Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

Mark Hamill not only owns collectibles, he is a collectible. Mark talks to us about his first blush with the Beatles, how he began collecting Beatles memorabilia, that time he met George Harrison on a plane, and whether or not he let his kids play with Star Wars toys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this interview, Max talks about his favourite Beatle albums, Ringo’s profound influence on rock drummers, and what happened onstage at a Springsteen concert the night Lennon was murdered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Halley was one of the brilliant animators on Yellow Submarine. The film is considered one of the most inventive animated films of all time. In this interview with the late animator, he tells us how he came to be involved, how they all managed to create this classic film in just 11 months. And much to our surprise, Tom tells us he was also an animator on the Beatles cartoon series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Paris Olympics in motion, it is a good time to revisit this episode from our archives.From the first ad at the first Olympics in 1896, to the hundreds of millions spent on today's advertising contracts, sponsorship money has always been a contentious issue. The Olympics cost a fortune to stage, and sponsorship money makes it possible. But there's a price to pay when there's a price to pay. How marketing has evolved at the Olympics is a fascinating story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Sheff conducted the last major interview with John Lennon. Just as Double Fantasy was being released, Sheff interviewed John & Yoko for Playboy magazine. It was the famous interview where Lennon went through the Beatles catalogue song-by-song - just before he died. The backstory of that interview is fascinating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I did a lot of commercials with Bob Newhart in the late 90s. He was one-in-a-million, a joy to work with, and he will be missed. And I want to tell you a very funny story that happened as a result of those commercials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Astrid Kirchherr holds a special place in the history of the Beatles. She took the famous Hamburg-era photos of the Beatles in their formative years, she inspired their “moptop” hairstyle, and she happened to fall in love with Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth member of the Beatles. Her story is compelling, and her love of the Beatles, as friends, comes through in every word. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we answer listener questions.We’ll talk about how bands create theme songs for TV shows and how much they get paid. We’ll go back in time and talk about that flirtatious couple from that famous Nescafe TV campaign. And we’ll explore why condom makers now market different sizes, when it used to be one-size-fits-all.What’s goin’ on there? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode. Every year, I list four brands I’ve admired from a distance. We’ll talk about a classic board game created by a Canadian couple. An ice cream chain founded by another Canadian. An iconic lighter that was named after a zipper. And a woman who is dominating television these days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every company dreams of doubling its profit. It’s almost impossible to do. Yet, some companies do it by tweaking one tiny thing. We’ll talk about an industry that put three words on their packaging that doubled their profit. A company that created a catchy jingle that doubled their revenue overnight. And a business that changed one single word in a headline and their profit went up 100%. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we shoot for the moon. Now that commercialized space travel has arrived, the world of marketing is setting its sights on the stars. We’ll talk about ads on rocket ships, ads on spacesuits, and television commercials filmed on the International Space Station. There are companies who want to employ hundreds of tiny satellites to create logos in the night sky. Some companies even want to put ads on the moon. And those ads might even be cheaper than Super Bowl commercials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Occasionally, an old advertising campaign is brought back from the dead. Even if it has been off the air for decades. This week, we’ll discuss a recurring Coke commercial that has been called the most popular ad of all time. A much-loved beer campaign that has been revived after 34 years. And a controversial commercial that was yanked off the air in 1989, but was re-run again recently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode.We read a lot of books to research Under The Influence. But there’s never enough room to include all the great stories we find.So this episode is dedicated to those great stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. This year, our theme is bravery.We’ll tell an amusing story about how Danny DeVito made a bold decision when he was auditioning for the sitcom Taxi.We’ll salute Lucille Ball’s bravery.And we’ll talk about how Jacques Plante revolutionized goaltending by being brave enough to defy his coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under the Influence fans know that at the very end of each episode there’s a Fun Fact – an interesting little tidbit related to the show. Well, this year we’re asking you, our listeners, to record that Fun Fact. All you need is a phone or computer. Just visit our Fun Fact Page, follow the prompts and have fun with it.We choose two listeners every week – to be featured in the podcast and on CBC Radio.Happy recording. Oh, and keep checking back. The latest Fun Fact is refreshed every week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we go back in advertising history and take a look at the ads and commercials that could never, ever, EVER run today. They are either so politically incorrect, so sexist, or so inappropriate, you won’t believe your ears. From doctors recommending cigarettes, to 7-Up advertising to babies, to everyone singing about the joys of DDT, it’s amazing to think they all ran back in the day. Ads that couldn’t run today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.