Professor Mikey’s OLD SCHOOL

OLD SCHOOL #24 Poolside ’63

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

OLD SCHOOL #23 High School Gravitation

The high school experience described in this cassette of forgotten dreams is long ago and far away. It reeks with hope and frivolity mostly 50s and 60s style. The Ramones slip in on a pass from 1981, already Retro in their black leather jacket attitudes. The theme from their movie Rock and Roll High School is the key to what came before.Dealing two from ‘72, there’s a sea change from earlier de rigueur crew cuts and corsages. Alice Cooper delivers the anthem for all summers to come while Cheech and Chong bong the drum loudly. Claiming the ‘60s, we get Gary U. S. Bonds answering the tardy bell with fingers popping, while the Beach Boys lecture America’s youth on the value of football and Stingray tuneups.The 50s rock the establishment in their own ways, politely in ties and poodle skirts. Tommy Facenda’s high school hit is big in 23 markets. No one want to rock any boat except of course for naughty-but-slick Chuck Berry, class clown Coasters, Lone Star rockabilly tutor Gene Summers, and ball of fire Jerry Lee Lewis, who has found time to marry his freshman cousin.Last on the playlist but first in their class, the Fleetwoods leave us with a valedictory ballad that will wet every eye in the auditorium.And so it goes. Let’s hit the pool.PLAYLIST and VIDEOSChuck on Belgian TV, The Coasters in class, Cheech and Chong on “The Mating Game with Helen Reddy,” Alice at 18, Tommy Facenda’s Detroit version, a different Gene Summersrocker, Gary U. S. Bond’s biggest hit, Jerry Lee on Steve Allen TV, The Ramones on the Sha Na Na show, Beach Boys on Bandstand, and a biggie from the Fleetwoods…SCHOOL DAYS - Chuck Berry (1957)CHARLIE BROWN - The Coasters (1959)SISTER MARY ELEPHANT - Cheech & Chong (1972)SCHOOL’S OUT - Alice Cooper (1972)HIGH SCHOOL USA - Tommy Facenda (1959)SCHOOL IS OUT - Gary U. S. Bonds (1961)SCHOOL OF ROCK AND ROLL - Gene Summers & the Rebels (1958)HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL - Jerry Lee Lewis (1958)ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL - The Ramones (1981)BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL - The Beach Boys (1963)GRADUATION’S HERE - The Fleetwoods (1959) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #22 Headphone Demo

The tunes are coming at us from all directions on this episode in this special sound enhanced Don’t-Touch-That-Dial edition of Old School. The music finds its way through ping pong matches, big bang reverb, monster’s table manners, war toys, and alien visitations in this edition that is part sound garden and part road time trip.The studio becomes a player in debuts from The Cars and Jeff Beck, cosmic public radio with your host Jimi Hendrix, and greens for vegan Beach Boys who once lived on cheeseburgers by the sea. Gary Numan is from space, Iron Butterfly flap their wings to get there. The Moody Blues have harmonized back to the Stone Age, and as unknown as Gary Myrick is, he can be in two places at once. (Both sides of our heads.) Best of all, Pink Floyd has no freaking clue the adventure and riches that await, so for this special place in time they are just going to be weird.That’s the gist of HEADPHONE DEMO on Old School. Plug it in anywhere. Your device wants to show off. This week’s playlist and some alternate performances:MOVING IN STEREO The CarsEXP The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceDOWN IN THE PARK Gary Numan and Tubeway ArmyPROCESSION The Moody BluesSEVERAL SPECIES OF FURRY ANIMALS GATHERED TOGETHER IN A CAVE AND GROOVING WITH A PICT Pink FloydVEGETABLES The. Beach BoysSHE TALKS IN STEREO Gary Myrick and the FiguresSOUL EXPERIENCE Iron ButterflyI AIN’T SUPERSTITIOUS Jeff BeckArticle: World’s most expensive headphone* Focal Utopia by Tournaire – $120,000* Onkyo H900M 20-carat diamonds – $80,000* Sennheiser Orpheus/HE-1 – $68,000* V-Moda Crossfade M-100 – $40,000* Ultrasone ED5 LTD Edition 5 – $5,999* Abyss AB-1266 Phi – $5,495* oBravo EAMT-1s – $4,780* Final Audio Design Sonorous X – $4,500* Stax SR-009 – $4,450* Audeze LCD-4 – $4,000* HiFiMan HE1000 V2 – $3,380* Shure KSE1500 – $3,245* Meze Audio Empyrean – $2,999* Grado PS1000e – $2,030* Audeze LCD-X – $1,945* Sennheiser HD800 – $1,500* Beyerdynamic T1 – $1,395* Hifiman HE 6 – $1,299* JH Audio JH16 Pro – $1,295* Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 – $1,200Source : WealthyGorilla.com This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #21 Location Location Location

In this episode #21 of Old School we are scouting locations. Not all songs let you know their location or how many Wazers are around them. Today we will be checking out some famous musical whereabouts good, bad and ugly. After a frolic with The Runaways On Suburban Lawns we find ourselves listening outside the Charles residence on Lonely Avenue. A few tips from beat cool Mose Allison gets us ready for the city, where Porter Wagoner will tell us how bad it can really get. The party picks up at a real crazy apartment and before we know it we are up to the 99th Floor. On the way out we hear T. Rex serenade a tenement lady, then reflect on A Town Called Malice.No Google Maps we’re harmed or used during this show!ON SUBURBAN LAWNS The RunawaysLONELY AVENUE Ray CharlesIF YOU’RE GOIN’ TO THE CITY Mose AllisonSKID ROW JOE Porter WagonerREAL CRAZY APARTMENT Winston’s Fumbs99TH FLOOR Moving SidewalksTENEMENT LADY T. RexA TOWN CALLED MALICE The Jam This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #20 Spy Vs Spy

Today we land our one-seater helicopters in the early 60s, somewhere between the surf craze and the first wave of the British Invasion.The war was cold. You couldn't get anything From Russia With Love. Cowboy movies were replaced by nuclear fear flicks, usually up to deadly games spearheaded by governments with murky intentions.Everybody wanted to rule the world. Or blow it up if they were not paid the sum of ONE MILLION DOLLAR$!!!! Secret operatives unlocked codes, eliminated human roadblocks, disarmed atomic bombs, gambled at Monte Carlo until dawn then joined another secret agent in a bed under a two way mirror.007 quickly had company that included impossible missions, a man and a girl from uncle, silencers, an ipcress file, SMERSH, SPECTRE, Doctor Goldfoot and a bikini machine.In addition to their tricked out cars and shoephones, every agent came with a distinctive theme song to solidify their brands.For this episode we have uncovered a slew of secret agent joints, shaken not stirred. Should you choose to accept this mission, the tape willself destruct in 29 minutes.Live and Let Die.Welcome to Old School Number 20 Spy Vs Spy …. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE The Kane TripletsLAST OF THE SECRET AGENTS Nancy SinatraFROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE Matt MonroAGENT DOUBLE-O SOUL Edwin StarrTHE SILENCER Patti SeymourDR GOLDFOOT & THE BIKINI MACHINE The BeasSECRET AGENT MAN Johnny RiversSECRET AGENT MAN Devo This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #19 Fuzzy Memories

Music finds us in all sorts of ways. Much of the time, the way we remember a song is related to how many times we heard it on the radio, on the stereo, on our Walkmans. Our boogie brains sort every thing in ways mystical and cerebral, and in a form we like to call Pavlov’s Playback, we get the reward by hearing the song exactly as we remember it with every little detail.So entrenched is this phenomenon, when we hear the song by someone else, in a cover or perhaps original version, it’s like driving in England. Ultimately we will get where we are going, but the steering wheel is on the wrong side.Today’s OLD SCHOOL is mostly like that, but they aren’t covers. They are either original or different versions of tunes that saw greater success with different players.Gloria Jones created a classic decades before the Coneheads made it a signature song. One of The Brothers Johnson married a cousin of Shuggie Otis. Flipping through his bride’s vinyl, he discovered a tune destined for the pop charts seven years after teen Shuggie had originated it. Fleetwood Mac has a mind blowing version of “Black Magic Woman”—it certainly got the attention of Carlos Santana.Willie Mabon and Wynonie Harris rocked before Rock and Roll was rolled out. And finally, Joy Division recorded a few versions of their greatest hit. I attempt to explain it in the podcast, so push PLAY. Here is the playlist with some added features, including a beautiful but tainted video from Soft Cel.Thanks so much for your support of the OLD SCHOOL podcast! Subscribe on Apple or Spotify or Stitcher or Radio Public, and let those places know you are listening. It really helps the process.I think. But my memory is a bit fuzzy!TAINTED LOVE Gloria JonesSTRAWBERRY LETTER 23 Shuggie OtisBLACK MAGIC WOMAN Fleetwood MacSEVENTH SON Willie MabonGOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT Wynonie HarrisLOVE WILL TEAR US APART Joy Division This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #18 Atmospheric No Pressure

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anaïs NinFor the past couple of years, we’ve gone through silent springs. Events from graduations to championships to funerals evaporated into cancellations. Gatherings were discouraged. An active and vibrant world going into a two-year lockdown was not on anybody’s radar. As we get deeper into hope and spring being eternal, we are already realizing that this 22nd spring of the 21st centuray has it’s own limitations and global weirdness. Still a rebirth, a reawakening, sounds really good right about now.Most of today’s songs come from the late 60s and early 70s, when it was still quite a certainty that the age of Aquarius would go on for a thousand years. One song comes from the late 40s, right after World War II. It was written by a bearded vegetarian who got his song of ecological peace and love to the swinging and smooth Nat King Cole. Sopwith Camel (they got their name from a 1917 British biplane fighter) looks into the future of a planet that might not get the best care. Norton Buffalo finds love in the Valley of the Moon. John and Beverly Martyn loves the kind of life on Primrose Hill. Amazing Blondel, Gentle Giant, and the Incredible String band could have played outdoor festivals in Sherwood Forest. Atmospheric No Pressure. A mixtape for a surprised planet at a promising time of year.FAZON Sopwith CamelLOVING IN THE VALLEY OF THE MOON Norton BuffaloPRIMROSE HILL John and Beverly MartynPAVAN Amazing BlondelSCHOOL DAYS Gentle GiantLITTLE CLOUD Incredible String BandNATURE BOY Nat King ColeRETROFIT is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber “The past is a blast.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #17 Sixties Street Smarts

“Nobody’s ever taught you how to live out on the street and now you’re gonna have to get used to it…” “Like a Rolling Stone” Bob DylanThe next district over from the Old School’s is where you find the sacred halls of the School of Hard Knocks. In any and all of these places of rarified education, a basic knowledge of the street was mandatory if there were to be any hope of advancement.Street smarts are as invaluable today in the Sixties, which is where this episode is headed. If you can deal with anybody anyplace anytime, chances are you soak up a lot of grit and soul from the music you hear in the Asphalt Jungle.The Fantastic Johnny C had a name that would work in any era, as well as a song for the ages. No Ubers know how to Boogaloo Down Broadway, but it sure beats hitchhiking. Judy Henske is kind of creepy and forboding, but she’s steering you from the Road to Nowhere. Blinded in the headlights, Iggy and the Stooges ripped their shirts and spit blood “Down on the Street.” Sweet Van Parks lulls us into a chamomile cocoon of childhood and baseball on “Vine Street” before Arthur Conley snaps us back for another dance on the avenue of broken dreams of “Funky Broadway.” If you’ve never heard Lou Rawls, think of him as an OG Yoda with the determination and the fire in the belly to get off this dead end street. Chicago baby. The hawk. Almighty hawk.Sixties Streets Smarts. Let’s get some.BOOGALOO DOWN BROADWAY Fantastic Johnny CROAD TO NOWHERE Judy HenskeDOWN ON THE STREET The StoogesVINE STREET Van ParksFUNKY STREET Arthur ConleyDEAD END STREET Lou Rawls This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #16A Outrageous Behavior

{Note: Apologies if you are getting this email a second time. I don’t think you are, but this morning’s episode seems to have not been sent. If you do have #16, it is exactly the same as #16A, I just have to change the title. Thank you so much for listening and sharing! Suggestions, requests, show ideas, all that much appreciated}We have known this for some time. Even before the pandemic, before we were locked down with only ourselves and our families to observe our off times all the time we knew. Perhaps it is a result of global bad health or a planet that is fading fast. Maybe it is the ease with which the rude rule the web. The loudest person in the room is obviously the smartest, else he (it is usually “he,” right?) wouldn’t be yelling and slapping his hand on the table and generally creating a ruckus of bluster and while others discuss where to locate the new coffee machine.When did we swap good manners for bad is the subject of a new intellectual reckoning in The Atlantic. You can read that here: Why are People Acting So Weird?But make it snappy! We have some tunes to hear.OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR includes The Records, on the verge of the 80s, with an urge to get messed up before going out. The Dells’ “Oh What a Night” is a completely sweet memory, although the phrase often indicates a calamity.But look out! Here comes spousal abuse from The Crystals, outright violence so vile Fleetwood Mac recorded it under an assumed name, and how to handle a brat from the upright Ramones. , drugs, and Bad Manners team up for Inner London Violence and finally the Pet Shop Boys plead with Dusty Springfield with the typical victim refrain: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”Seriously. What HAVE we done?Hurry summer! Stay focused!ALL MESSED UP AND READY TO GO The RecordsOH WHAT A NIGHT The DellsHE HIT ME (AND IT FELT LIKE A KISS) The CrystalsSOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET THEIR HEAD KICKED IN TONIGHT Earl Vince and the ValiantsEverybody is rockin' and everyone just wants more, moreSo there's gonna be a pool of blood on the dancin' floor, floor Somebody's gonna get their head kicked in tonight! We're gonna rip off the hallsTear down the wallsAll those boys, gonna be a big fightAnd... take it outside Everybody is rockin' and everyone just wants more, moreSo there's gonna be a pool of blood on the dancin' floor, floor Somebody's gonna get their head Somebody's gonna get their head Somebody's gonna get their head kicked in tonight!BEAT ON THE BRAT The RamonesINNER LONDON VIOLENCE Bad MannersWHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #16 Outrageous Behavior

We have known this for some time. Even before the pandemic, before we were locked down with only ourselves and our families to observe our off times all the time we knew. Perhaps it is a result of global bad health or a planet that is fading fast. Maybe it is the ease with which the rude rule the web. The loudest person in the room is obviously the smartest, else he (it is usually “he,” right?) wouldn’t be yelling and slapping his hand on the table and generally creating a ruckus of bluster and while others discuss where to locate the new coffee machine.When did we swap good manners for bad is the subject of a new intellectual reckoning in The Atlantic. You can read that here: Why are People Acting So Weird? But make it snappy! We have some tunes to hear.OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR includes The Records, on the verge of the 80s, with an urge to get messed up before going out. The Dells’ “Oh What a Night” is a completely sweet memory, although the phrase often indicates a calamity. But look out! Here comes spousal abuse from The Crystals, outright violence so vile Fleetwood Mac recorded it under an assumed name, and how to handle a brat from the upright Ramones. , drugs, and Bad Manners team up for Inner London Violence and finally the Pet Shop Boys plead with Dusty Springfield with the typical victim refrain: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”Seriously. What HAVE we done?Hurry summer! Stay focused!ALL MESSED UP AND READY TO GO The RecordsOH WHAT A NIGHT The DellsHE HIT ME (AND IT FELT LIKE A KISS) The CrystalsSOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET THEIR HEAD KICKED IN TONIGHT Earl Vince and the ValiantsEverybody is rockin' and everyone just wants more, moreSo there's gonna be a pool of blood on the dancin' floor, floor Somebody's gonna get their head kicked in tonight! We're gonna rip off the hallsTear down the wallsAll those boys, gonna be a big fightAnd... take it outside Everybody is rockin' and everyone just wants more, moreSo there's gonna be a pool of blood on the dancin' floor, floor Somebody's gonna get their head Somebody's gonna get their head Somebody's gonna get their head kicked in tonight!BEAT ON THE BRAT The RamonesINNER LONDON VIOLENCE Bad MannersWHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe