See Hear Podcast Episode 122 - Swing Girls

 

When you attended high school, did you have a music program? If so, were you enthusiastic about playing what was selected for you? In the early days of music tuition, chances are you had to play dull tunes that were in line with your limited abilities...on a recorder. Within 3 or so months of picking up an instrument, could you play tunes made famous by, say, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman? No? The girls (and a boy) at Yamakawa High School did.

 

Welcome to episode 122 of See Hear Podcast.

 

Kerry was unavailable, but Tim and myself carried on to discuss the 2004 film “Swing Girls”, directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. Beat for beat, this is the same film as Yaguchi’s 2001 film “Waterboys”, but replacing a group of inept boys learning synchronised swimming with a group of inept girls learning to play jazz and form a swing band. A jazz version of School of Rock? It seems similar on the surface, but these kids are motivated differently to learn their music.....their only drive IS the music, not to win a competition. They learn to love swing jazz (essentially, it's pop music) and realise it's not – as they first surmise – for “brandy snifters”.

Cards out on the table – we adore this film. We look at its universality (Japanese school kids playing a distinctly American art form), how a film with no villains or conflict can still be compelling, and mostly we celebrate a love of music. Tim rightly compares this film to an earlier one we discussed about a love of music for its own sake but the style was vastly different – home is here your musical interests lie.....the rest is detail.

Swing Girls is available in full to watch on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEz_TNtkCRc&t=381s

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Download Episode 122 from here.

See Hear Episode 121 - Interview with Neil Fox about his book "Music Films"

Do you like music films? Dumb question, I guess, because if you've deliberately downloaded an episode of See Hear, you know that music films are our niche in the podcast world. For us to discover that there was a new book about the subject that drives this very podcast....well, there was much cheering and jumping for joy.

Welcome to episode 121 of See Hear Podcast.

We welcome to the show Professor Neil Fox of Falmouth University. He's written a terrific book called “Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music”. He felt that music films were poorly regarded in the wider space of cinematic genres.....which is stupid. As our show has proven, the wider umbrella of music cinema can include discussion of class divides, social structure, civil rights, the cult of celebrity, mental health, and knocking down Stonehenge.

Neil's book puts specific films under the microscope and links them thematically.....many made in the 21st Century. He shows that the wider umbrella of music cinema has much to say....regardless of whether you want something deep or something fluffy. It should be celebrated as much as anything out there. You may think you know a thing or two about music films, but Neil's book reveals so many interesting films that deserve a wider audience. You don't even need to be a fan of the music some of these films celebrate.....just an interest in stories well told....and that, dear friends, is what drives this very podcast.

Huge thanks to Neil for being such a great conversationalist. Extra thanks go to the host of the Beatles Books podcast, Joe Wisbey for making the connection.

If you want to get hold of a copy of the book (and it's highly recommended by Tim, Kerry and myself), you can order it from https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/music-films-9781839023439/

or wherever you get your books.

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Proudly Pantheon.

Download episode 121 from here.

See Hear Podcast Episode 120 - Great Soundtracks Part 2

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Proudly Pantheon.

Download Episode 120 from here.

See Hear Podcast Episode 119 - Great Soundtracks, Part 1

 

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Download episode 119 from here.

See Hear 118 - Interview with Simon Head, director of "Subversives: The History of Lowest Of The Low"

 

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Download episode 118 from here.

See Hear Podcast Episode 117 - True Stories

 

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

Download episode 117 from here.

See Hear 116: Interview with Brian Lindstrom and Pat Thomas about Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill

 

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 seehearpodcast@gmail.com

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.

You can download episode 116 from here.