See Hear

Movie music – any movie fan will acknowledge that a film score or a soundtrack can make or break how well a film works. The acting and cinematography and production values all count obviously, but imagine putting the 3 Stooges theme in place as “Mother” goes to see how Marion Crane is faring in the shower scene of Psycho.

Welcome to episode 120 of See Hear.

If you haven't caught up with the previous episode of the show, Tim, Kerry and myself were joined by our great friend Paul Ryan to talk about our favourite film scores, and they were widely diverse stylistically. That's what made the conversation so exciting. We had such a long conversation, I felt it best to split it up into two shows, so what you have downloaded / are about to download is part 2 of that chat.

Like last time, we are rapt to also present segments spread throughout the show featuring hosts of some truly excellent podcasts in the Pantheon Network. These hosts enlighten us as to THEIR favourite soundtracks. You will hear from:

Brett Vargo (Only Three Lads)

Jesse Jackson (Set Lusting Bruce / Perfectly Good Podcast)

Jason Whissell ( It's Not That Bad / There Can Only Be One)

More film score recommendations than you can poke a pointed stick at. These conversations incorporate what makes the music work in context of the films they represent, and we go off on tangents to discuss similar scores or others by the same composers.

Sounds interesting? We look forward to any feedback you may provide about the shows. Please, email us or post in the Facebook group with YOUR favourite soundtracks and scores.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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). You can also download from the website at https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com.

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As you know, our mission at See Hear HQ is to discuss, chew on, and pontificate (in that order) about music films. But.....what if we DIDN'T do that for a couple of episodes????? Shock horror!!!

Welcome to episode 119 of See Hear Podcast.

Don't panic....we're not straddling too far from our mission. This time around, instead of talking about films that are ABOUT music, we'll discuss the music itself from ANY film we jolly well please. Kerry, Tim and myself have invited previous guest and close friend, Paul Ryan to talk about our favourite movie scores and soundtracks. There are some who say that the best movie music is that which can be ignored while we focus on the film's action. We cry “balderdash”......great movie music can be noticed in its film context without distracting our attention from the film.

To that end, the four of us picked 5 films each to discuss, chew on, and pontificate. The thing is, we spoke for such a long time, that rather than have you listen to a Ben Hur length episode (a terrific film score by Miklos Rosza, by the way), we're breaking our show up into two parts. The one you've (hopefully) downloaded is episode 119, and we'll put out episode 120 in a few days.

We're privileged to have some additional film soundtrack nominations sent to us via some wonderful friends in the Pantheon network as well as a previous film director guest on the show who is something of a soundtrack expert.

Marc Shea hosts the Performance Anxiety podcast.

Markus Goldman is one half of the Imbalance History of Rock & Roll podcast.

(Both shows are regularly in my earholes.....I recommend 'em)

Amit Itzcar is the director of the Tel Aviv Soundtrack Festival.....so the subject matter is in his wheelhouse.

When episode 120 is released in a few days, we'll continue our conversation, and three more wonderful guests, all from the Pantheon Network will weigh in on this most important subject.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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). You can also find us on https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com/

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every major city with a healthy music scene will have hometown heroes….that band or artist that the locals love and wish the whole world knew about. One of those bands is Toronto’s “The Lowest Of The Low”.

Welcome to episode 118 of See Hear.

The Lowest of the Low started in the early 90s as a follow up to the band punk band, Popular Front. Ron Hawkins had previously written overtly political songs, but for the debut album Shakespeare My Butt (one of the best album names ever), he wrote songs about ordinary people facing everyday pressures – so still political in its way. The history of the band is not an uncommon tale – friends get together based on common musical and ideological points of reference, members have “differences” and they split apart, years after the fact they reunite remembering the spark that got them started. However, their tale is still fascinating because they were true independents and were never going to sell their ideals downstream for a quick buck. Big companies came calling, but LOTL dictated terms all the way.

Kerry was away, but Tim and I spoke with musician, tour manager for many Canadian bands, and film director Simon Head about his documentary “Subversives: The History of Lowest Of The Low”. As well as talking about the film, we spend time devoted to discussing the Toronto music scene of the early 90s and where it is now, friendship, Weddings Parties Anything and Billy Bragg, and Toronto as a film character. 

A huge thanks to Simon for joining us. As I mention in our discussion, I perceive from watching the film that the story of the wider Toronto scene was reflected in the Melbourne scene of the 90s….watch the film or listen to our conversation and see how it reflects your own city’s live music environment.

The film is now available to stream on Apple TV or you can get a blu ray with a bunch of great extras.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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). You can also find us on https://seehearpodcast.blogspot.com/

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you ever read rags with headlines like “I had an alien love child” or “Psycho seagull stole dog from my garden” or “Monster rats the size of cows”? No? You're missing out on a Wild...Wild....Life.

Welcome to episode 117 of See Hear Podcast.

Writers Stephen Toblowsky and Beth Henley met Talking Head, David Byrne, and had a conversation about newspaper articles he'd read with bizarre things happening to ordinary people, and wouldn't it be interesting to come up with a script for a film using that idea as a basis. Beth and Stephen came up with said script, but Byrne rewrote much of it....the result is his 1986 film, True Stories.

True Stories looks at a fictional town in Texas celebrating its 150th anniversary. In particular it looks at some of the peculiarities of the town using a 4th wall breaking Byrne to guide us around that town. Where's the music connection???? It is a musical of sorts, but more relevant to the story, I contend that the town is like an enclosed snow cone and music is the very air the town breathes.

Unfortunately, Tim wasn't available to record, but Kerry and I had a fine conversation about Talking Heads, finding love, conspiracy theorists, community, the fine line between gentle parody and being patronising, constant lying to get attention....and of course, music....cos that's what we do. Was the film ultimately satisfying? Tune in and find out what we thought.

You wanna follow along? The film is currently playing on a variety of streaming services or may be in your DVD library if you still believe in physical media.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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).

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have musicians that we wish everyone else knew about. THAT person who deserves a wider audience, but life circumstances didn't allow for it. Knowledge of that musician seems to be like the secret handshake into a special club. Nick Drake was one of those people until a TV car advertisement that used his music got more people curious....thank goodness.

Judee Sill's music is not likely to be used in a car ad.

Welcome to episode 116 of See Hear Podcast.

When people talk about the musicians of the American West Coast in the early 70s, they talk about Jackson Browne, Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, CSN or Bonnie Raitt. Few people beyond the faithful have spoken about Judee Sill. This leaves fans of Sill scratching their heads because even among those more well known musicians, they recognise Judee was a master songwriter, orchestrator and arranger. Her early life was one filled with abuse, drug use, prostitution, armed holdups, and prison time. It's amazing to think that the lady who lived that life wrote some of the most beautiful music of the pop era (I'll stand on my soapbox and suggest The Kiss is one of the most beautiful songs ever written – change my mind). She mixed country and Bach and gospel into one beautiful package. Sounds unworkable? Check out her albums and get back to me.

A new documentary was released this year about Judee called Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. This episode of See Hear features guests associated with the film. Kerry, Tim and I chat with one of the two directors of the film, Brian Lindstrom. He describes the process it took to make this great film, working with Judee's relatives, the nature of creativity, what her music has meant to current performers, and a lot more. This could easily have been a dark film (and it has its moments), but it really is a celebration of Judee's life and work. Brian and his co-director Andy Brown have made a wonderful tribute to an artist that will hopefully now find a wider audience.

But wait.....there's more. The film's music supervisor is Pat Thomas. Pat has quite a few strings to his bow – drummer, album reissue supervisor, historian and author. He joins me for a discussion on the role of a music supervisor in film and specifically what he did for this documentary.

Kerry, Tim and I are hugely grateful for the time Brian and Pat gave to us. Give this a listen, then absorb yourself in the albums of Judee Sill.

As of May 2024, the film is streaming on Prime, in North America only (grrrr), but I am informed that moves are being made to get a wider distribution for the film....and of course you can always get the DVD anywhere in the world.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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).

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1980, I recall going to the cinema to see a new film, The Blues Brothers. Music and car chases…..what wasn’t there to love? The critics hated it because….ya know….that’s what they’re paid to do. A few years after initial release, it became THAT cult film that everyone watched – on TV, on video or at late night cinema screenings (in Melbourne, it became an audience participation phenomenon similar to Rocky Horror). The question is how did the film get made?

Welcome to episode 115 of See Hear Podcast.

Kerry, Tim and I welcomed to the show journalist and author Daniel De Vise. He’s written a great new book called “The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic”.

As the title implies, it’s not just about the making of the film (although a large part of it is devoted to that subject). Daniel did extensive research to talk about the early lives and characters of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. They were a part of the new North American comedy movement Second City, National Lampoon and Saturday Night (later Saturday Night Live), so he writes much about those institutions. There’s talk in the book about Aykroyd’s love of blues and how he (and Robert Cray’s harmonica player) made Belushi a blues fanatic. There’s stories of 70s cinema, addiction, egos, friendship, men in bee costumes, and origin of The Blues Brothers.

We were rapt that Daniel came on the show to talk about his book and about the blues, the accusations of racism thrown against the comedians who wanted to bring brilliant blues and soul musicians back to the spotlight, the comedy movement as the new rockstar, how rock musicians started taking themselves too seriously…..and a TON of other things. Yeah, we even talk about The Blues Brothers movie. The environment that led to the film is hugely important and it would be impossible to talk about it without telling the wider story as to how the film got made. Daniel has done a terrific job in doing this. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation even half as much as we did having it.

You can follow his goings on at danieldevise.com, and you can pick up the book in both physical and e-book formats wherever you usually get your reading material.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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).

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a song performed by Peter Allen that seems to be more relevant than ever: Everything Old Is New Again. Film plots are recycled, songs are recycled (through covers or the same chord structures).....and the media we use to play those films and songs are back in fashion. Records have been popular again for a while, some people are rediscovering VHS, and as this month's film focus shows us, the Compact Cassette is the new medium of choice for music recording and listening.

Welcome to Episode 114 of See Hear Podcast.

In 2016, Zack Taylor released a film called “Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape” which looks at the humble invention which meant so much to those of us who grew up with the tape as a dominant medium for music listening (and recording music and audio letters and.....) The film features a new generation who were probably not born or at least cognisant of the tape singing its praises. Importantly, the director also sought out Lou Ottens and his colleagues who invented the compact cassette in the early 60s. While proud of their achievements, Ottens is somewhat puzzled that the cassette appeals so much to a new generation – he truly believes (as inventors do) that the cassette's time is done and the next thing should be focused on. False nostalgia? A genuine appeal to new eyes? The film gently explores all these things. The fans, the inventors, the musicians only releasing their music on cassette.....they're all here.

Tim, Kerry and myself are joined by Mike White of The Projection Booth to talk as much about our own experiences and thoughts on tapes as well as the film. Give it a listen, then gather your friends together to reminisce (if you're of that age) about your own mixtapes, the times you became cassette surgeons, and how much you miss your old Walkmans.

The film is available for you to watch on Tubi or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmClZ7SMfBo

Mike has a number of shows running under the banner of the Weirding Way Media network, but the flagship is The Projection Booth, essential listening for film fans of any type of cinema – tentpole, arthouse, Sci-fi, Czech, theme months, early cinema, obscure, mainstream.....all discussed with people passionate about films. It's a favourite of ours at See Hear. On your favourite podcast app or at the website: https://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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).

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back at episode 110 of See Hear, Tim, Kerry and I had a round table discussion (Broadway Danny Rose style) about Denny Tedesco's 2015 documentary, The Wrecking Crew. That film was about the session musicians of the 1960s LA scene that made the “name” performers sound great. These session musicians were not known by name outside of that community until their achievements were lauded decades later. What happens in the 1970s when the next generation of LA musicians want to have the ability to play with lot of different artists AND have the joy of being part of a BAND rather than just being part of a pool? You get Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel and Russ Kunkel rewriting the rules.

Welcome to episode 113 of See Hear Podcast.

Unlike the members of the Wrecking Crew who were originally trained as jazz musicians, and fell into rock and roll to earn a living, the new generation of musicians had grown with rock and roll, loved The Beatles, and wanted to play with songwriters that they admired – as well as contribute to their arrangements. They had the best of both worlds – freedom to play with different people, but still feel part of a gang.

Director Denny Tedesco has created a wonderful follow-up to his Wrecking Crew film with the new doc, Immediate Family. For the last few years, they've been playing as a band under that name, but for years, they were playing (together and separately) for hundreds of songwriters / performers including James Taylor, John Prine, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Linda Ronstadt, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Phil Collins, and many many more. Their “employers” were also their friends who valued these gents' creative input, not just the ability to knock off a song under tight record company and studio requirements.

Once again, Denny has produced an absorbing film about a side of rock history not usually discussed outside of musician circles. As well as chatting about Immediate Family, we of course go back to The Wrecking Crew documentary, and Denny's relationship with his dad, legendary guitarist, Tommy Tedesco.

If you want to find out details of where to stream the film or see a theatrical screening, go to https://immediatefamilyfilm.com/ Sadly, it would appear that it's only streaming in the US at the moment, but check for updates on the website or https://www.facebook.com/immediatefamilyfilm.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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

Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast

You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of American folk songs of the 60s, you'd think of political injustice, civil rights, hardships due to economic burdens, and war, right?

Or do you think about the comforts of food always being laid out on the table, boundless optimism 'cos “its THAT kind of day” or kissing at the end of an optical illusion caused by the dispersion of light in water droplets?

'Cos both work, ya know.

Welcome to episode 112 of See Hear Podcast.

In 2003, Christopher Guest released A Mighty Wind, the third of his mockumentaries – not counting Rob Reiner's “This Is Spinal Tap”. He had an ensemble cast all highly skilled in improvisation weave the story of what happens when 3 folk groups reassemble for a tribute concert dedicated to their recently deceased manager. Personal frailties, egos, catch phrases, rivalries and decidedly non-issue songs are all focused on in this very funny film.

Tim was unavailable, but Kerry and I were joined by her daughter Sarah Fristoe. We debated the accusation that Guest's comedies can be cruel to their characters. We also discussed the songs, the use of Yiddish, the origins of many of the cast members via Second City, and we ask the important question....Wha' Happened?

One point of trivia we forgot to mention about art jumping into real life.....supposedly, The Folksmen would be the support act for Spinal Tap on American tours. The crowd not realising it was the same bunch of gents, booed them offstage. I hope this isn't just urban legend....

Many thanks to Sarah for being an enthusiastic See Hearian and bringing great insight to what is a favourite film.

You can watch the original Folksmen sketch that appeared on Saturday Night Live nearly 20 years before A Mighty Wind at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LztVpOOhEY

A Mighty Wind is on many of the usual streaming services (or possibly in your DVD collection.....)

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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

Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/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

Musicians, artists, actors and authors (and any other creatives I haven’t nominated) have long taken pseudonyms. Maybe a more exciting name will sell an image, maybe it’s to have some semblance of privacy, maybe it’s to separate themselves from their past, …any number of reasons. Avant garde art collective The Residents took things beyond name change – they maintained complete anonymity.

Welcome to episode 111 of See Hear Podcast.

The Residents are a band, multimedia artists, theatrical performers….and anonymous. Long time fans claim to be aware of their identities, but putting that aside, the band subscribed to the Theory of Obscurity that maintains that better art is created when the artist is anonymous and free of audience expectations. The band has always performed with masks and not given names….not even pseudonyms.

They’ve been creating music for over 50 years, and have released multitudes of albums – original compositions and deconstructions of 20th century standards from the likes of The Rolling Stones, James Brown and George Gershwin. Trying to define what they do beyond the catch-all tag of “avant- garde” is ridiculous. For some, it can be music that is difficult or challenging….and for others, it can be a breath of fresh air.

For this episode of See Hear, Tim and Maurice discuss the 2015 film “Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents” directed by Don Hardy, its themes, the music of the Residents, and whether there’s something actually to the theory or if it’s bunk.

The film is easily available on Kanopy, Youtube and Tubi. You can tune into our conversation before or after watching it, but either way, grab your top hat and cane, then tune in. We have our eye on you.

If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune in. We don't care who listens.....

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

Check out the Instagram page at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast/?hl=en

You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour.

Proudly Pantheon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices