connection. If you want to get hold of a copy of the book (and it's highly recommended by Tim, Kerry and myself), you can order it from https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/music-films-9781839023439/ or wherever you get your books. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com. Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Movie music – any movie fan will acknowledge that a film score or a soundtrack can make or break how well a film works. The acting and cinematography and production values all count obviously, but imagine putting the 3 Stooges theme in place as “Mother” goes to see how Marion Crane is faring in the shower scene of Psycho. Welcome to episode 120 of See Hear. If you haven't caught up with the previous episode of the show, Tim, Kerry and myself were joined by our great friend Paul Ryan to talk about our favourite film scores, and they were widely diverse stylistically. That's what made the conversation so exciting. We had such a long conversation, I felt it best to split it up into two shows, so what you have downloaded / are about to download is part 2 of that chat. Like last time, we are rapt to also present segments spread throughout the show featuring hosts of some truly excellent podcasts in the Pantheon Network. These hosts enlighten us as to THEIR favourite soundtracks. You will hear from: Brett Vargo (Only Three Lads) Jesse Jackson (Set Lusting Bruce / Perfectly Good Podcast) Jason Whissell ( It's Not That Bad / There Can Only Be One) More film score recommendations than you can poke a pointed stick at. These conversations incorporate what makes the music work in context of the films they represent, and we go off on tangents to discuss similar scores or others by the same composers. Sounds interesting? We look forward to any feedback you may provide about the shows. Please, email us or post in the Facebook group with YOUR favourite soundtracks and scores. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com. Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you know, our mission at See Hear HQ is to discuss, chew on, and pontificate (in that order) about music films. But.....what if we DIDN'T do that for a couple of episodes????? Shock horror!!! Welcome to episode 119 of See Hear Podcast. Don't panic....we're not straddling too far from our mission. This time around, instead of talking about films that are ABOUT music, we'll discuss the music itself from ANY film we jolly well please. Kerry, Tim and myself have invited previous guest and close friend, Paul Ryan to talk about our favourite movie scores and soundtracks. There are some who say that the best movie music is that which can be ignored while we focus on the film's action. We cry “balderdash”......great movie music can be noticed in its film context without distracting our attention from the film. To that end, the four of us picked 5 films each to discuss, chew on, and pontificate. The thing is, we spoke for such a long time, that rather than have you listen to a Ben Hur length episode (a terrific film score by Miklos Rosza, by the way), we're breaking our show up into two parts. The one you've (hopefully) downloaded is episode 119, and we'll put out episode 120 in a few days. We're privileged to have some additional film soundtrack nominations sent to us via some wonderful friends in the Pantheon network as well as a previous film director guest on the show who is something of a soundtrack expert. Marc Shea hosts the Performance Anxiety podcast. Markus Goldman is one half of the Imbalance History of Rock & Roll podcast. (Both shows are regularly in my earholes.....I recommend 'em) Amit Itzcar is the director of the Tel Aviv Soundtrack Festival.....so the subject matter is in his wheelhouse. When episode 120 is released in a few days, we'll continue our conversation, and three more wonderful guests, all from the Pantheon Network will weigh in on this most important subject. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also find us on https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com/ Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every major city with a healthy music scene will have hometown heroes….that band or artist that the locals love and wish the whole world knew about. One of those bands is Toronto’s “The Lowest Of The Low”. Welcome to episode 118 of See Hear. The Lowest of the Low started in the early 90s as a follow up to the band punk band, Popular Front. Ron Hawkins had previously written overtly political songs, but for the debut album Shakespeare My Butt (one of the best album names ever), he wrote songs about ordinary people facing everyday pressures – so still political in its way. The history of the band is not an uncommon tale – friends get together based on common musical and ideological points of reference, members have “differences” and they split apart, years after the fact they reunite remembering the spark that got them started. However, their tale is still fascinating because they were true independents and were never going to sell their ideals downstream for a quick buck. Big companies came calling, but LOTL dictated terms all the way. Kerry was away, but Tim and I spoke with musician, tour manager for many Canadian bands, and film director Simon Head about his documentary “Subversives: The History of Lowest Of The Low”. As well as talking about the film, we spend time devoted to discussing the Toronto music scene of the early 90s and where it is now, friendship, Weddings Parties Anything and Billy Bragg, and Toronto as a film character.  A huge thanks to Simon for joining us. As I mention in our discussion, I perceive from watching the film that the story of the wider Toronto scene was reflected in the Melbourne scene of the 90s….watch the film or listen to our conversation and see how it reflects your own city’s live music environment. The film is now available to stream on Apple TV or you can get a blu ray with a bunch of great extras. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). You can also find us on https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com/ Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you ever read rags with headlines like “I had an alien love child” or “Psycho seagull stole dog from my garden” or “Monster rats the size of cows”? No? You're missing out on a Wild...Wild....Life. Welcome to episode 117 of See Hear Podcast. Writers Stephen Toblowsky and Beth Henley met Talking Head, David Byrne, and had a conversation about newspaper articles he'd read with bizarre things happening to ordinary people, and wouldn't it be interesting to come up with a script for a film using that idea as a basis. Beth and Stephen came up with said script, but Byrne rewrote much of it....the result is his 1986 film, True Stories. True Stories looks at a fictional town in Texas celebrating its 150th anniversary. In particular it looks at some of the peculiarities of the town using a 4th wall breaking Byrne to guide us around that town. Where's the music connection???? It is a musical of sorts, but more relevant to the story, I contend that the town is like an enclosed snow cone and music is the very air the town breathes. Unfortunately, Tim wasn't available to record, but Kerry and I had a fine conversation about Talking Heads, finding love, conspiracy theorists, community, the fine line between gentle parody and being patronising, constant lying to get attention....and of course, music....cos that's what we do. Was the film ultimately satisfying? Tune in and find out what we thought. You wanna follow along? The film is currently playing on a variety of streaming services or may be in your DVD library if you still believe in physical media. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have musicians that we wish everyone else knew about. THAT person who deserves a wider audience, but life circumstances didn't allow for it. Knowledge of that musician seems to be like the secret handshake into a special club. Nick Drake was one of those people until a TV car advertisement that used his music got more people curious....thank goodness. Judee Sill's music is not likely to be used in a car ad. Welcome to episode 116 of See Hear Podcast. When people talk about the musicians of the American West Coast in the early 70s, they talk about Jackson Browne, Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, CSN or Bonnie Raitt. Few people beyond the faithful have spoken about Judee Sill. This leaves fans of Sill scratching their heads because even among those more well known musicians, they recognise Judee was a master songwriter, orchestrator and arranger. Her early life was one filled with abuse, drug use, prostitution, armed holdups, and prison time. It's amazing to think that the lady who lived that life wrote some of the most beautiful music of the pop era (I'll stand on my soapbox and suggest The Kiss is one of the most beautiful songs ever written – change my mind). She mixed country and Bach and gospel into one beautiful package. Sounds unworkable? Check out her albums and get back to me. A new documentary was released this year about Judee called Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. This episode of See Hear features guests associated with the film. Kerry, Tim and I chat with one of the two directors of the film, Brian Lindstrom. He describes the process it took to make this great film, working with Judee's relatives, the nature of creativity, what her music has meant to current performers, and a lot more. This could easily have been a dark film (and it has its moments), but it really is a celebration of Judee's life and work. Brian and his co-director Andy Brown have made a wonderful tribute to an artist that will hopefully now find a wider audience. But wait.....there's more. The film's music supervisor is Pat Thomas. Pat has quite a few strings to his bow – drummer, album reissue supervisor, historian and author. He joins me for a discussion on the role of a music supervisor in film and specifically what he did for this documentary. Kerry, Tim and I are hugely grateful for the time Brian and Pat gave to us. Give this a listen, then absorb yourself in the albums of Judee Sill. As of May 2024, the film is streaming on Prime, in North America only (grrrr), but I am informed that moves are being made to get a wider distribution for the film....and of course you can always get the DVD anywhere in the world. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1980, I recall going to the cinema to see a new film, The Blues Brothers. Music and car chases…..what wasn’t there to love? The critics hated it because….ya know….that’s what they’re paid to do. A few years after initial release, it became THAT cult film that everyone watched – on TV, on video or at late night cinema screenings (in Melbourne, it became an audience participation phenomenon similar to Rocky Horror). The question is how did the film get made? Welcome to episode 115 of See Hear Podcast. Kerry, Tim and I welcomed to the show journalist and author Daniel De Vise. He’s written a great new book called “The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic”. As the title implies, it’s not just about the making of the film (although a large part of it is devoted to that subject). Daniel did extensive research to talk about the early lives and characters of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. They were a part of the new North American comedy movement Second City, National Lampoon and Saturday Night (later Saturday Night Live), so he writes much about those institutions. There’s talk in the book about Aykroyd’s love of blues and how he (and Robert Cray’s harmonica player) made Belushi a blues fanatic. There’s stories of 70s cinema, addiction, egos, friendship, men in bee costumes, and origin of The Blues Brothers. We were rapt that Daniel came on the show to talk about his book and about the blues, the accusations of racism thrown against the comedians who wanted to bring brilliant blues and soul musicians back to the spotlight, the comedy movement as the new rockstar, how rock musicians started taking themselves too seriously…..and a TON of other things. Yeah, we even talk about The Blues Brothers movie. The environment that led to the film is hugely important and it would be impossible to talk about it without telling the wider story as to how the film got made. Daniel has done a terrific job in doing this. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation even half as much as we did having it. You can follow his goings on at danieldevise.com, and you can pick up the book in both physical and e-book formats wherever you usually get your reading material. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a song performed by Peter Allen that seems to be more relevant than ever: Everything Old Is New Again. Film plots are recycled, songs are recycled (through covers or the same chord structures).....and the media we use to play those films and songs are back in fashion. Records have been popular again for a while, some people are rediscovering VHS, and as this month's film focus shows us, the Compact Cassette is the new medium of choice for music recording and listening. Welcome to Episode 114 of See Hear Podcast. In 2016, Zack Taylor released a film called “Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape” which looks at the humble invention which meant so much to those of us who grew up with the tape as a dominant medium for music listening (and recording music and audio letters and.....) The film features a new generation who were probably not born or at least cognisant of the tape singing its praises. Importantly, the director also sought out Lou Ottens and his colleagues who invented the compact cassette in the early 60s. While proud of their achievements, Ottens is somewhat puzzled that the cassette appeals so much to a new generation – he truly believes (as inventors do) that the cassette's time is done and the next thing should be focused on. False nostalgia? A genuine appeal to new eyes? The film gently explores all these things. The fans, the inventors, the musicians only releasing their music on cassette.....they're all here. Tim, Kerry and myself are joined by Mike White of The Projection Booth to talk as much about our own experiences and thoughts on tapes as well as the film. Give it a listen, then gather your friends together to reminisce (if you're of that age) about your own mixtapes, the times you became cassette surgeons, and how much you miss your old Walkmans. The film is available for you to watch on Tubi or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmClZ7SMfBo Mike has a number of shows running under the banner of the Weirding Way Media network, but the flagship is The Projection Booth, essential listening for film fans of any type of cinema – tentpole, arthouse, Sci-fi, Czech, theme months, early cinema, obscure, mainstream.....all discussed with people passionate about films. It's a favourite of ours at See Hear. On your favourite podcast app or at the website: https://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/ If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour (except Spotify). Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back at episode 110 of See Hear, Tim, Kerry and I had a round table discussion (Broadway Danny Rose style) about Denny Tedesco's 2015 documentary, The Wrecking Crew. That film was about the session musicians of the 1960s LA scene that made the “name” performers sound great. These session musicians were not known by name outside of that community until their achievements were lauded decades later. What happens in the 1970s when the next generation of LA musicians want to have the ability to play with lot of different artists AND have the joy of being part of a BAND rather than just being part of a pool? You get Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel and Russ Kunkel rewriting the rules. Welcome to episode 113 of See Hear Podcast. Unlike the members of the Wrecking Crew who were originally trained as jazz musicians, and fell into rock and roll to earn a living, the new generation of musicians had grown with rock and roll, loved The Beatles, and wanted to play with songwriters that they admired – as well as contribute to their arrangements. They had the best of both worlds – freedom to play with different people, but still feel part of a gang. Director Denny Tedesco has created a wonderful follow-up to his Wrecking Crew film with the new doc, Immediate Family. For the last few years, they've been playing as a band under that name, but for years, they were playing (together and separately) for hundreds of songwriters / performers including James Taylor, John Prine, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Linda Ronstadt, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Phil Collins, and many many more. Their “employers” were also their friends who valued these gents' creative input, not just the ability to knock off a song under tight record company and studio requirements. Once again, Denny has produced an absorbing film about a side of rock history not usually discussed outside of musician circles. As well as chatting about Immediate Family, we of course go back to The Wrecking Crew documentary, and Denny's relationship with his dad, legendary guitarist, Tommy Tedesco. If you want to find out details of where to stream the film or see a theatrical screening, go to https://immediatefamilyfilm.com/ Sadly, it would appear that it's only streaming in the US at the moment, but check for updates on the website or https://www.facebook.com/immediatefamilyfilm. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of American folk songs of the 60s, you'd think of political injustice, civil rights, hardships due to economic burdens, and war, right? Or do you think about the comforts of food always being laid out on the table, boundless optimism 'cos “its THAT kind of day” or kissing at the end of an optical illusion caused by the dispersion of light in water droplets? 'Cos both work, ya know. Welcome to episode 112 of See Hear Podcast. In 2003, Christopher Guest released A Mighty Wind, the third of his mockumentaries – not counting Rob Reiner's “This Is Spinal Tap”. He had an ensemble cast all highly skilled in improvisation weave the story of what happens when 3 folk groups reassemble for a tribute concert dedicated to their recently deceased manager. Personal frailties, egos, catch phrases, rivalries and decidedly non-issue songs are all focused on in this very funny film. Tim was unavailable, but Kerry and I were joined by her daughter Sarah Fristoe. We debated the accusation that Guest's comedies can be cruel to their characters. We also discussed the songs, the use of Yiddish, the origins of many of the cast members via Second City, and we ask the important question....Wha' Happened? One point of trivia we forgot to mention about art jumping into real life.....supposedly, The Folksmen would be the support act for Spinal Tap on American tours. The crowd not realising it was the same bunch of gents, booed them offstage. I hope this isn't just urban legend.... Many thanks to Sarah for being an enthusiastic See Hearian and bringing great insight to what is a favourite film. You can watch the original Folksmen sketch that appeared on Saturday Night Live nearly 20 years before A Mighty Wind at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LztVpOOhEY A Mighty Wind is on many of the usual streaming services (or possibly in your DVD collection.....) If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musicians, artists, actors and authors (and any other creatives I haven’t nominated) have long taken pseudonyms. Maybe a more exciting name will sell an image, maybe it’s to have some semblance of privacy, maybe it’s to separate themselves from their past, …any number of reasons. Avant garde art collective The Residents took things beyond name change – they maintained complete anonymity. Welcome to episode 111 of See Hear Podcast. The Residents are a band, multimedia artists, theatrical performers….and anonymous. Long time fans claim to be aware of their identities, but putting that aside, the band subscribed to the Theory of Obscurity that maintains that better art is created when the artist is anonymous and free of audience expectations. The band has always performed with masks and not given names….not even pseudonyms. They’ve been creating music for over 50 years, and have released multitudes of albums – original compositions and deconstructions of 20th century standards from the likes of The Rolling Stones, James Brown and George Gershwin. Trying to define what they do beyond the catch-all tag of “avant- garde” is ridiculous. For some, it can be music that is difficult or challenging….and for others, it can be a breath of fresh air. For this episode of See Hear, Tim and Maurice discuss the 2015 film “Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents” directed by Don Hardy, its themes, the music of the Residents, and whether there’s something actually to the theory or if it’s bunk. The film is easily available on Kanopy, Youtube and Tubi. You can tune into our conversation before or after watching it, but either way, grab your top hat and cane, then tune in. We have our eye on you. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast/?hl=en You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most working people have that day gig – accountant, engineer, admin, hospitality. The job pays the bills and puts food on the table. We don’t tend to think of being a musician as a day job category. Welcome to episode 110 of See Hear Podcast. Through the 20th century, there was always some group of musicians who had that “day job” status – playing for corporate functions, teaching people to instrumental skills, and being the faceless people providing the grooves and melodies behind your favourite records. Remember the shock you felt realising that the Beach Boys weren’t playing their own instruments on Pet Sounds? Or The Monkees? The collective of Los Angeles session musicians who became known as The Wrecking Crew (via drummer Hal Blaine’s autobiography) provided the music for tons of songs that music fans consider pop pantheon. There were other collectives of course – Motown had the Funk Brothers, Stax had Booker T and the MGs, and there were the collectives in Muscle Shoals and Nashville. Film maker Denny Tedesco is the son of Wrecking Crew guitarist, Tommy Tedesco. In the mid 90s, Denny started making a documentary that took nearly 20 years to make. Financing for licensing rights was a big part of that duration, but in the end, he created a wonderful film that opens a window to the world of that period of time when Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, The Mamas and the Papas, The Ronettes, and The Beach Boys all had one thing in common – The Wrecking Crew. Even if the general public had no idea who Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Earl Palmer or Plas Johnson were, the “name” artists certainly did and revered their work. For episode 110, Tim, Kerry and myself discussed Denny’s documentary as well as our own favourite records from that period, the difference between WC and other famous session groups, British session musicians, social context, and economics. Tim also has an interesting spin on why session musicians may not feel the need to brag about their work……. If you want to catch up on the film, it’s currently available on Beamafilm, Prime and (in October / November 2023) SBS On Demand. Very excitingly, we will be having Denny Tedesco on See Hear in early 2024 to talk about his new film The Immediate Family about another group of LA session musicians from the 70s. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast/?hl=en You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was a time when the rock and roll star appearance in a film ostensibly as themselves (or a variant) was a given. Think of the films of Elvis Presley or Cliff Richard. Before the Warholian expression of 15 minutes of fame became a thing, the pop music film was a way to make the most of the latest populist puppet’s time in the sun – script be damned, musician’s longevity be damned. “Let’s just give the kids what they want and reap the benefits before the next pretty face we can exploit”. I’m sure that was the studio mantra. The Beatles were gonna be part of that machine….yet something different happened. Welcome to See Hear Podcast episode 109. The Beatles got signed to a 3 film deal with United Artists, and in 1964 released what has been called the Citizen Kane of rock and roll films, A Hard Day’s Night. People have been arguing the merits of their filmic output ever since. This year, author Steve Matteo has released a book called Act Naturally: The Beatles On Film where he focuses on the Fabs as film stars. He looks at the making of each of their 5 films giving credit to their collaborators, as well as putting the films into social context (what else was happening in British cinema at the time). Unfortunately, neither Kerry nor Tim was available to join me on this conversation, but Steve and I had a terrific time talking about his book and all things Beatle-films.....and many things Beatle adjacent. I also make a confession that will have film buffs gathering their pitchforks and hunting me down – I stand by my contention. Thanks hugely to Steve for a very entertaining conversation. I hope to have him back for a round table at some stage. The book Act Naturally: The Beatles On Film is available at all the usual virtual and physical bookstores. It comes with the See Hear stamp of approval. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....   See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com.   Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com   Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast   Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast/?hl=en   You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices