TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 652.4: Ed welcomes back Robert Crane and Christopher Fryer, co-authors of Jack Nicholson: The Early Years (the first authorized filmography of Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, covering Nicholson's early film career through 1974), Bruce Dern: Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have: An Unrepentant Memoir (a three-way collaboration between Dern, Bob, and Chris), and Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder. Topics this segment include how Bob and Chris to first connected with Nicholson in 1971—a set of circumstances that would likely be impossible if they were to attempt to do so today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 652.5: Film historians Robert Crane and Christopher Fryer talk to Ed about how they first connected with Bruce Dern while researching Jack Nicholson: The Early Years and how that led to a series of subsequent interviews with Dern for various publications over the ensuing thirty years, culminating with their collaborating with Dern on his memoir. Both Jack Nicholson: The Early Years and Bruce Dern: Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have: An Unrepentant Memoir are available from University Press of Kentucky.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 652.6: Bruce Dern biographers Robert Crane and Christopher Fryer talk to Ed about "Dernseys," a phrase that Jack Nicholson coined to describe Dern's unerring knack for knowing what a character might say, or might think, in any given scene, regardless of whether it's in the pages of the script. Jack Nicholson: The Early Years and Bruce Dern: Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have: An Unrepentant Memoir are available from University Press of Kentucky.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 651.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Marc Cushman, author of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues, a two-volume, total-immersion experience into the six-decade career of The Moody Blues, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group that not only was the first rock group to champion the "concept album," but influenced such other groups as Yes, Deep Purple, and ELO. Volume 1 of Long Distance Voyagers covers the formation of The Moody Blues, their breakthrough in the 1960s, and their "classic seven" albums throughout the 1970s. Volume 2 begins with the release of the Long Voyager Album album in 1981, shortly after founding member Mike Pinter left the group (to be replaced by former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz) and continues with the evolution of the Moody Blues over the next four decades. Topics this segment include the friendly relationship between The Moody Blues and The Beatles, including how Mike Pinder encouraged John Lennon and Paul McCartney to use the Mellotron on their Strawberry Fields album, a few months before the release of Days of Future Passed; how the success of Days of Future Passed typecast the Moodies for a while in the 1970s, even though they were selling out huge stadiums at the time; how Patrick Moraz helped The Moody Blues reinvent themselves with Long Distance Voyager, paving the way for their success in the 1980s and 1990s; and why it took more than a year to release Long Distance Voyager. Volumes 1 and 2 of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues are available now wherever books are sold through Jacobs Brown Media Group.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 651.2: Marc Cushman, author of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues, talks to Ed about the many contributions of Ray Thomas to the sound of the Moody Blues (including his trilogy of songs at the end of the Long Distance Voyager album), and why the Moody Blues took a hiatus from each other around 1974. Volumes 1 and 2 of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues are available now wherever books are sold through Jacobs Brown Media Group.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 651.3: Marc Cushman, author of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues, talks to Ed about some of the many parallels between Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues and George Harrison of The Beatles (particularly with regard to the albums of their respective bands) and how Keys to the Kingdom, the Moody Blues album released in 1991, both marked a return to the band's roots and reflected how the band saw itself in the overall landscape of music. Volumes 1 and 2 of Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues are available now wherever books are sold through Jacobs Brown Media Group.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 650.1: Ed welcomes award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, and documentary maker Marc Cushman, author of These Are the Voyages, a three-volume history of Star Trek: The Original Series. Marc's latest book, Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of The Moody Blues is a two-volume, total-immersion experience in the six-decade career of The Moody Blues, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group that was the first rock group to champion the "concept album," which they did with Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord, On the Threshold of a Dream, To Our Children's Children's Children, A Question of Balance, Seventh Sojourn, Long Distance Voyager and Keys to the Kingdom. Volume 1 of Long Distance Voyagers covers the formation of The Moody Blues, their breakthrough in the 1960s, and their "classic seven" albums throughout the 1970s. Volume 2 begins with the release of the Long Voyager Album album in 1981, shortly after founding member Mike Pinterleft the group (to be replaced by former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz) and continues with the evolution of the Moody Blues over the next four decades. Topics this segment include why the Moody Blues were never nominated for a Grammy Award, despite having one of the biggest hits of 1972 with "Nights in White Satin," and how the Moody Blues approached songwriting in much the same way as The Beatles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 650.2: From June 2014: Tony, Donna, and Ed look back at June 17, 1994, the night of the famous low-speed white Bronco police chase that captivated television audiences, and how TV news coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder case continues to impact us today

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 650.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with trailblazing actress, author, and designed Irene Tsu (Flower Drum Song, Paradise Hawaiian Style, Take Her She's Mine, The Green Berets, Caprice, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, Down and Out in Beverly Hills). Topics this segment include how Irene got her independent spirit from her mother; why faith has always been central to Irene's life; and the story of the pilgrimage that Irene made to the Dheera in New Delhi circa 1968 to meet her spiritual guru. Irene's memoir, A Walter Color Dream: The Many Lives of Irene Tsu, is available now through Bear Manor Media, Amazon.com, and IreneTsu-Entertainment.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 650.2: From June 2014: Tony, Donna, and Ed look back at June 17, 1994, the night of the famous low-speed white Bronco police chase that captivated television audiences, and how TV news coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder case continues to impact us today

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices