The twins cover more than any short podcast should attempt - beginning with a question about whether or not booze is a drug and then diving into a maelstrom of ever-changing topics - including recording artists, songwriting, artistic integrity, performing rights organizations and much more - including another musical gem from the archive.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Broken Angel" by Chris Yale - remix

4:00 - Greetings / Paraquat Kelley / 4:20 Candle / Stoners versus Drunks / Pigpen / The Grateful Dead / "This Is Spinal Tap"

5:35 - Isn't booze a drug? / Drink and judge / Is Roger a judgmental bastard? / Chemical smells

8:45 - Roxy Music / "Love is the Drug" / Judging recording artists / Lou Reed / "New York" album / The Velvet Underground / "Mistrial" / "New Sensations"

11:09 - Put-on personas / David Bowie and Mick Ronson produced "Walk on the Wild Side" / Mark Ronson / Toni Braxton

14:05 - Selling out? / Artistic integrity?

15:24 - Chris' current listening / Chris Cornell / Black Sabbath "Master of Reality" / Chris' darker side / "Sweet Leaf"

16:58 - About "Broken Angel" remix / Peter Knight  / Yamaha AW series

18:25 - Mouth-breathing on mic / Chris' grandson tried to eat the mic

19:00 - Reconnecting with Roger's de facto piano mentor, Gordon Mogden / Roger's blog post, "Leon's Piano" / Leon Russell / Paradise Studios Burbank

21:42 - Chris' current efforts on Logic Pro / 1978 Telecaster / Roger's Cubase LE AI Elements 12 / Steinberg / Remote podcast sessions versus in-person sessions

26:18 - Easter "CEOs" / Mitch Easter / "The Andy Warhol Diaries" / Edifice Wrecks / Starstruck / Chris saw Jagger and Bowie / Chris tried on boots next to Paul Stanley on Melrose / Upcoming KISS and Elton John shows for Roger / Cidny Bullens and Elton John / The Refugees

32:10 - Roger's nature outings / Vereen Memorial Gardens / Myrtle Beach State Park

33:00 - Bruce Cockburn (pronounced Coburn) - We would pronounce it like that too / If you lay out on your back and fall asleep at a nudist beach, could you get Coburn? / Jackson Browne / Eric Clapton

34:26 - Yale Brothers on songwriting / Capturing ideas when they show up / TAXI / ASCAP / BMI / Performing rights organizations

39:10 - Steven Pressfield books / Book sharing / Kindle / DRM / Creative Commons / Dave Slusher / "Evil Genius Chronicles"

40:30 - Parting shots / Brotherly love / Edie Brickell and Paul Simon / Carrie Fisher and Paul Simon / Edie Sedgwick

Televangelists. Scandals. Bhagwans. Barefoot drummers. The twins are at it again. Also: Another digitized gem from the song archive.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Living for You" by Chris Yale

4:35 - Greetings / Losing ten minutes of gold / About the song / Steve Kobashigawa / Vox Continental

6:51 - Roger being judgy

7:26 - Shout-out to Cidny Bullens / Elton John turns 75 / New Daryl Hall album

9:02 - Red Hot Chili Peppers / Flea on WTF Podcast / Reticular Activating System

10:30 - Hanging out with Jack Irons / Jim Alden / What Is This / Anthym / Pearl Jam / Irons' barefoot drumming / Hillel Slovak / Chris Hutchinson / Alain Johannes

12:21 - Keith Richards quit smoking / "Main Offender" / "Bare Trees" by Fleetwood Mac / "Billy Goat Girl" aka Stevie Nicks / Chris' cat Stevie

14:48 - Heritage USA / Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker / "Eyes of Tammy Faye" / Jessica Chastain / Andrew Garfield / Vincent D'Onofrio as Jerry Falwell Sr. / Moral Majority / "Bagging the Bhagwan" / PTL / 700 Club / Ron Jeremy and Tammy Faye

18:50 - Chris went to Cabo / TAA / Hacienda Del Mar / Rocky Patel

20:50 - Chris took a Delta 9 gummy - or was it Delta 8?

21:56 - Chris is going to be a grandfather again

22:21 - Nervous? / Solo gigs

23:15 - Dragon steam / Dragon's Milk / Badger Milk / Muscle Milk / Cow's Milk or Mother's Milk - "Victor Victoria"

24:02 - Parting shots

Part two of the twins' conversation with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Cidny Bullens - starting from his first visit to Nashville (now his home with wife Tanya Taylor Rubinstein) to the unspeakable loss of his youngest daughter and the album that paid loving tribute to her - to his transition from Cindy to Cidny and his one-person show, his upcoming memoir and much more - including two more tracks from his 2020 album, "Walkin' Through This World"

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Lucky For Me" by Cidny Bullens - From 2020 album, "Walkin' Through This World"

3:27 - Greetings and about the song / More about Cidny

5:00 - Welcome Cidny / COVID-19 situation in Nashville / Book progress - "TransElectric" due in 2023 - Preorders likely in Fall of 2022

8:09 - HGTC Addiction and Recovery Lecture Series / Casey King / Cidny's presentation at 46:05 / Thoughts on recovery / Ice cream and tortilla chips

11:23 - Nashville experience continued / "Send Me an Angel" / David Mansfield / Emmylou Harris / Radney Foster / Bill Lloyd

15:15 - 1989 MCA album, "Cindy Bullens"

15:44 - First trip to Nashville / Writing with Foster and Lloyd / BMI head Roger Sovine / L.A. versus Nashville songwriting collaborations / Immediate acceptance in Nashville / Changes in approach to songwriting / Crafting the song

20:35 - Daughters Jessie and Reid / Losing Jessie to complications from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 1996 / "Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth" single / Kye Fleming

25:15 - "In Better Hands" / "A Thousand Shades of Gray" / "The Lights of Paris" / Beth Nelson Chapman / Rodney Crowell

27:25 - 1999 album "Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth" / Lucinda Williams / Bonnie Raitt / Bryan Adams / Tony Berg / Danny Goldberg - Artemis Records / "Better Than I've Ever Been"

32:18 - The Refugees / Wendy Waldman / Deborah Holland / Animal Logic / Stewart Copeland / Stanley Clarke

37:05 - "Neverland" album / "Dream #29" album / Ray Kennedy / Steve Earle / Twang Trust / John Hiatt / Delbert McClinton / Elton John on piano on "Dream #29" single

39:05 - More about The Refugees / Work on new record in April / Blessed with supportive friends

41:08 - Transition begins 2011 / First public appearances 2012 / Appearances with The Refugees during this period / "Purgatory Road" / "Going into hiding" / Working at L.L. Bean warehouse in Maine

47:45 - 2014 Canadian gigs with Deborah Holland / More about The Refugees since transition

48:58 - One-person show, "Somewhere Between: Not An Ordinary Life" / Meeting wife Tanya Taylor Rubinstein, also director of the show and solo show coach

55:12 - First reading of show in Maine / Budding romance / Married in 2018

56:51 - About the 2020 album, "Walkin' Through This World" / "Purgatory Road" / "Little Pieces" / "The Gender Line"

59:48 - "Invisible" documentary / Songwriting process / Authenticity

1:05:13 - Discussing two awesome Cidny Bullens quotes

1:07:09 - About the song, "Sugartown"

1:10:26 - Wrapping it up / "TransElectric" memoir due in 2023 / Check out www.cidnybullens.com

1:11:35 - "Sugartown"

 

The Yale Brothers welcome pioneering rocker and singer/songwriter Cidny Bullens for part one of a two-part conversation.

Cidny is a two-time Grammy nominee with 9 albums spanning more than 40 years. He was a backup singer for Elton John and performed two lead vocals on the Grease movie soundtrack. He is one-third of a group called The Refugees with fellow singer/songwriters. Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland.

Cidny – or Cid – began the transition process from Cindy to Cidny in 2011 – and "Walkin' Through This World" is his first album as a man.

A documentary about Cidny’s life – also called "The Gender Line" – was screened at more than 20 film festivals around the world in 2019.

He created a one-person show, "Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life" in 2016 – and he’s currently working on his memoir, "TransElectric."

Cidny will be speaking Thursday, February 24, at Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s Addiction and Recovery Lecture Series – in a virtual setting.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "The Gender Line" by Cidny Bullens from his 2020 album, "Walkin' Through This World"

4;17 - Greetings, about the song and about Cidny

5:44 - Cidny (then Cindy) meets Elton John / Cherokee Recording Studios Hollywood / Robb Brothers / Bob Crewe / Neil Sedaka / John Reid

11:54 - "My name is Elton" / Initial Conversation / Connie Papas Hillman invites Bullens on the road with Elton as backup singer.

15:47 - "The hovel" at 8000 Honey Drive, Hollywood / On the road with Elton / "Rock of the Westies" album - West of the Rockies tour / "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" / "Blue Moves"  / Still friends to this day

19:10 - Early life - Boston / West Newberry, MA , Maine / Family and music / Albums and 45s / Jazz / Gospel / Black Music

21:56 - First exposure to Little Richard - "Tutti Frutti" - was a pivotal moment / The decision to become a rocker / Chuck Berry / Blues / Jerry Lee Lewis / The "rawness" of rock 'n' roll meets the melody and harmony of The Everly Brothers

24:25 - Trip to Hollywood with $100, a guitar and a backpack / couch surfing / looking for music work / Meeting Bob Crewe (Four Seasons producer) / Fate / Seven years in Los Angeles / Married Dan Crewe in 1979

28:32 - About first album: "Desire Wire" / Challenges surrounding being a woman in rock 'n' roll / Shopping the record / Resistance / First manager Tony Defries / Androgynous / Album recorded on spec / Deal with United Artists Records / "Grease" movie soundtrack

35:26 - First single: "Survivor" - garnered Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1980) / Vocals / "Sonic Attention" / UA Records folded in 1980 / Don Kirshner's Rock Concert / American Bandstand

39:12 - The Casablanca era / "Tomfoolery"at the label / Not a KISS fan / Neil Bogart / First KISS showcase

42:21 - "Desire Wire" album photo / Taken by Norman Seef's assistant, Georgina Karvellas

44:15 - Bruce Bird's demands at Casablanca and Bullens' eventual departure from the label.

46:25 - Appearances on Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder Revue tour / Bob Neuwirth 

50:08 - First marriage to Dan Crewe / 22 years / Daughters Reid and Jessie / Eventual move to Maine

53:05 - Returning to music in 1985 / Roy Orbison Tribute 1990 was life-changing / "Pretty Woman" with Bonnie Raitt, K.D. Lang,, Emmylou Harris / Debbi Peterson / Wendy & Lisa / Tina Weymouth / Carla Azar / Solo song at tribute / T Bone Burnett / Don Was

56:31 - Call from Don Was - "Send Me an Angel" - Turning point in songwriting career, 1990 / Cidny discusses 1989 MCA Album, "Cindy Bullens" / More about Send Me an Angel" and new songwriting approach / Nashville beckons / Emmylou Harris / Radney Foster / Bill Lloyd / Embraced in Nashville: "Saved my musical soul"

1:00:45 - Horry-Georgetown Technical College Addiction and Recovery Lecture Series / Casey King / Cidny's story / 45 years clean and sober

1:02:44 - Forthcoming memoir, "TransElectric"/ 50 years of journals a blessing and a curse

1:05:26 - Wrapping up Part One / "Walkin' Through This World" by Cidny Bullens from his 2020 album of the same name.

In this episode Roger tells Chris about a guy they knew who stayed at the Magic Hotel (now the Magic Castle Hotel) and was so impressed with his experience there that he later named his restaurant in Tokyo after the address of the hotel.

They also discuss their young lives in Crestline, a small burg in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains and talk about music, Catholicism and much more - including a newly-digitized song from the archive.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Last Day on Earth" by Chris Yale - performed by the band Yale at the Bla Bla Cafe in Studio City, CA - circa 1980.

3:03 - Greetings and about the song / This episode is our age and Chris' mic / Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

4:08 - Besetting sin / Confession / Catholicism / The other side of the cross / Frankie Goes to Hollywood / "Besotting" sin

6:25 - The two China Clubs in Hollywood

7:30 - Kozo Matsumoto / China Club Restaurant, early 1980s / Smithsonian Magazine article - go to "Burgers" section to find Matsumoto's story and reference to the Magic Hotel / Matsumoto's restaurant

14:15 - Chris' dream about the Magic Hotel / Lucid dreaming / The vending machines

15:57 - Dreaming of Crestline, CA / The school buses / The music on Bus 19

17:10 - The songs we remember from Bus 19 - circa 1974/1975

19:37 - Moving around versus staying put as kids / "Silvio" by Bob Dylan

21:40 - Roger is a Dylan late adopter / Revisiting Jackson Browne / Gram Parsons biography by Ben Fong-Torres

23:00 - More Catholicism / Catechism

23:38 - Latest gig at LuLu's North Myrtle Beach

24:30 - "Seinfeld" / "Curb Your Enthusiasm" / "The Blacklist" / Megan Boone / "Yellowstone" on Peacock / SiriusXM: To ditch or not to ditch

25:56 - "Paul McCartney: The Life" by Philip Norman / Spotify: Neil Young versus Joe Rogan

27:32 - Parting shots / Latency issues while recording this episode / Carolina Forest versus Myrtle Beach

The twins try recording from their respective home studios and talk about everything from Roger's appearance in a viral TikTok video to the fact that cigars are no longer sold at Winston Churchill's estate - as well as ramblings about The Beatles, Orson Welles, Harlan Ellison and much more - including a recently unearthed musical gem from the archive.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Come Alone" by Chris Yale performed by the band, Yale, at the Bla Bla Cafe, Studio City, CA, circa 1980

3:40 - Greetings / About this episode's recording approach / Roger went viral on his daughter's TikTok

6:00 - No more cigars at Chartwell

8:15 - Reactions to Moderna booster

8:54 - Recent gig at LuLu's North Myrtle Beach / PreSonus Studiolive 16 / Yamaha AW2816

11:40 - Jim Bailey / Philip Bailey / Steve Bailey

12:11 - About "Come Alone" and more / Going alone

14:51 - Chris's 1976 Datsun 280Z

15:57 - Ralph Ellison "Invisible Man" / Confusing Ralph Ellison with Harlan Ellison / H.G. Wells "The Invisible Man" / Synopsis of Ellison book / Little Free Library

19:42 - Roger forgives himself

20:35 - "Owner of a Lonely Heart" / Trevor Horn / The Flintstones

21:30 - "Paul McCartney: The Life" by Philip Norman / "Get Back" documentary / "McCartney 3,2,1" 

22:20 - John versus Paul / Chris versus Roger

23:03 - More about "Get Back" / Neil Aspinall / Mal Evans / Michael Linsdsay-Hogg / Is Hogg Orson Welles' son? / Sir Denis Eton-Hogg in "This Is Spinal Tap" / "Citizen Kane"

25:27 - "Being the Ricardos" / "Belfast"

25;28 - Parting shots / Skype Issues / Confusing dead guys

 

After a brief hiatus, the twins are back - discussing an old tall tale, Chris' trips out of the country, Roger's road trip to the mountains, time with Chris' family, Roger's first-ever 5K, recent gigs and more, including a newly digitized gem from the audio archive.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Defiance" by Chris Yale - Performed by Yale (first band) at the Bla Bla Cafe in Studio City, CA., circa 1980.

3:34 - Greetings and about the song

4:44 - Roger's Big Lie / Apologies to Roger's middle-school best friend Glen Ross / Raquel Welch

7:14 - Chris' two trips out of the country / Dominican Republic / Turks and Caicos / Airport Craziness over Thanksgiving Weekend / Casa De Campo / The "Island Treats" guy in Turks

11:16 - Roger's trip to the mountains of Southwest Virginia with Brenda / Dr. Grabow factory in Sparta, N.C. / Privy Races in Independence, VA / Shithouse Rickshaws

13:25 - Most recent gig at LuLu's North Myrtle Beach / Upcoming gigs

14:19 - Hanging with Chris' family: Miles, Elijah, Katie, Bill, Betsy and Martha / Miles warmed up to Roger

15:22 - Roger ran a 5K / The Market Common Myrtle Beach / Doug Shaw Stadium /  Foot is still sore

17:22 - Franz Cough-ca

18:20 - Katie and Bill's 5K in Wilmington, NC

18:43 - Running into the Slushers at the airport

19:07 - Not Podfade Away

19:51 - Chris' current podcast recording situation / Mix-Minus / Roger wants a standalone multitrack recorder / Mr. Spock is a Logic Pro / Chris' middle-school best friend Daryl Macias

21:48 - Pooch-A-Mania event at The Market Common Myrtle Beach / WAVE 104.1 / Scott Mann / Scott Hyman / Myrtle Beach PD K-9 Unit / Killer Chihuahuas

24:43 - Parting shots

The twins talk about the positive energy at recent gigs, performing in the moment and assorted albums from Dylan to Springsteen to Yes. They recall their friendship with actor Joe Maher, discuss a friend's master's thesis on acting and much more, including a live recording from their first-ever gig with their first band.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Drag Strip Blues" by Chris Yale - Performed by Yale- Bla-Bla Cafe Los Angeles circa 1980

4:21 - Greetings and about the song / John C. Dvorak / Andy Gibb Concert Miami 1970s / Hollywood Professional School

6:21 - Roger's son Wes' and daughter-in-law Leigh's first wedding anniversary / Chris' daughter Katie married six years to Bill / National Daughter's Day / Katie and Taylor (Roger's daughter)

9:07 - Judgy

9:28 - Latest gigs / LuLu's North Myrtle Beach / House of Blues Myrtle Beach / Acoustic fly rig and looper / Timing / "Thunder Road" - Springsteen / Yes, "Close to the Edge" / Springsteen, "Born to Run" album

15:27 - Bob Dylan, "Springtime in New York" / "Infidels" / "Slow Train Coming" / "Shot of Love" / Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare / Rolling Thunder Revue / "Echo in the Canyon"

19:15 - Chris' scratch-offs / More Yes / "Owner of a Lonely Heart" / Trevor Horn / Synclavier / Fairlight / Van Halen, "And the Cradle Will Rock" intro

21:50 - "I happen to know..."

22:15 - Hanging with Joe Maher / Magic Hotel (now Magic Castle Hotel) / "Heaven Can Wait" / Chevy Chase / Ken Howard / Yamashiro / "The Natural" / Chinese Theatre / Flip-flop problems / Richard Nielson / Julie Christie

26:35 - Love it or leave it?

32:17 - Elizabeth Gilbert, "Big Magic" / Lefsetz podcast / Broken Record podcast / Malcolm Gladwell podcast / Pushkin Industries / Our friend Chris Dell's postgrad thesis: "The Collision: The Reintroduction of Core-Shamanic Techniques for Character Building in Theatrical Production" / Meisner / Stanislavski / Strasberg / Uta Hagen / Stella Adler / Jerzy Grotowski /

34:06 - Steven Adler / Obama, "A Promised Land" / "Every Little Step" documentary about "A Chorus Line" revival

36:00 - Parting shots / Tony Perkins teaser

The twins unearth another gem from the cassette archive and then fall headlong into the maelstrom - discussing everything from recent gigs in Myrtle Beach, Paul Anka, Chrissie Hynde and Garth Brooks to authors, show tunes, a really cool park in Miami and much more.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Answer Me" by Chris Yale circa 1988

4:17 - Greetings and about the song / Stare Cat Sound, Glendale, CA / Ian Talcroft / Steve Kobashigawa

6:00 - "It's a Rock Thing" - English guys singing Southern / Blues and Country origins

6:31 - Garth Brooks documentary - part 2 / Quitting music

7:51 - Shout-out to our friend Carl McClain - thanks for loaning us your P.A. head.

8:29 - Latest House of Blues gig - very enthusiastic crowd / Early gigs versus late gigs / Latest LuLu's gig - great mix

10:40 - "I got pretty good" / Chrissie Hynde / The Pretenders / Lemmy couldn't score with Chrissie

11:44 - "I Want To Be Your Man" - Roger (Troutman) / Peter Tosh with Stones / Ron Wood albums

12:52 - Matheson Hammock Miami / Raleigh Chopper bicycle / Matt Ross / Dixie Highway (U.S. 1)

14:15 - Roger "ran away" from home twice / Mom's soap operas

15:45 - Novellas / David Leavitt, "Arkansas" / Little Free Library / Oscar Wilde

17:45 - The time Dad didn't show up

19:05 - Random show tunes / "Pal Joey '78" with Lena Horne / Roger working out to "Evita"

19:54 - Roger's training for a 5K / Advice from Buck and Jodie / Pacing and distance / Stan Obrycki / Roger's son Wes' "pinky swear with Chris / "Pain Retains"

21:29 - California reports lowest COVID-19 rates in nation / California homelessness / Austin homelessness / Drunk Panhandlers outside Barney's Beanery Hollywood

26:44 - Roger's shroud of political correctness

26:57 - Paul Anka on Lefsetz podcast / More Anka / Anka chews out a musician about wardrobe / Buddy Rich rants on bus

31:08 - Our gig t-shirts

32:32 - Change afoot: Explosive growth growth in Myrtle Beach / Carolina Forest / Myrtle Beach natives / Transplants / Trans Plant / Dread Zeppelin / El Vez

35:22 - Parting shots / Five gigs in a week

The twins continue down their particular rabbit holes, from babbling about George Orwell and Aldous Huxley to sensory deprivation and memories about Crestline, California to mic placement, audio gear, our latest gigs and more - including an audio grab from a recent show.

Above: Art by Nancy Dickinson

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 - "Famous Last Words" - by Chris Yale / Audio capture from show at North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina - July 17, 2021

4:05 - Greetings / George Orwell / Newspeak / More about the song

5:20 - Roger's mic placement issues

5:51 - "Interesting" is not a useful word choice / Brendan Wright

7:02 - Three gigs this week: House of Blues Myrtle Beach / LuLu's North Myrtle Beach / North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina / Vocal strain?

8:39 - Paul McCartney sang with throat issues at a show Roger attended. He felt ripped off.

9:35 - More about the shows / LuLu's:  QSC Speakers / Presonus StudioLive 16 / Chris' old Yamaha AW2816

10:35 - Scott Mann got us a gig / WAVE 104.1 / Pooch-A-Mania / Bookshop dogs and cats / Blue Bicycle Books Charleston / Austin Rocks - Jeffrey / Bill Cosby "Jeffrey" / Richard Pryor "The Wino and the Junkie"

13:14 - P.A. Issues

16:33 - The Elton John expert

19:00 - Paying our dues / Grateful Dead, "Blues for Allah"

19:19 - The brook in Crestline, CA / Jim Alden / Our names in the tree / Tripping / Lake Gregory / Corey Dickinson / Nancy Dickinson and The Daisy Patch / "Swish Delish"

23:14 - Goodwin's Market / Our first girlfriends, the Goodwin Twins / First Communion with the twins / Mark Mulkeen

24:30 - Annie Dillard, "The Writing Life" / "Life In Pieces" / "Dark Side of the Moon" documentary / "Dazed and Confused"

25:16 - Garth Brooks documentary part one / Is Garth a douche?

26:47 - More Newspeak / Orwell / Aldous Huxley / "Brave New World" / "Moksha" / "The Divine Within" / Throbbing Gristle / Undulating leaves / Isolation tanks / Stan Obrycki / "Altered States" / Sensory deprivation / Bob Morales / Rodgers and Hammerstein / "The King and I"

Parting shots / "Do the Work" by Steven Pressfield / Tinder Box Myrtle Beach / You can't go back / "Look Homeward, Angel" / Thomas Wolfe / "You Can't Go Home Again"