Halloween Radio Special 3! - 50s-70s Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, and Novelty Songs

This Saturday at 9pm on KUCR 88.3 FM is the 3rd annual Hippie Love Turbo Halloween Special! Be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM or through KUCR.org. If you'd like, you can also listen to KUCR through Radio Garden or Tune-In. If you missed the show or want to listen to the tracks again, check out the playlist at the bottom of this post.

During the show I recommended Abel Ferrara's 1981 film Ms. 45 for everyone that's still looking for some trashy films to watch this Halloween. Although the film is set in fall, with the film's climax taking place during a Halloween party, I admit it's a stretch to call Ms. 45 a Halloween film. Regardless, I still think it's worth your time for all of its moody world building and grimy set pieces. If you are familiar with Ferrara's Driller Killer (which I talked about on the episode named Mango) you'll see many similarities between the two films, such as the slums of New York, annoying neighbors, demanding bosses, party scenes, and characters that reach their breaking points and turn towards acts of violence. 

Laurie (portrayed by Darlene Stuto) reads about Ms. 45's crime spree

 

In Ms. 45 the protagonist, Thana, is a victim of multiple sexual assaults in one day which causes her to seek revenge against all the perverts in New York City. At first Thana is portrayed as a sort of anti-hero vigilante similar to Paul Kersey in the Death Wish series but as the film continues, we see Thana become more of a mass murderer that preys on men. There are hardly any positive male characters in the film which makes Thana's over the top murders feel justifiable, assuming that the audience understands the nature of exploitation films. 

One of many scenes in Ms. 45 that feature sexual harassment

Ms. 45 appears to be inspired by several other films, as well as, the real events surrounding serial killer David Berkowitz (aka the .44 Caliber Killer). As previously mentioned, there are similarities to Death Wish but the film's climax is also reminiscent of the 1976 film Carrie. It could be argued that there are elements of Taxi Driver too but, like all good exploitation films, Ms. 45 takes elements from many other films and reduces them down to their visceral core.

A Driller Killer reference can be spotted during the film's climax

The film has various runtimes depending on which version you watch, with Thana's rape scenes being reduced in most of the censored versions. In fact, you may find yourself watching an edited copy where the scenes are removed completely which can make the film somewhat confusing. Of course, the rape aspects are the most off-putting part of the film, however, they are not nearly as explicit as other films such as Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left or Meir Zarchi's I Spit on Your Grave. I understand that sexual violence is a no-go for most people, so I only suggest watching the film if you are alright with fictional depictions of that sort of thing. Yes, it is disgusting and crass but that's sort of the nature of these types of films. They make you feel uncomfortable.

*Saxophone sounds coming from a trumpet*

The film has several humorous moments, some intentional and some not, but most of the film is a fairly straight forward thriller. Overall, the film feels fast paced and doesn't dwell on anything for too long unlike The Driller Killer. It's a low budget affair that you can watch with buddies and revel in it's over the top violence and, while it's not psychologically or emotionally deep, there are moments that highlight the everyday sexual harassment that women often feel in our country, whether it's cat-callers, creepy bosses, or annoying strangers that portray themselves as "good guys." Hopefully, there will be, or has been, someone that watches the film and walks away thinking about their own actions, recognizing that they should stop acting like a weirdo pervert. One can only hope.

In conclusion, Ms. 45 isn't for everyone but it's definitely worth a watch if you are into late night grindhouse flicks.

Ms. 45' Halloween party scene

Anywho, thanks for tuning in this week! You can check out this episode's playlist below. If you are still feeling the Halloween spirit, check out the last two Halloween specials here and here.

 

Tommy Bell - Swamp Gal
Baron Daemon and The Vampires - Ghost Guitars
Teddy Durant - The Night Stalker
The Mystrys - Witch Girl
Danny Hutton - Monster Shindig

 

Obscure Psychedelic Folk and Japanese Beat With Margaret, Mark Fry, and D. R. Hooker - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Mouse Melon"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM we stretched things out with 14 tracks that hit close or beyond the 3 minute mark! Most of it was psychedelic this time around but we also had a few tracks that leaned more towards beat music including our first track Aeba Suki Suki by Margaret and Bunnys.

There's not a lot of info on Margaret in English but what we do know is she recorded a few singles as Margaret before she dropped the mononym in favor of Emmy Margaret. The story goes that she was discovered by Takeshi Terauchi whose office was located near the modeling agency which employed Margaret as a client and, in case you are unaware, Takeshi Terauchi was a writer/musician/producer that was known for playing instrumental surf music in his groups The Blue Jeans and The Bunnys. You may recognize his music from the episode named "Endive." 

It seems that Margaret's youth, modeling experience, and American heritage were seen as marketable because it's unlikely that she would have gained recording contracts with her singing ability alone. While I personally think her voice fits the style of music she performed, I have seen many comments in Japanese articles that describe her Japanese skills as lacking and her singing as subpar. At the time, the Group Sounds genre (most often referred to as GS) was gaining popularity due to influence from British beat bands, most notably, The Beatles and Margaret's first single seemed to have a little more of a hard edge compared to her contemporaries. Unlike more straightforward garage rock, GS artists leaned more heavily on the kayōkyoku (Japanese Pop) side. This becomes more evident as Margaret's short musical career evolved and her songs began to feature more strings with softer vocals. If you like the Yé-yé inspired April March I'd suggest giving Margaret's first single 逢えば好き好き/幸福（しあわせ）a listen.

After Margaret, you heard an interesting psychedelic tune, named Forge Your Own Chains, performed by a mysterious artist named D. R. Hooker. In 1972 Hooker released his album The Truth with a very small pressing of 99 records that fell into obscurity for many years before being rediscovered and re-released in the 90s. The album cover features a robed Jesus-esque Hooker standing on a mountain top with an acoustic guitar which paired with the hippy-dippy tunes creates a curious artifact that draws you in. Visually and lyrically the album gives off almost cult-like vibes especially since it was released with little fanfare in a post-Manson world where hippie fashion became unhip. If you are more curious about the album check out this article on Vinyl Me Up which dives deeper into the strange history of the release.

Staying on the obscure side of things, towards the end of the show you heard Wendy and Bonnie perform their song By The Sea which was released through Skye Records shortly before the record label folded. Wendy and Bonnie the daughters of musicians Art and Jeane Flower that, besides releasing their sole full length album Genesis, also performed with a psychedelic group known as The Crystal Fountain. Some editions of Genesis feature The Crystal Fountain tracks Never To Rest and The Night Behind Us which leave me with an appetite for more. Who knows what could have come from Wendy and Bonnie if their label wouldn't have gone bankrupt? Perhaps they could have continued releasing album or drummed up interest in The Crystal Fountain. Back in 2014, Frank Valish interviewed Wendy Flower for Under The Radar Magazine and she explains some of the group's history, as well as, life as a young musician in the late '60s.

And to wrap things up, you heard Mark Fry's A Norman Soldier from his 1971 album Dreaming With Alice. Dreaming With Alice was quietly released through the Italian RCA sublabel IT and then fell into obscurity before gaining a cult following years later. Eventually Fry began releasing music again and has since recorded several full-length albums and also a few EPs. If you are going to listen to any of Fry's more contemporary works, I'd suggest starting with Mark Fry/The A. Lords' I Lived In Trees which I found surprisingly captivating. I say surprisingly because it's not often that a musician can walk away from releasing music for such a long period and then come back with something that's actually good. I've seen many artists try to record new material after their teenage efforts have gained interest through re-releases and they usually are fairly middle of the road or subpar. This is not the case for I Lived In Trees which is experimental and folky with some dreamy lo-fi undertones. There are more hits and misses in Fry's other work, however, I'd say it's all worth at least a brief listen.

Anywho, that's about it for this episode's summary. Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

Margaret and Bunnys - Aeba Suki Suki

Dave Starky V and Riverside's The Whatt Four - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Finger Lime"

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM was a little bit of a contrast to last week's shorter songs, with a few tracks reaching past the 3-minute mark. We got a little more psyched out but still kept it in the garage.

 

The first group you heard was Dave Starky V with their song Hey Everybody which has appeared on a few garage rock compilations over the years. According to their Discogs biography they also played under the name Just Us after holding a contest on KNUZ (which currently plays country music) where the audience gave the band a new name. Funny enough, one of the more complete biographies I found for the band was on the Swedish Amazon page for their release At It Again, which features their original Hey Everybody/Stand There single, as well as, a few covers recorded in 2013. It appears that the group and some of the members continued playing music well into the 2010's which can be seen through the jsmsws YouTube channel. I believe that the jsmsws account was maintained by the Dave Starky V's original bassist and later rhythm guitarist Joe Muscanere who passed away in 2021. If anyone out there has more information on the group or Joe Muscanere, be sure to reach out.

As the show continued you heard a band from Riverside known as The Whatt Four. There's a great post on Garage Hangover that explores the band's history where members share tidbits about what the psych scene was like out here.

Anywho, that's about it for this episode's summary. Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

The Strange Fate - Hold Me Baby
The Smoke - Half Past the End

Some Edmonton Bands, Steve Jobs and The New Orleans Pop Festival - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Prickly Pear"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM I crammed in over 20 garage rock tracks with most of them clocking in under 3 minutes. Just the way I like it.

First off, we started this episode with The King-Beezz's song Now. The group is from Edmonton in Alberta, Canada and began their journey while the British Invasion was in full swing. What I thought was particularly cool about the band is that they were essentially formed due to a listener/musician that called their local radio station to talk about music, particularly the aforementioned British Invasion. Their official website seems to be offline but there's a pretty good summary of the group's history on a website named Citizen Freak which has some neat articles about other Canadian bands as well. 

Ashton Kutcheras Steve Jobs in Jobs

After the King-Beezz, you heard The Brymers' most popular song, Sacrifice, which was featured on the 2013 film Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher. The Brymers only put out a few singles during their peak, however, they actually recorded more songs which weren't officially released for several decades. According to the band's now defunct website, they had no idea that their music was still being listened to until drummer, Dick Lee, searched for the band's name online and found a few posts about the group. Eventually this led to the release of their remaining material through a collaboration with 60sgaragebands.com. 

As the show continued you heard another group from Edmonton, known as, The New Wing. The New Wing was actually the band's second name after they relocated to Bakersfield. The name change came about once the group, then known as Sons of Adam, became aware of another California transplant band that shared the same name. You heard the Sunset Strip based Sons of Adam on the episode named Sugar-Apple. Much like Sam The Sham or The Escapades, The New Wing also drove around in a converted hearse. Spooky. 

And finally, you heard Gulfport, Mississippi's The Flower Power perform their song You Make Me Fly. The band is probably best known for being the opening performer on the second day of the New Orleans Pop Festival in August of '69. The festival was in Prairieville, Louisiana and happened weeks after Woodstock but, unlike Woodstock, the local authorities came down hard on attendees with narcotics. Much like the Altamont Free Concert, which was also held at a speedway, the security mainly consisted of motorcycle clubs. I'm not sure how many concerts before the New Orleans Pop Festival used motorcycle clubs as security but I do know the practice seemed to disappear after the stabbing of Meredith Hunter.

And that's about it for this episode's summary. Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

The King-Beezz - Now
The Upsetters - Daddy Rolling Stone
The Flower Power - You Make Me Fly
The Cherry Stones - Go Away
Inexpensive Handmade Look - Ice Cream Man
The Lost Generation - I'd Gladly Pay
Blue Condition - Coming Home

Hard Rock, Boxers Turned Musicians, and MGMT - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Oca"

 

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM was one of those episodes where, rather than talking a lot about a few things, I spoke a little about a lot of things. Here's a quick rundown on everything I talked about:

Firstly, you heard a band from Tampa, Florida named The Split Ends play their song Rich With Nothin'. The band went through a few changes over the course of their existence, starting out as The Allusions before switching to The Split Ends. When they began changing their sound to something more along the lines of hard rock or perhaps southern rock, the band once again changed their name, this time settling on Boot. If you are into hard rock, I'd say there are a couple of standouts on Boot's first album, such as, Liza Brown which is also the B-side for their first single and sounds very Led Zeppelin-esque. The next standout is Andromeda which sounds like a synth-less Rush song or maybe a throwaway from Blue Öyster Cult's first album. I've mostly seen pretty lukewarm receptions to Boot's work and I somewhat agree but, for the most part I tend to not like that sort of music, so as they say; "your mileage may vary." You can read more about the band here.

As the show continued you heard The Human Expression's Readin' Your Will and I spoke a little bit about how this Orange County band is probably best known for their history with Mars Bonfire. When the band was looking to expand their song catalogue beyond their own work, they met with Bonfire who then performed both Born To Be Wild and Sweet Child Of Nothingness on an acoustic guitar. The band opted to record Sweet Child of Nothingness as they thought Born To Be Wild lacked marketability. Of course, The Human Expression was wrong and Born To Be Wild went on to become a huge hit for Bonfire's brother's band Steppenwolf. Perhaps the band missed a great opportunity for success by passing up Born To Be Wild, however, I feel that The Human Expression's more moody and reserved musicality wouldn't have fit the song anyway.

Towards the middle of the show you, heard a mysterious band named Wolfgang play their song Tomorrow's Yesterdays. There's no information about the band online but I found the song through a compilation named Take The Brain Train To The Third Eye: Bud Mathis' Sunset Trip that chronicles the works associated with Bud Mathis. Bud Mathis had an eventful life as a soldier, boxer, musician, and actor but is probably best known for his work with The Brain Train who you also heard on this episode. The Brain Train later became Clear Light and recorded another version of the song you heard on this episode, Black Roses.

After Wolfgang, you heard a song by The Rustics named Look At Me which came from a 1992 compilation of works by Long Island songwriter Faine Jade named: It Ain't True. Jade bounced around a bunch of bands over the years including Bohemian Vendetta who, incidentally, you also heard on this episode. You may have heard Jade's work without even knowing it because a cover of his song Introspection was featured on MGMT's self-titled album from 2013. In fact, not long after the album's release Jade performed the song with the band during a concert at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York. Cool stuff.

Finally, you heard The Privilege perform their version of The Highly, Successful, Young, Rupert White, which was written by Bob Hopps of The Bakersfield Poppy Pickers and Chocolate Tunnel, who recorded their own version of the song. There is another band, The Lords, that also released a single with the song but, from what I can tell, The Lords eventually became The Privilege so perhaps it's the same recording, just with a different band name. I wasn't able to find The Lord's version to confirm.

Anywho, that's about it for this episode's summary. Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

The Claytons - Puttin' Me On
The Split Ends - Rich With Nothin'
The Centaurs - Heart Full Of Soul
The Human Expression - Readin' Your Will
The Deltas - Wan-Bak-A-Na (She's My Girl)

Triumphs, Moorhead, MN and B-movie Exotica - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Lucuma"

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM featured an array of tunes spanning from rockabilly, garage, to psych mashed into an hour of toe tappers and far out drifters. Here's a breakdown of some of the things I talked about in this episode:

Near the beginning of the show you heard Terry Lee and The Poor Boys' My Little Sue and I spoke about Terry Lee and his hometown of Moorhead, Minnesota. Moorhead is located in the Red River Valley and has a tragic connection to rock n roll history as it was destined to be the next stop on Buddy Holly's Winter Party Tour. As you most likely know, Buddy Holly along with Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson never made it to their show in Moorhead due their plane crashing in an event that's often referred to as The Day The Music Died. However, what I didn't mention on the show is that Terry Lee and his group performed as replacements during the scheduled event along with Bobby Vee and the Shadows, and Holly's group, The Crickets. You can read Terry Lee's recounting of the night via this old Facebook post here. Terry Lee now goes by Bob Becker, which I assume is his real name, and has (or at least, had) a radio show titled Bob Becker's Old Tyme Variety Show.

As the show continued, I briefly mentioned The Gatormen and how they were known for performing throughout the Pacific Northwest. If you are interested in a little more about the band's history, check out their page on Pacific Northwest Bands. There's not a ton of info on the group but, as of 2004, their bassist Rick Fleek released an album named Lost & Found which you can listen to here.

Later on you heard Los Ovnis' La Última Vez but the group was best known for their Spanish covers of English rock songs. Before becoming Los Ovnis, the band was known as Los Teddy Bears and their most popular album consisted solely of Beatles covers. Fun stuff.

And finally, you heard Les Baxter's Chain Fight which plays during the climax of the 1969 biker film Hell's Belles, starring Jocelyn Lane, Adam Roarke, and Jeremy Slate. The soundtrack features some of my favorite work by Baxter who was well known for writing music in the Exotica genre and for his prolific work in B-movies, particularly with American International Pictures. Baxter's music ranged from fairly straightforward orchestral music to spacey Bossa Nova and pop music featuring Moog synthesizers and theremins. 

As for the film, it's a fairly run of the mill motorcycle flick that features many of the standard biker film tropes such as: hassling gas station attendants, helmet-less riding on dirt-roads and desert highways, as well as, a few ill-conceived and dangerous stunts. The plot revolves around a motocross racer that wins a Triumph motorcycle valued at $2,000 that's stolen multiple times, first by a fellow jealous racer, and then by a somewhat toothless motorcycle gang. You won't see any bikers getting loaded in this film, profanity is scant, and while there are some "belles" they hardly seem like they're from Hell, let alone heck or H. E. double hockey sticks. The near wholesomeness of the gang is a real head scratcher. Their fearsome leader has a strange obsession with denying the fact that he's a thief and instead he forces people into "trades" where he gives up something in return for the items he takes. These trades lead to one of the biker's old ladies, Cathy, being forcefully exchanged for the film's protagonist Dan's motorcycle. The rest of the film follows Dan's attempts at retrieving his motorcycle while dragging along helpless Cathy. The film seems like it wants to establish a relationship between Dan and Cathy but it never really takes off the ground. I'm not sure if we are supposed to like Dan as he's pretty much an abusive jerk to Cathy throughout the film. Again, this movie is an odd one. The movie suffers from a script that lacks the edgy nature of typical biker films as it banks on the audience sticking around just to see Jocelyn Lane in a mini-skirt. I pretty much only recommend the film if you like AIP's other biker schlock.

That's about it for this episode's summary. Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

The Dorsals With The Gatormen - Namu

Surf Rock Radio Special 2

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM was springy, full of twang, and had a hint of sandy residue. Yes, it was another Surf Special! This year's surf special was packed full of tunes and, like most of the songs you heard on this episode, I didn't have much to say. However, I did mention some of my favorite beach activities, such as exploring the caves and coves along the southern California coastline.

Some of my personal favorite coastline caves are in Malibu, both at Leo Carrillo State Beach
and El Matador State Beach which are only about 6 miles apart. Of course, if you want to check out tide pools and rock features a little closer to Riverside, you can always check out some cool beaches in Laguna including: the Beach Cave at Thousand Steps Beach and the coves at Treasure Island Beach. I'd like to visit some more coastal rock formations this summer and am curious to what your favorites are, so let me know!

Koxa's record breaking moment as seen in this video

Later on in the episode you heard The Vaqueros play their song 80-Foot Wave and I talked a bit about how, back in 2018, professional surfer Rodrigo Koxa actually surfed an 80-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal, smashing any previous big wave surfing records. Seeing the photographs and video of the event are awe-inspiring but I could only image how stressful watching Koxa's feat live, let alone being the man on the surfboard. Of course, watching the videos you can see the importance of Koxa keeping his cool because any misstep would certainly lead to disaster. If you have a hard time visualizing what an 80 foot wave would look like, imagine a wave reaching about halfway up UCR's Belltower!

Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out the playlist for this year's salty surf special below:

 

The Vaqueros - 80 Foot Wave

Death In The West, Tattooed Marlboro Men, and Some Garage Rock - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Lemongrass"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM you heard some wild tunes including one by Mark Markham & The Jesters named Goin' Back to Marlboro Country.  

Various Marlboro advertisements targeting women

 

If you aren't familiar with Marlboro Country, it was part of Philip Morris' advertising campaign which helped steer the Marlboro cigarette brand away from earlier attempts to capture a female audience towards a presumably larger or more loyal male customer base. According an article from March 23rd, 1927 in Advertising & Selling, Marlboro was one of the first tobacco companies to specifically target women. At the time advertising to women smokers was considered taboo despite the fact that there was a large female smoker market, which was estimated to bring in revenue in the hundreds of millions. Supposedly, the early campaigns were so successful that Philip Morris received positive unsolicited mail from various female costumers, praising the product, which was fairly unheard of at the time. As the advertisements continued to gain success, Marlboro strengthened their focus on their female audience and, according to an article in the July 15th, 1957 issue of Newsweek, the company developed its signature flip top packaging as a way of protecting their cigarettes from the smell of perfume that often accompanies the inside of a woman's purse. However, as Marlboro later began using tattooed men in their advertisements, the box was instead touted as a way of preventing the cigarettes from being crushed while simultaneously keeping them fresh.

An example of some of Marlboro's goofy tattooed men ads

I'm not sure what led Philip Morris to change their advertising tactics, but the early masculine focused campaigns are pretty laughable by today's standards with advertisements featuring slogans such as: "A lot of man...a lot of cigarette.", "Man-size taste of honest tobacco comes full through.", and "Where there's a man...there's a Marlboro."

During Marlboro's venture towards masculine advertising, they eventually began using cowboys and western themes which led to the creation of the famous Marlboro Man ads which lasted until the late '90s and kicked off their use of the phrase "Come To Marlboro Country." 

John Holmes as seen in Death In The West

Although the Marlboro Man ad campaign lasted for several decades it was often targeted by critics for its romantic depictions of smoking. One of the first successful attacks against the brand's advertisements and the effects of smoking, took place in 1976 with a television documentary directed by Martin Smith titled Death in The West. The film follows several men that fit the hard working, masculine, rancher profile of the Marlboro Man, however, with more realistic portrayals of the chronic smoker. Visually, the most impactful depiction is of John Holmes, who suffered from emphysema and it seen working with an oxygen tank as he describes his health struggles as feeling; "as if someone has their fingers down in my chest." Dispersed throughout the film are testimonies by doctors and Philip Morris executives that serve as counterpoints either downplaying the effects of smoking or emphasizing the harm cause by cigarettes. 

John Holmes as seen in Death In The West

After the Death in The West first aired on British television Philip Morris acted swiftly and sued the filmmakers and Thames Television, who first broadcasted the show, in order to block any future rebroadcasts, particularly in the US. Mother Jones magazine described the film as being "one of the most powerful anti-smoking films ever made" and explained in an article from January 1979, that it was unlikely that wider audiences would ever see the film due to Philip Morris' legal battles with Thames Television. Eventually the documentary did make its way to American audiences via PBS stations in various markets. You can view the film here and read about some of Marlboro's models' deaths from cancer, here.

Anywho, that's some insight into the strange world of cigarette advertisements and although it was loosely related to the episode (very loosely), I thank you for reading the blog. Be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In.

You can listen to this episode's playlist below:

 

The Choab - I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone
The Moguls - Ski Bum
Esquires - Heat
Mark Markham & The Jesters - Goin' Back to Marlboro Country

Terry Knight, Don Gardner, and Covers By Tom Jones - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Cardoon"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM I kept the talking parts pretty brief, so here is a quick rundown on some of the stuff I talked about:

I started the show with Terry Knight and The Pack's song How Much More and I mentioned that the group had a hit with their version of I (Who Have Nothing) which was also covered by Ben E. King and, perhaps more famously, Tom Jones. Here's a neat video of the group making a television appearance back in 1966. During the video, Terry is briefly interviewed as he talks about being from Flint, Michigan before the group "performs" on some bleachers.

Later on, you heard Don Gardner perform My Baby Likes To Boogaloo and, much like Terry Knight, Gardner also performed a song that Tom Jones covered. However, unlike Terry Knight and The Pack, Don Gardner co-wrote his hit, I Need Your Lovin'. My favorite version of the song, beyond the original, is Otis Redding's version from his first album Pain In My Heart.

 

House of The Rising Sun as interpreted by AI

 

When I played Gary Indiana's own Oscar Hamod and The Majestics' No Chance Baby, I talked about how they performed a fuzzed out psychedelic version of House of The Rising Sun and how I'll probably play it sometime in the future. Well, if you are impatient, I suggest checking it out!

That's just about it for this episode! Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In.

You can listen to this episode's playlist below:

 

Terry Knight and The Pack - How Much More
The Caravelles - Lovin' Just My Style
Thee Kavaliers - Congregation For Anti Flirts Inc.
Headhunters - Times We Share
The Stoned Circus - Feel

The Many Boots That Are Made For Walkin' - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Soursop"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM we started the show off with a Spanish cover of These Boots Are Made for Walkin' which was written by Lee Hazlewood and first recorded by Nancy Sinatra. There have been many covers of the song over the years with the most popular versions performed by Jessica Simpson for the soundtrack of the 2005 film adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard and Billy Ray Cyrus' rendition on his debut album Some Gave All (1992). A somewhat unexpected version of the song was featured on Megadeth's 1985 album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! featuring altered lyrics which didn't sit well with Lee Hazlewood. Eventually Hazelwood asked the band to remove the song from future releases of their album which they complied with, for the most part, as some copies of the album contain censored recordings of song with the offending lyrics intact in the liner notes. In 2018 the band released another special edition of Killing Is My Business which featured a version of the song with newly recorded lyrics that matched Hazlewood's original. 

The Boot as seen on The Simpsons

 

The cover you heard on this episode (Gloria Benavides' Esta Botas Son Para Caminar) is one of the few versions in Spanish but other bands from Latin America have also covered the song, mostly sung in English or performed as instrumentals. The Mexican instrumental group Los Aragón released a fun version in 1966, The Hang Tens (Peru) featured the song as a B-side on their sole single release, and the only other Spanish version I found was performed by Mexican pop singer Pyly Gaos.

And for all those folks out there that like punk covers, there are quite a few of them as well by bands like 7 Seconds, Operation Ivy, The Oppressed, Genocide Superstars, and Pure Hell.

The song has been covered to death but if there are any other covers of the song that y'all like, especially non-English versions, I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

Thanks for checking out the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. You can find this episode's playlist below.

"Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" Review and Another Garage Rock Playlist - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Sugar-Apple"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM I really didn't speak too much beyond announcing the tracks I played so instead I'd like to focus on this week's movie suggestion. 

Earlier this week I watched the 2020 documentary on the actress Natalie Wood titled What Remains Behind which admirably focuses more on her career and life as a mother rather than her mysterious demise which, unfortunately, has overshadowed her accomplishments as a woman in a male dominated industry. Although the film clearly states that Wood's death is not the film's sole subject, as a viewer you can't help but feel like you are watching a movie in which you already know the ending, and in a sense, you cannot help but watch without a sense of dread or macabre curiosity. 

 

However, Wood's life is such an interesting subject that you soon begin to feel as though the film would have been better suited as a miniseries. You rush through decades of film history with passing glances of Wood's troubled upbringing and all but slight mentions of important moments in the young actress' career such as when she was suspended by Warner Brothers over what they claimed was financial disputes but was later found to be problems surrounding the roles Wood was given and, more importantly, her input over the roles in which she was cast. Of course, Wood's love life and other more salacious tabloid-esque topics are covered in the film as well but, as with most things in the documentary, everything happens so quickly that you don't have a chance to unwrap what's being presented to you. Again, you can write much of that off due to the film's runtime, but one glaring issue with the film is how it seems that the narrative was closely guided, and perhaps completely steered by Wood's family, especially her eldest daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner who serves as the film's host.

Home movie footage of Wood and Wagner

 

Whenever you get glimpses of the more controversial parts of Wood's life the film quickly pivots or minimizes the events as if they felt the need to address the issues without exploring them more in depth. One example that stood out to me most was a suicide attempt by Wood in which she purposefully took a large amount of sleeping pills but in a moment of clarity she sought the help of her friend Mart Crowley, who was able to get Wood the medical assistance which ultimately saved her life. While discussing the event, Gregson Wagner explains how she views the moment as a "cry for help" and how she doesn't view the event as a legitimate suicide attempt because, in Gregson Wagner's words: "After she swallowed the pills, she banged on Mart’s door so obviously, she wanted to live." After that, we are briefly shown how Wood sought out therapy which helped her find mental clarity.

As the film continues there are moments that serve as a sort of love letter from a family still mourning the sudden loss of a mother. After the film's halfway point, we are presented with home recordings and archival footage of Wood with her friends and family boating, talking at social events, and simply enjoying life. You see a young mother that seeks to live a normal, albeit more grandiose life, surrounded by those she cares about most and, if you take the viewpoint of her children, you understand why the film chooses to focus on Wood's motherhood. Although Wood was an extremely famous actress, to her children, she was simply a mother and, much like our own mothers, she should not be defined solely by her occupation. 

Robert Wagner interviewed by his step-daughter Natasha

Unfortunately, the family's influence on the documentary becomes ever apparent once you reach the film's climax. When exploring Wood's death, we are presented with one of the film's lengthier interviews which is between Natasha Gregson Wagner and her step-father Robert Wagner, who Gregson Wagner affectionately calls "Daddy Wagner." The sole purpose of the interview is to establish Wagner's innocence surrounding Wood's mysterious demise and place blame on the media for continued exposure on what Wood's family believes is an open and shut case of an accidental death. During this section of the film, we are presented with the disgusting way in which the media hounded the Wood family and disregarded their privacy by photographing them in vulnerable moments including Wood's burial. Soon, Wood's sister Lana Wood, as well as the captain of Wood's yacht, Dennis Davern, are presented as cash hungry and exploitative due to their continued calls to re-open the investigation into the night of Wood's death. Davern famously wrote his own explanation of Wood's passing and later stated that he was pressured by Robert Wagner to stay silent about what really happened to Wood. To me, the press, as well as, Davern and Lana Wood's portrayals are obviously skewed by the family's emphasis on Robert Wagner's innocence.

Ultimately, we'll most likely never know what happened that night near Santa Catalina Island but the film's tone towards the event doesn't help bring us any closer towards clarity regardless of the family's wishes for the world to move on. Despite all the flaws I listed above, I still think the film is worth checking out for its intimate glimpses into Wood's life and for its ability to humanize a former star whose life was lost just as she was hitting another stride in her career. Although there are hints of an agenda set by Wood's family, it is touching seeing their point of view with regards to how their time was spent with their mother. You get a stronger sense of loss by hearing Wood's family and friends talk about her than you would by reading all the accounts surrounding her death. With the film's short runtime you can't expect to dive too deeply into the totality of Natalie Wood's life but, for what it's worth, this film is one of the most detailed documentaries based on the actress' life beyond the mystery surrounding her death.

And that's it for this week's post! It may have been more of a review than most of the other posts but I appreciate you sticking through to find this week's playlist below. Be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm, or on Mondays at 10pm PST. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In.

 

The Heard - Poppies
The Good Feelins - Shattered