As he did in life, Doors frontman and rock icon Jim Morrison also commands mystique in death. The circumstances surrounding his death are mysterious and unclear – if he did in fact even die.
This week No Sleep ’til Sudbury examines the multiple theories associated with Morrison’s passing, including the assertions made by some who claim he’s alive and living on a farm in Oregon under the name Bill Loyer.
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It’s here. NSTS episode number 200! While much has changed since the very first episodes of No Sleep ’til Sudbury were released in April 2017, the premise of the show remains the same – to celebrate music’s power to connect us and enrich our lives.
The last four years have been quite a trip, I must say. The conversations and exchanges, the new friendships, and the shared music have all made for some truly life-enriching experiences, ones I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed. I wasn’t sure what would happen when I clicked on ‘publish’ that very first time back in 2017. But I couldn’t be more glad I did.
Episode 200 is a tribute to all of these experiences, and a tip of my hat to all of the people who delivered them to me. As No Sleep ’til Sudbury turns 4, I sincerely thank everyone, guests and listeners alike, for making it all possible.
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My guest this week is Jonathan Gross, a former rock critic, Rolling Stone contributor, and music promoter who brought Run DMC, The Beastie Boys and other New York City hip hop acts up to Canada in the early 80s.
The chat that Jonathan and I have about his songs is sentimental, funny, and fascinating all at the same time. Bad breakups, getting to first base (and a half), the beauty of nostalgia, the 70s Toronto music scene, Steve Rubell, Jon’s relationship with Ric Ocasek of The Cars, The Beatles versus The Stones… it all gets covered in this episode.
Gross’ playlist (Spotify – NSTS Episode 199 – Jonathan Gross):
Hall & Oates – She’s Gone
Goo Goo Dolls – Name
Boston – More Than A Feeling
The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl
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Back in November when he was still known as Jordan Paul, Ellis Meek was scheduled to appear on the show as part of the NSTS Steam Whistle live on location series. He declined as a safety precaution, feeling slightly under the weather, but as it turned out Ellis became seriously ill with COVID.
This week he returns to NSTS to talk about his recovery, how his illness impacted him, and his new outlook on life. Spotify – NSTS Episode 198 – Ellis Meek
Meek’s playlist:
The Beatles – It’s All Too Much
Lonnie Holley – All Rendered Truth
Harry Nilsson – One
Neil Young – Bandit
Jefferson Airplane – Today
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Ray Coburn, original Honeymoon Suite keyboard player and current Roger Hodgson keys man, is my guest this week on NSTS, and we have a wonderfully giddy chat about our favourite music.
We cover all kinds of ground in this episode – the genius of Brian Wilson, the peculiar ambivalence of The Carpenters, the spirituality of George Harrison, what it’s like to perform alongside former Supertramp frontman Roger Hodgson, the beauty of musical nostalgia, and so much more. And to close the show, Ray also very graciously asks what my skin vibrating songs are. Highly enjoyable conversation.
NEW FEATURE! A Spotify NSTS playlist is now available to you so that you can listen to the songs as we discuss them. Here’s the link to this week’s playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5A2fPMtOs5QMo5LQW1yCJO
Coburn’s playlist:
George Harrison – Isn’t It A Pity
Emerson Lake & Palmer – Endless Enigma and Fugue
Joni Mitchell – Court & Spark
The Carpenters – Goodbye To Love
The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up
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Goddo bassist, rock icon, and author Greg Godovitz is my guest this week on NSTS. His new book is called Up Close and Uncomfortable, reaching back to his earlier days before the musical career he describes in his first book, Travels With My Amp.
Greg shares a few of his stories on the show, including his adventures with the Sinister Scout Master, his friendship with famed producer Eddie Kramer, his exposure to Black Magic in England, and much more. Up Close and Uncomfortable is available at Up Close and Uncomfortable (2020) | shopgreggodovitz. We also talk about his next book project, which I suggest should be called “The Third Verse Is The Same As The First” (Goddo fans will get it).
Godovitz’s playlist:
The Beatles – Here, There, and Everywhere
The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
The Beatles – In My Life
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
The Rolling Stones – Time Is On My Side
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If you want to have a great chat about music, Montreal-based radio personality, podcaster, and musician Jeremy White is your guy. He’s my guest this week on NSTS, and it was a discussion I thoroughly enjoyed.
Jeremy touches on all kinds of topics – how Yngwie Malmsteen almost killed him, the bionic ears of Mutt Lange, why Eddie Van Halen should never be called a shredder, how the 80s impacted KISS and Alice Cooper, and so much more. But most importantly, his outlook on music reminded me how important it is to be less critical and to just enjoy music for what it is – that a good song is just a good song.
White’s playlist:
Van Halen – Top of the World
Shania Twain – She’s Not Just a Pretty Face
Def Leppard – Armageddon It
KISS – Unholy
Bryan Adams – Don’t Drop That Bomb On Me
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I haven’t seen my pal, former VH1 veejay and current Q104.3 New York on-air personality Ian O’Malley, for more than a year. We decided last week we’d catch up via the show, and talk about the songs that have been making his skin vibrate lately given the current times.
O’Malley can always be relied upon to bring some very compelling conversation, and some great stories too – this time around we chat about John Mayer, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, and an incredible tale about Stevie Ray Vaughn.
O’Malley’s playlist:
Stevie Ray Vaughn – Life Without You
John Mayer – In Repair
Judas Priest – Tyrant
Extreme – When I’m President
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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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