See Hear

So, I came up with an idea a couple of months back (it does happen once in a while). I wanted to see if we could get a second shorter episode of See Hear fitted in every month with different co hosts. We'd call these episodes See Hear Shorts (clever, huh). Unfortunately....we couldn't make this work. One a month is (for the moment) our limit. However, before this became apparent, I recorded one episode of this new format....with a marvellous new theme tune composed by Max Bursztynski.  Welcome to episode 140 of See Hear Podcast. See Hear Shorts was not destined to be, but I have a perfectly good conversation to use for an episode of See Hear proper. I'm joined by Eric Senich of the excellent Booked On Rock podcast. He suggested we talk about the 2014 film Whiplash. How do you discuss a film with so much packed into it in 20 minutes? Tune in an find out. Does anyone win in a scenario where the push for excellence includes cruelty? Is J.K. Simmons treatment of the musicians in his jazz ensemble justifiable to make them the best he believes they can be at the expense of their humanity? We can't solve this in a film discussion podcast, but we give it a crack. My huge thanks to Eric for joining me, and we will bring him back for a longer episode of See Hear. Tune into Booked On Rock to hear fascinating stories from a a wide range of authors on music history or criticism. Tune in at your favourite podcast app or check out his website https://www.bookedonrock.com/ 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 [email protected] 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many great films with narcissists as the lead character. There are films about characters behaving poorly because society says it's not only allowed but encouraged. We at See Hear felt that rock and roll cinema has its share of narcissistic characters who behave poorly with society's blessing....so we've picked not one, but two films that highlight this behaviour. Welcome to episode 139 of See Hear podcast. In the early 70s, nostalgia for the 50s was getting started. George Lucas was releasing one of the handful of films he made that didn't involve robots, walking carpets, and mysterious men in robes. That film was American Graffiti and it was set to a soundtrack of early rock and roll. In 1973, producer David Puttnam and writer Ray Connolly put together a story set in the same time period, but with a far grittier storyline. That story became That'll Be The Day, a film about a working class teenager Jim Maclaine who like many British youth caught the rock and roll bug. He quits school and leaves home (where he's desperately needed) to take a series of mundane jobs all in the name of his freedom. He proceeds to treat everyone he knows like dirt, all in the name of his personal freedom. He's far from sympathetic, yet we're fascinated by him. We also look at the film's 1974 sequel Stardust which has a Faustian premise – be careful what you wish for. Maclaine becomes a rock and roll star, and still treats those around him poorly....but he has none of the freedom he thought being famous would bring him. If That'll Be The Day was a 70s version of the kitchen sink drama, Stardust is a rock biopic about a character who didn't exist, and well before biopics became common. The films are stylistically very different, but very much two halves of the one story. Playing our anti-hero is pop star David Essex. By the time Stardust was released, he was a bona fide pop sensation, and the films may have served as a warning to him to treat people better than his character. Providing support is Ringo Starr (in what is often cited to be his greatest acting role), Keith Moon, Adam Faith, pre-JR Larry Hagman, and many others. These films were huge in their day, with soundtracks that sold in large numbers but are seemingly forgotten in the 21st century. Tim, Kerry and I were rapt to be joined by co hosts of Stinking Pause and Reel Britannia, Scott, Charlie, “Shakin'” Steven and Paul. These films are SO British, we couldn't NOT do them without their contributions to the conversation. 7 people on a podcast chat? Trust me, it worked....and hopefully you'll find it entertaining. We talk about kitchen sink dramas, nostalgia, rock and roll versus trad jazz in England representing the class wars, rock musicians who live in a state of arrested development, letting a record company's back catalogue dictate the soundtrack (sort of) rather than the writers, England's David Cassidy, and so much more. We forgot to talk about how when Ringo turns the other cheek, it's not the ones on his face......so I mention it here.... Our huge thanks go to the fine gents of Stinking Pause and Reel Britannia for joining in a lively conversation and educating us in British film history. You can find them at: https://stinkingpause.libsyn.com/ or at https://reelbritannia.libsyn.com/ or on the podcast app of your choice. We're looking forward to our next collaboration with the chaps. Check your streaming service to see if the films are available....or go and track down a double DVD set from Studio Canal with both films. 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 [email protected] 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 exciting thing about doing See Hear podcast is that the three of us never know what the others are going to pick for discussion. This is not just relevant for film purposes, but musically, two of us may not be at all familiar with what the third person has picked....and so Tim selected this episode's film, Freaks In Love, a 2011 documentary about NYC band, Alice Donut. Welcome to episode 138 of See Hear Podcast. It would be fair to say that Kerry and I had never heard any of the music of Alice Donut. They're a punk band with a flair for poppy melodies. They can serve up equal amounts of wild, crazy music and very dark subject matter. They're a band who declare they stood against the music of Ray Parker Jr and Huey Lewis (apologies to those who enjoy those artists). On stage, they were anarchic, but offstage, they're free of the sorts of egos and behaviour that destroy many bands. Sure, they've argued – they're human beings – but this is a portrait of a group of musicians who enjoy each others' company as well as the music they make together. The added bonus to Tim picking this film is that we discovered one of the directors is friend of the show, Skizz Cyzyk. We didn't have to twist his arm too hard to get him to come back and talk about his film and the musicians that welcomed him into their world. He specialises in films about “outsider” music, and he would openly say so. Thank goodness for people like Skizz documenting the history that would otherwise pass us by. Check out our previous episodes with him on Icepick To The Moon and Sound Mechanic. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Chet Mazur. You can watch “Freaks In Love” on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWL5-XFGKgc&t=4108s 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 [email protected] 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

In the early 90s, things were radically changing for music. After a decade where music in the mainstream was often beholden to production excess, gated drums, and where there was ofte more polish on a recording than on a hospital floor, underground bands (for a time) brought things back to basics in the wider arena. Guitar riffs, hooks, and volume became the norm again (for a time). So, how did a film about a group of Dublin youths playing tough 1960s soul – as well as its soundtrack – become one of the biggest phenomenons around in 1991, the same year as Nevermind? Welcome to episode 137 of See Hear....sort of. In early July, Kerry and I recorded an episode of Reel Britannia with our dear friends Scott and Tom (of the Banned Biographies podcast). I knew Scott was recording an episode dedicated to Alan Parker's 1991 film The Commitments, and I pushed Kerry and my way onto the episode.....this is one of my favourite films ever, and knew we had to be part of the conversation. Scott has very graciously allowed me to put this episode on the See Hear feed as well. We will be welcoming the RB crew for an episode of See Hear in September, so it's a cross pollination thing going, you see. At the time of recording, it was a mere few weeks before the tragic death of Glen Hansard who was part of the Commitments ensemble. Because of its recording date, there is obviously no mention or tribute to this great musician (and from all accounts, a wonderful human being). We now dedicate this episode to his memory. We have a wonderful conversation about the power of music to bring people together, and the power of ego to tear the apart. Despite the film having a string element of social realism, this is no dire tale of the hardship of existence. Jimmy Rabbitte is a young music fan (played by Robert Arkins, not Argyle as I stupidly say in the podcast) who puts together a soul band – the music of the working class in his estimation – to bring joy to Dublin. What follows is an exercise in what happens when he brings 11 people together to play some of the most joyous and heartbreaking popular music of the 20th century. They form a microcosm of society who can achieve greatness and tear at each other. These youth learn to have aspirations greater than the hand that their hard lives have dealt them. Sounds serious, right? Nup – it's as funny as all get out, while still making some serious points about how people can love and hate each other all at once. Oh...did I say, it has the most brilliant (if jukebox) soundtrack? Kerry and I had an amazing time with Scott and Tom, and hope you enjoy. You can download the show from our feed or you can subscribe to Reel Britannia and get it there. It's always a treat to listen to their discussions about British cinema (and yes, we know The Commitments is Irish – we justify its place on RB). You can find RB at https://reelbritannia.libsyn.com/ or wherever you get podcasts. 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 [email protected] 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 is often said that music is the great uniter....people are connected by a common love of music. Whoever said that hasn't spent any time in an online music discussion forum. One person declares their love of a particular musician, and the next thing we see are anonymous posts from society's music experts on why that person's pick is rubbish. Music CAN unite us, but it can also divide us. Welcome to episode 136 of See Hear Podcast. Kerry and I are thrilled to welcome back our brother, Tim Merrill after a needed absence. Our trio are back to discuss any manner of music-films. Our first round table in a while is the 2011 film, The Music Never Stopped. It's based on a case study by neurologist Oliver Sacks called The Last Hippie. The central protagonist has a large but benign tumour removed from his brain. The damage done to his hippocampus means he struggles to make new memories, and can only speak in short bursts. However, it's discovered that when he is asked about music, he returns to some sort of normality, particularly when asked about The Grateful Dead. The film differs from the case study in that it makes the story about the patient's (named Gabriel in the film) relationship with his father. We see Gabriel grow up originally engaged in his father's musical taste. However, as Gabe grows up during the late 60s in America during the era when teens were raging against the Vietnam conflict, the values of their parents, and were going in a very different musical direction, he storms out of home and is not seen for 20 years. When Gabe's parents rediscover where he is, Gabe's father (played by the wonderful J.K. Simmons) has to reconcile that to reconnect with his son, he has to forsake Bing Crosby for The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Grateful Dead. Like all good music films, there's more tackled here than the power of music to unite or divide. There's generation gap issues, mental health, family bonds, and the fragility of the brain. Search for the film on American Tubi (point your VPN to the US if you live elsewhere). It was so great to be reunited with Tim. I can assure you he's picked something very different for next month's film discussion.... 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 [email protected] 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