See Hear Podcast

In the year 1969, Richard Nixon became president of the United States, James Earl Ray plead guilty to the murder of Dr Martin Luther King, multiple planes are hijacked to Cuba, the Stonewall Rebellion took place, and the war in Vietnam raged on. ….but there was an incredible music festival that took place for the third time in Mt Morris Park in Harlem, that for years no one recalled. Welcome to See Hear Podcast episode 95. Tony Lawrence was a lounge singer who had a vision to bring some joy and positivity to Harlem. The African American population had undergone poverty and police brutality. Lawrence assembled the first Harlem Cultural Festival in 1967, but the lineup of 1967 was truly amazing. Started a full two months before Woodstock, this festival held over a series of weekends over the summer featured the likes of Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, The Staple Singers, The Fifth Dimension, B.B. King and many others. 40 hours of festival footage was shot for local TV networks, but shortly after, the festival an

Texas has given the world some great songwriters: Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, and Kinky Friedman (yes indeed!!!) among may others. When you discuss one of the most revered Texan songsmiths, (who lived much of his life in Nashville), you really have to discuss two others as well. Welcome to episode 94 of See Hear Podcast. Tim and I were rapt to welcome to the show author and film maker Tamara Saviano. She co directed with her husband Paul Whitfield a documentary about Guy Clark called Without Getting Killed Or Caught. Of course, you can't discuss Guy without talking about his wife Susanna and their friend Townes Van Zandt – their lives were all closely connected. They wrote together, lived together and loved each other deeply. The story has joy, tragedy, art, knives, boats, and a very healthy respect for songwriting. These three and the community of songwriters they worked with in Nashville would share their work, for the sake of the song. The perfect song was king....rivalries be damned. Tamara and Paul ha

Would you be tempted to watch a film where aliens travel around in a space ship in the shape of a Flying V looking for the source of rock and roll in the universe? How about if it involved a high school romance, a battle of the bands, escaped mental patients armed to the teeth, and a polluted lake? Tim, Bernie, Maurice and friend of the show Paul Ryan have done just that.....and had a conversation about it for your aural pleasure. Welcome to episode 93 of See Hear Podcast. Voyage Of The Rock Aliens is a forgotten musical from 1984, made in an era when instead of the MGM musicals of yesteryear, we were presented with Can't Stop The Music and The Apple. Like many musicals from the 70s and 80s, Voyage combines fantastical elements with popular music....at least what was popular in the mid 80s....so synths, Linn drums, big hair and space costumes are the order of business here. Did we mention that Jermaine Jackson appears in the opening minutes of this film for NO REASON AT ALL???? When aliens are looking for

Change is difficult. Some embrace it, some resist it. It might seem obvious, but change is inevitable. Welcome to episode 92 of See Hear Podcast. Jazz is an art form that never remained stagnant. Through creativity or financial necessity, post-war jazz moved from the big swing orchestras to smaller ensembles and bebop became the dominant form. In the late 50s, some jazz musicians decided that, as exciting as bebop was, they wanted to take jazz music in a different direction with band members not having to rely on a structure – neither rhythmically, melodically, or tonally. Avant garde jazz had its champions over the years including people like Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor, Carla Bley, Albert Ayler and Sun Ra amongst many others. Bernie and I speak with drummer and film director Tom Surgal about his great new documentary “Fire Music: The Story of Free Jazz”. His documentary tells the story of how this music was developed and supported over the years. The music had many det

What happened to heavy metal in the eighties? It bred Dokken, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, W.A.S.P., Motley Crue and many other hair metal bands. Meanwhile in Richmond ,Virginia, an art student and punk musician connected while part of an art collective to form a metal band that combined theatre, chops, a sense of humour, and plenty of bodily fluids. Welcome to episode 91 of See Hear Podcast. Scott Barber is the director of a wonderful documentary about Gwar, a band that had liked to blend social satire with heavy music. They invented themselves as creatures from another planet that had been dumped on Earth with the express purpose of destroying all humankind....or at least its political leaders. A Gwar concert experience will include costumes, stage props, bodily secretions sprayed on its audience, decapitations, and as much taking the piss as spraying the piss. For all of the cartoonish elements the band may have to the casual observer, this film tells the story of a band of brothers and sisters – musicians and

Music must change. It always has and always will. The common story (probably part truth and myth) is that punk emerged in the UK as a reaction to the so-called “dinosaur” bands...the ones that had been around for a whole 10 or so years (we'd laugh at that notion now....). Bands that were bloated on their success and measured that success on excess...the supposed antithesis of the early days of popular music. Punk burned brightly, but quickly gave way to the “new wave” of British bands. A large umbrella for many bands who often had little in common. Welcome to episode 90 of See Hear Podcast. Tim is absent for this episode for the most wonderful reason...he's getting married on Halloween to his fiance' Maria (Bernie and I love you both). We invited long time friend and host of The Projection Booth, Mike White, to help round out the trio. Mike selected this month's film, Breaking Glass released in 1980. Starring Hazel O' Connor, it's set in Thatcher's England and tells the story of a singer who just wants her

Say you're in a band, and you're struggling to get your songs performed because the self-appointed leader is a narcissistic arsehole. Then along comes an aging mega rock star who offers you a gig to sing for him so he can summon a demon from another dimension... It's a common showbiz tale.... Welcome to episode 89 of See Hear. Tim, Bernie and Maurice sit at the virtual round table to talk about the 1983 animated feature Rock & Rule developed by Canadian animation house, Nelvana (later known for The Care Bears Movie). The film is set in a dystopian future where earth's occupants are animals mutated into humans (because ya know....anthropomorphic animals in cartoons....) The one thing that hasn't changed is that band in fighting still exists and aging rock stars still have massive egos. We talk about the history of Nelvana, Faustian tales (of which this isn't quite one), King Features, animation for adults vs animation for kids, major studio interference, and the soundtrack of this film featuring Cheap Tric

So, let's say you're a working songwriter and musician. Life is hard enough as it is (and we're talking pre-Covid) without a couple of divorces, management of a singer with an inferiority complex, keeping an agent inline who's trying to cheat you, and a publisher is HAS cheated you to worry about. Unless you're Doc Jenkins..... Welcome to episode 88 of See Hear. Bernie, Tim and Maurice gather around to talk about the 1984 film Songwriter starring Willie Nelson (as Doc Jenkins) and Kris Kristofferson (as Blackie Buck). The film looks at the day to day issues of a pair of country singers from Texas who aspire to stardom, but not before the industry takes ITS cut. They decide the industry can just stop cheating them out of their due, and they take some fun steps towards that. The See Hear crew have some fun talking about the music and filmography of these giants of country music as well as the film and its songs. What did they think? Tune in and find out. To follow along, you can watch the film on Tubi (but

With the ubiquity of fanzines, blogs and podcasts in the 21st century, anyone can publish their critiques on any form of the arts (including your humble hosts of this very show). For better or worse, we don't have to limit ourselves to the opinions of those who claim to “know better”. There was a time, though, where we'd have to rely on information and analysis about music from the writers at publications like NME, RAM, Juke, Rolling Stone or any number of music magazines. Welcome to episode 87 of See Hear Podcast. In 1969 in that most rock and roll of cities Detroit, publisher Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay created Creem magazine. Unlike, the recently founded Rolling Stone which portrayed rock music as a serious artform, Creem was taking the piss out of popular culture – very much in line with counter culture values. It featured writers who would be gain fame and infamy like Lester Bangs, Dave Marsh, Cameron Crowe, Robert Christgau and Greil Marcus among many others who obviously loved the musi

I Predict that When I'm With You, there will be no Existential Threat unless we're Eaten By The Monster Of Love in this Cool World. Welcome to episode 86 of See Hear Podcast. Edgar Wright has been known to use music to great effect in his narrative films, so it's only appropriate that he makes a music-related documentary. The Sparks Brothers tells the tale of brothers Ron and Russell Mael who as Sparks have been writing and recording albums for nearly 5 decades. Unlike so many musicians who had an initial creative flourish then lose sight of their muse, the Maels are still creating great music right up to today. Due to a peculiar turn of events, Tim, Bernard and Maurice handed the keys to the See Hear car over to friends of the show Mike White of the Projection Booth Podcast and musician / documentarian Skizz Cyzyk. These guys are the best, and we felt completely comfortable leaving the show in their professional hands. As a bonus, Mike also presents an interview with the film's editor Paul Trewartha. It's

The early history of musicals often includes romantic comedies with slight plots as an excuse for big song and dance numbers (often in the context of “let's put on a show”). The romantic sub-plot is a big criticism of the Marx Brothers films at MGM, getting in the way of the anarchy of the masters of mirth. In 1941, a musical was released by Universal that broke all the rules of narrative and made fun of those romantic subplots. Welcome to See Hear Podcast episode 85. After 3 years on Broadway, a Vaudeville revue of song and sketches called Hellzapoppin' was made into a film. Knowing that it was unfilmable in its stage form, it was recreated as something completely different. This may not have been the first film to smash down the 4th wall, but it made it into an artform. Hellzapoppin' also features satire, surrealism, self mockery a film within a film within a film....and some great dancing and even a few good songs (we ARE a music film podcast, after all). A plot description of Hellzapoppin' would not

The late 70s moving into the 80s was a time ruled by conservative government in the UK. There were clashes with government ideology and the NF was scarily making its collective voice heard. Musicians reacted in different ways. There was the Rock Against Racism march with a huge concert featuring The Clash and other great punk acts of the day. As well as punk music, the other style that brought black and white people together was ska – a revival of the music made popular in Jamaica in the 1960s. The main acts spearheading the second wave of ska were The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter and Madness Welcome to episode 84 of See Hear Podcast. Madness were less overtly political than their contemporaries, but by writing personal songs about daily life and how people living in England were coping, they still fit in as a political band. Of course at the time, their image was all about having “the nutty sound”, so people would dance to their hugely catchy and popular tunes. Often, the subject matter was darker than

We're sure you've all said or heard, “Don't judge a book by it's cover”. That can logically be extended on occasion to “Don't judge a film by its poster art”. Welcome to episode 83 of See Hear Podcast. Tim is finally rejoining the show after having been absent since October 2020. We welcomed him back with his choice of a round-table film discussion. No interviews....just the “terrible trio”. He picked a film by director Craig Brewer, whose earlier film Hustle and Flow is part of See Hear lore (don't try looking the episode up, it ain't there). If you look at the poster art you will get the impression you're about to watch a sleazy tribute to early 70s grindhouse cinema. The truth is a little more complex than that. We advise you not to rage against the perception of what it is, but to absorb what it REALLY is...let us be your guides. Samuel L Jackson plays an ex-blues guitarist whose life is broken. He discovers a battered Christina Ricci outside his farm – she's also someone whose life is broken. Sam's ch

Bernie, Tim and I have never ceased to be amazed at the creativity and hard work that must go into making a film (any work of art, really). One thing we've never spoken about on the show is the art of film curation - a subject that Martin Scorcese himself has recently written about. Welcome to episode 82 of See Hear Podcast. Bernie and I spoke with Colm Forde, a man who took it on himself to start a film festival in London devoted to music documentaries – a strong part of See Hear's foundation. The festival itself has spread around the UK over the last few years. Colm had grand plans for further the festival, but....ya know....bloody Covid....so he and his team focused on their VOD service. All music docs....all of the time. The best thing is the films are NOT geo-blocked (unlike so many streaming sites – and new Facebook policy for some media websites in Australia) We discussed the trials and tribulations of film distribution, the delicate art of film selection, why we're living in a glory day for these s

Three grown men over the age of 40 (two Brits and an Australian) walked into a podcast to discuss a film about two teenage American guys from the seventies looking to get stoned, drunk and laid. Welcome to episode 81 of See Hear Podcast – the start of our 8th year. Tim is still on sabbatical, but Bernie and Maurice were joined by host of The Iron Sequel podcast, James Lawrence, to talk about the 1994 film The Stoned Age. It's a “set in one night” film (a genre unto itself) telling the story of two friends who want to party with a couple of girls visiting LA (was “party” always a verb?). Obviously, there are obstacles (otherwise there's no story). Blue Oyster Cult are a big part of the story (there had to be SOME music connection for it to qualify as a See Hear episode, you see....) We talk about one-night-films, films that focus on nostalgia, musical true believers, and ask the questions about older films that some will consider problematic in 2021. Bernie and I are grateful to James for suggesting the fi

With all the obsession the media makes of the rock era (i.e. the 60s onwards) it's all to easy to forget about the early days of rock and roll. The casual listener may think of Elvis, Chuck, Buddy or Little Richard – important parts of rock and roll history, obviously, but what's often forgotten about are the great vocal harmony groups. Groups like The Ravens, The Flamingos, The Orioles, The Dells, as well as the iconic Drifters and The Platters need to be revered as much as any of the greats in rock and roll history. Without them, the history of rock music would not only be poorer, but much of what came after the fifties (like Motown) would either not exist or at least be very different. Welcome to episode 80 of See Hear. Brent Wilson has directed a wonderful new documentary on the history of Doo Wop music, how it changed social history in the US, and how it influenced the singers over the decades after its heyday. The film is called Streetlight Harmonies, and he took the time to talk about the film as wel

Once again, See Hear and The Projection Booth have collaborated on an episode.....or The Projection Booth invited Maurice onto the show and See Hear is now riding the coattails of the Booth. He joins Mike White and film maker / drummer / surf enthusiast Skizz Cyzyk to talk about the new documentary on the sonically adventurous and prolific Washington band, The Ventures. The film is a loving look at the career and longevity of the surf music icons, directed by Don Wilson's daughter, Staci Layne Wilson. They talk about the surf sound and whether it's in the guitar or the song name, the band's history, their reputation as song interpreters, their relationship to their Japanese fan base, and so much more. Run, Don't Walk to download this episode of the show. The film is available at https://www.amazon.com/Ventures-Stars-Guitars-Don-Wilson/dp/B08N5V3Y4X Find the huge back catalogue of Projection Booth episodes at http://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/ You can download the show by searching for See Hear pod

On the See Hear podcast, we've spoken about films that have music's relation to politics, history, cultural shifts, and singing plants. We figured it was about time to get a little scientific. On episode 79, with Tim on sabbatical, Bernie and I spoke with film director, Isabelle Raynauld. She is a film professor at the University of Montreal with a strong interest in neuroscience and music therapy. Over the course of several years, Isabelle has made a great documentary called Tuning The Brain With Music (released at the start of 2020). In the film, she speaks with all manner of people about studies that have been made into how the brain accommodates music. The scientists and therapists speak alongside people whose lives have been changed for the better by music. Tune in and find out how. Thanks so much to Isabelle for her time and enthusiasm. We'd recommend you search out the film, available to stream from https://vimeo.com/ondemand/tuningthebrainwithmusic You can also order her book Reading and Writing a

An English woman and an American man drive through the American south in 1959. Their mission is to record folk songs for the Library of Congress, but they also record what peoples' lives are like at that time. How did this bode for the future? Welcome to See Hear podcast episode 78. The man was ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, and the woman was folk singer Shirley Collins. Their travels came on the cusp of the civil rights movement, and Alan had returned to America after an extended time away avoiding HUAC. The journey should have just been a study in peoples' living conditions and preserving a wealth of songs previously passed down from generation to generation. The fact that Lomax had been responsible for recording music from Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger meant that anything he did was considered a political act – not a safe thing in 1950s America. Bernie and Maurice had the pleasure of speaking with English film director Rob Curry about two of his films – 2017's The Ballad of Shirley Collins and 2020's Sou

There are singers who perform covers.   There are song interpreters.   And…..there’s Tiny Tim.   Welcome to episode 77 of See Hear Podcast.   (Not Tiny) Tim, Bernie and Maurice welcome film maker Johan Von Sydow to the show to talk about his new documentary Tiny Tim: King For a Day. If you only know Tiptoe Through The Tulips, be prepared to discover a whole lot more about the man known mainly for falsetto singing and ukuleles. Johan’s excellent film reveals the story of a man who was defined in the public eye more by his (undeniable) eccentricities than by his talents. The film follows the difficult home and social life of Herbert Butros Khaury until he evolved into Tiny Tim, a walking jukebox of tin pan alley songs. The contradiction is that he appeared to embrace the perception of him as “freak” as much as it hurt him personally.   Our gratitude to Johan for talking to us about his wonderful film and Tiny in general. It is getting cinema screenings and will make its way to a VOD / streaming platform in due