Famed music producer Phil Spector died in jail a few days ago, and his legacy begs the question – was he a musical genius who committed murder, or a murderer who happened to be a musical genius? 

This week NSTS breaks down the bizarre life of Phil Spector, from the question of his parents being relatives, through his legendary successes as a songwriter and producer, his culture of abuse and cruelty, his alcohol and drug-crazed gun-wielding episodes in the studio, and his conviction for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.   

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Given the interest in NSTS Episode 171, “Bizarre Musical Conspiracy Theories”, I elected to return to the territory this week and examine perhaps the greatest rock and roll hoax of them all – the ‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy theory. 

Such an interesting phenomenon to delve into – the assertion that Beatle Paul McCartney secretly died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike, with all kinds of hidden clues subsequently provided by the remaining Beatles on album covers and in song lyrics. This week’s episode looks at the most intriguing aspects of the theory, including the impacts the phenomenon would have on pop culture in the decades to follow.             

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It’s my pleasure this week to host Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s on NSTS from her home in Austin, Texas to chat about her fantastic memoir All I Ever Wanted, and of course, the songs that make her skin vibrate. 

Kathy and I have a great down-to-earth discussion about the incredible events she’s experienced in life, both good and bad. She also shares what she had really hoped to convey in her book, how music helped her to feel normal, and how that unorthodox electronic handclap found its way into my favourite Go-Go’s song, “Head Over Heels”.            

Valentine’s playlist:

David Bowie – Rebel Rebel

Rod Stewart – Maggie May

Kenny Burrell – ‘Round Midnight

The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil

Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U 

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Happy New Year everyone, good to be back. We’re going to kick the year off with a chat I had with a good friend of mine from England, bestselling author and editor of Bass Player magazine, mister Joel McIver.

Joel’s writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Classic Rock, and loads of other publications, and in having written more than 30 books on bands like Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, Motorhead, and others, often alongside members of those bands, Joel has earned the trust, respect, and friendship of countless musicians. In this episode Joel and I discuss his latest book project, an upcoming official biography of an Icelandic folk metal band called Skalmold. Fascinating, super interesting cultural learnings in this discussion. And at the top of the show, some great bonus stories about having completely unlimited backstage access at the very first Big Four show in Poland, hanging out with members of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax.     

McIver’s playlist:

Skalmold – Skotta

The Beatles – Across The Universe

Hana – Chimera

Slipknot – Eyeless

Morbid Angel – Maze of Torment

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