DEC4 Podcast

Gary Wells is back with us to preview our upcoming three-part series on the pioneering 1973 satellite live concert, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii, which will be available across January of 2022. There’s a lot explore; the lead-up, preparations and rehearsals, important people behind the scenes, the intense pressure on everyone involved, a near catastrophe as technical faults threatened to derail the broadcast at the last minute…and finally an entertainment event that would present to an international audience Elvis at the top of his game, dominate television ratings around the world, afford him a number one album, and create the definitive image of his later career.

In this episode we also expand on a couple of outstanding points from our previous episodes about the 1970 concert documentary Elvis That’s The Way It Is (continued in the post-credits bonus segment), and talk a little about the 1973 George Lucas blockbuster, American Graffiti, and the sequel, More American Graffiti.

Gary also shares with us some Christmas media traditions and recommendations.

A big thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast on all our platforms this year. We wish all our friends and listeners Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year.

Lots more background, images and links in the companion newsletter, including to Gary’s four-part series on American Graffiti at www.soulrideblog.com, your home for vintage leisure:

https://dec4.substack.com/p/the-dec4-podcast-companion-elvis

Podcast theme by Gainesville 

Thank you for joining us for this interim episode featuring a recap of Gary Wells’ fascinating personal take on the ending to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. (Spoiler warning reminder). Gary has written some very interesting stuff on his website, www.soulrideblog.com, on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the soundtrack, and also a review of Quentin Tarantino’s novelisation. There are also associated pieces on an actor called Michael Parks with an interesting Tarantino connection, so we present this episode as a tie-in to those articles. This time, in lieu of a newsletter, we’ve linked directly to the relevant web pages, and you can navigate to further articles from there:

https://soulrideblog.com/2021/09/11/book-talk-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood/

https://soulrideblog.com/2020/08/03/the-flickers-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-part-one/

(Links may not work on some platforms.  Head to soulrideblog.com and navigate to the books and movies categories).

Original music by Gainesville. 

Highly accomplished author, podcaster and filmmaker Oliver Crocker is back for part 2, in conversation with host George Fairbrother and this time talking adventures in guerrilla indie filmmaking, Dad's Army, some memorable and poignant encounters with authentic legends of British television, and lots more. We thank Oliver for being so generous with his time and sharing so many candid and fascinating insights.

There is a companion newsletter for this episode, with some additional background and links to further reading, watching and listening;

https://dec4.substack.com/p/the-dec4-podcast-in-conversation

Check out the webpage for Oliver's books, Witness Statements: Making The Bill Series 1-3, and All Memories Great and Small, here;

www.devonfirebooks.com

Hear more from Oliver at The Bill Podcast;

https://soundcloud.com/thebillpodcast

Original music for the DEC4 Podcast is written and performed by Gainesville;

https://gainesville-band.de/

(Links may not work on all distributed platforms.  Find the podcast website at www.georgefairbrother.com

Welcome to the first of two episodes in which host George Fairbrother is joined by highly accomplished filmmaker, author and podcaster, Oliver Crocker. With around 200 000 listens as of August 2021, Oliver's ongoing project, The Bill Podcast, is loved not only by fans of the iconic ITV police show (2500 episodes, 1983-2010), but also by the artists and crew behind it. He has written a very well-received companion book, Witness Statements - Making The Bill Series 1-3, with another on the way, and has also applied his forensic research and outstanding interviewing skills to another legendary British television classic, with All Memories Great and Small.

In this episode Oliver talks about his passion for the Bill and those who brought it to us, and shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the series, the researching and writing of Witness Statements, the art of the interview, and lots more.

There is a companion newsletter for this episode, with some additional background and links to further reading, watching and listening;

https://dec4.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-filmmaker-author

Explore the entire catalogue of Oliver's interviews here, and you can also link to Oliver's Patreon channel where you can access additional content, learn more about Oliver's books and follow him on social media;

https://soundcloud.com/thebillpodcast

Podcast theme by Gainesville.

Links may not function on all distributed platforms. Find the podcast webpage at georgefairbrother.com

Welcome to part two of our deep dive into the influential 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That's The Way It Is. Host George Fairbrother is joined once again by Gary Wells, whose website, soulrideblog.com, Your Home for Vintage Leisure, is loved by thousands of readers in over 100 countries.

It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding an exhilarating wave of renewed commercial and artistic success. Having escaped his declining movie career and returned to live performance and non-soundtrack work in the studio, he is once again making some great music, topping the charts, and is already the number one live act in Las Vegas. From a number of different perspectives, Elvis That’s the Way It Is documents the leadup to Elvis’ third season at the International Hotel, and also takes us into the showroom for the first few performances. Director Denis Sanders said, “What we're trying to do is capture Elvis the entertainer, from the point of view of the fans, the hotel, the city, the audience.”

The movie came about at a time of huge upheaval in the world of entertainment. George and Gary discuss some of the fascinating people that made this unique era what it was, and discover the artists and crew that created a remarkable cinematic moment in time.

There's a companion newsletter to these episodes with some additional insights, links and suggested reading, viewing and listening. Link here.

Original podcast theme music by Gainesville.

(Links may not work on all distributed platforms. You can also head to www.georgefairbrother.com/dec4)

Welcome to part one of our deep dive into the influential 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That's The Way It Is. Host George Fairbrother is joined for this two-part special by Gary Wells, whose website, soulrideblog.com, Your Home for Vintage Leisure, is loved by thousands of readers in over 100 countries.  

It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding an exhilarating wave of renewed commercial and artistic success. Having escaped his declining movie career and returned to live performance and non-soundtrack work in the studio, he is once again making some great music, topping the charts, and is already the number one live act in Las Vegas. From a number of different perspectives, Elvis That’s the Way It Is documents the leadup to Elvis’ third season at the International Hotel, and also takes us into the showroom for the first few performances. Director Denis Sanders said, “What we're trying to do is capture Elvis the entertainer, from the point of view of the fans, the hotel, the city, the audience.”

The movie came about at a time of huge upheaval in the world of entertainment. George and Gary discuss some of the fascinating people that made this unique era what it was, and discover the artists and crew that created a remarkable cinematic moment in time.

For a little bonus segment at the end of this episode, George and Gary talk about the ending to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. (Spoiler Warning!)

There's a companion newsletter to these episodes with some additional insights, links and suggested reading, viewing and listening. Link here. 

Original podcast theme music by Gainesville.  

(Links may not work on all distributed platforms. You can also go to www.georgefairbrother.com/dec4)