Showing posts with label John Travolta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Travolta. Show all posts

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 294: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss actors turned singers. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").
 


Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- John Travolta's music career was dragged out over three albums
- "All Strung Out on You" could've been a Velvet Underground outtake
- Co-writer Nino Tempo had an illustrious acting career as an extra
- Burt Reynolds made an album in '73
- Burt reads from his childhood diary
- Ric serves up crap on my podcast, not his
- Adam West's novelty record
- Other actors who made albums: Telly Savalas, Ted Knight
- Plenty of musicians who became actors: Kris Kristofferson, Jagger, Bowie
- Mark Wahlberg and Justin Timberlake have done well as actors
- Actors turned musicians: Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson
- Rick James produced Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time"
- Eddie had already moved from comedian to movie star
- In "Boogie Nights," Dirk Diggler thinks he's got musical talent
- Murphy and Michael Jackson teamed up in '93's "Whatzupwitu"
- Corey Feldman's musical aspirations
- Ric's list of actresses who shouldn't make records
- Jodie Foster made an album when she was a kid
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Sebadoh - State of Mine
Mind Spiders - Make Make Make Make
Diarrhea Planet - Separations
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Sebadoh song is on the forthcoming album Defend Yourself on Joyful Noise Recordings. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Mind Spiders song is on the forthcoming album Inhumanistic on Dirtnap Records. Download the song for free at LargeheartedBoy.
The Diarrhea Planet song is on the album I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams on Infinity Cat Recordings. Download the song for free at Amazon MP3.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 293: Don't Give Up on Us

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss actor-turned-singer David Soul's massive 1977 hit song. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- David Soul, aka Hutch from "Starsky and Hutch," just turned 70
- "Don't Give Up on Us" hit #1 in April 1977
- Soul started out as a folk singer
- "Don't Give Up on Us" in the same vein as wuss rock by Bread, Dan Hill, Manilow
- Ric: Soul was on Private Stock Records, which churned out pop hits
- Label run by Larry Uttal, who was previously a hitmaker for Bell Records
- Private Stock master tapes were all lost after label went bankrupt
- Soul just had the one hit
- The B-side was weird song called "Black Bean Soup" that sounded like old Robert Palmer
- John Travolta was another actor with a record deal in the '70s
- Travolta was a teen idol after "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble"; pre-Saturday Night Fever and Grease
- Big single was "Let Her In," even schmaltzier than the David Soul song
- No vocal range whatsoever
- "Rack jobbers" were big business; putting records in racks in drugstores and supermarkets for impulse shoppers
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Mean Creek - Cool Town
Los Campesinos - What Death Leaves Behind
Shearwater - I Luv the Valley OH!
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Mean Creek song is on the forthcoming album Local Losers on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Los Campesinos song is on the forthcoming album No Blues on Wichita Recordings. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Shearwater song is on the album Fellow Travelers on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.