Conflux Cornucopia Cerebellum Cocktail Hour Episode #011: Origin Story
September 27, 12am
– thealchemist
Podcasts
Hello fellow Alchemists and Confluxians. Welcome to my Origin Story. The early days that fed and nourished this psycho obsessive connection to music and radio. I’ll reveal what makes me tick.
So, throughout the show I shared several insights to my persona, but unintentionally left a few choice details out. You will find them noted where they were supposed to happen in the show during the mic breaks. Much of the first half of the show refers to the first record I ever owned, K-Tel’s “The Rock Album”. This show features 11 of the 14 tracks on that record. The three omitted were by Toto, Robert Palmer and The Baby’s, mostly to make room for other bands and tracks that led to my further enrichment (twisting and corrupting).
Set list:
• Intro: Petrushka Suite: 1 The Shrove-tide Fair (0:50) by Columbia Symphony Orchestra & Igor Stravinsky from Stravinsky Conducts Firebird Suite (1945 Version) & Petrushka Suite (1945 Revised Version) (2000) Classical
• Radio Ad: KTel. The Rock Album (0:30)
• Don’t Bring Me Down (4:03) by the Electric Light Orchestra from Discover (1979) Rock Album (1980) Rock
• Dirty White Boy (3:39) by Foreigner from Head Games (1979) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
• Two Tickets to Paradise (3:58) by Eddie Money from Eddie Money (1977) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
o MIC BREAK: My Dad’s music influenced me much later. Basically his entire collection was Classical….and Dwayne Eddy Records….something odd to throw off perceptions. My mom was definitely influenced by Disco, she had the Bee Gees, Abba, KC and the Sunshine Band, the toxic warbling vibrato of Johnny Mathis, and the unforgivable Barry “Fucking” Manilo. She was also a huge Elvis fan…Hail to the King. Lou Rawls and Dionne Warwick were also pretty cool to me even then, but she really only had one rock band in her collection that gave me the same feeling as my one lonely compilation, and that was Chicago. That got my attention. If fit the mold with THAT ONE RECORD.
o Sound bed during Mic Break: Petrushka Suite: VI Grand Carnival (1:11) by Columbia Symphony Orchestra & Igor Stravinsky from Stravinsky Conducts Firebird Suite (1945 Version) & Petrushka Suite (1945 Revised Version) (2000) Classical
• 25 or 6 to 4 (5:00) by Chicago from Chicago II (1970) Rock
• Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ (3:51) by Journey from Evolution (1979) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
• More Than a Feeling (4:45) by Boston from Boston (1976) The Rock Album (1980)
• Dream Police (3:54) by Cheap Trick from Dream Police (1978) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
o Mic Break: I mentioned that I would be playing a song with Ross Valory and how cool that connection to the first band I ever obsessed over. Journey has been replaced many times over by other styles of music, never mind different rock bands, but the nostalgia factor was pretty cool. Happy to report that Ross is one easy to relate to person with no rock star hang ups or pretentions. I didn’t gab up much of his time, we talked for a few minutes on boutique pedals as it seems we both are into that kind of thing even as bass players. Fun stuff. It was nothing fancy, just a back yard BBQ with some dudes playing music on wood pallet stage with a canvas canopy. I sat in and sang Born Under a Bad Sign. Glad for the experience but it’s not like some great live long dream was realized.
o The sound bed also connects to another passion that I acquired from my father which is Science Fiction and Horror. My dad had an immense collection of books from classic to modern. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the ones I read. The sound bed is a tribute to that gift.
o Sound Bed: The Fall of the House of Usher: Intermezzo (1:00) by The Alan Parsons Project from Tales of Mystery and Imagination-Edgar Allan Poe
• Renegade (4:17) by Styx from Pieces of Eight (1978) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
• Something’s on the Move (4:27) by Jethro Tull from Stormwatch (1979) The Rock Album (1980) Rock
• Too Rolling Stoned (7:32) by Robin Trower from Bridge of Sighs (1974) The Rock Album (1980) had a shortened version of this song. That was a delightful discovery, but I did feel cheated in retrospect. Rock
• (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (5:10) by Blue Oyster Cult from Agents of Fortune (1976) The Rock Album (1980) Rock. NOTE: The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is a Joke. They have overlooked this band and let far less notable acts with less impressive resumes walk in and continue to snub BoC. . Fuck Them and the horse they rode in on.
o MIC BREAK: One little piece of the story was that the Boy Scout trip was a snow trip and that I built and slept in my very own igloo. No fooling. You can see why the lyrics had that extra connection that drew me in.
o Music Bed: Twisted Nerve (1:28) by Bernard Herman from the Soundtrack to Kill Bill (1968) Jazz
• It’s the Dr. Demento Show: Intro (0:24)
• The Yellow Snow Suite: Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow/Nanook Rubs It/St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast/Father O’Blivion (10:48) by Frank Zappa from Apostrophe (1974) Art Rock
• Rice Krispies (2:35) by George Carlin from A Place for My Stuff (1981) Comedy
• Dennis Erectus Montage (1:15) Source Unknown
• The Stroke (3:38) by Billy Squier from Don’t Say No (1981) Rock
• Barracuda (4:21) by Heart from Little Queen (1977) Rock
o MIC BREAK: Radio personalities like Dennis Erectus and Greg Stone along with Westwood One programs were a key influence. My brother and I shared a room growing up we experienced all this together. As my vinyl collection grew, he was a bit of a terror on that as he loved the music but didn’t have the same adoration of the medium as I did…consequently, albums ended up in wrong sleeves, sitting loose in piles….little brothers…..what can you say.
o Sound bed during Mic Break: Petrushka Suite: VIII Dance of the Peasant and Bear (1:15) by Columbia Symphony Orchestra & Igor Stravinsky from Stravinsky Conducts Firebird Suite (1945 Version) & Petrushka Suite (1945 Revised Version) (2000) Classical
• Greg Stone Show Intro (0.11)
• Tom Sawyer (4:34) by Rush from Moving Pictures (1981) Progressive Rock
• Hurts So Good (3:39) by John Cougar from American Fool (1982) Rock
• Custard Pie (4:15) by Led Zeppelin from Physical Graffiti (1975) Rock
• Highway to Hell (3:28) by AC/DC from Highway to Hell (1979) Rock RIP Bon Scott
o MIC BREAK: The first two concerts I attended were Ozzy’s Bark at the Moon Tour with Slade opening. Slade’s violinist had a roll of TP bounce off his head during a solo which my brother and father and I found hilarious. Second show was DIO with Y&T and Dokken. Definately a shred fest and indicative of the time period.
o King Crimson took me backward through early Classic and Progressive Rock and into Jazz Fusion, it also opened me up to non-heavy metal music which I am glad for
o Slayer came home on a cassette with Exodus Bonded by Blood on one side, and Slayer Show No Mercy on the other. Ironically it was a church run summer camp…go figure. Thrash Metal would have a heavy impact on both my brother and I going forward. The combination of these two avenues has allowed me to continuously explore the more extreme realms of music…..and by today’s standards seems quite tame to me.
o Sound bed during Mic Break: Petrushka Suite: IX Dance of the Gypsy Girls (1:08) by Columbia Symphony Orchestra & Igor Stravinsky from Stravinsky Conducts Firebird Suite (1945 Version) & Petrushka Suite (1945 Revised Version) (2000) Classical
• Bark at the Moon (4:17) by Ozzy Osbourne from Bark at the Moon (1983) Heavy Metal
• Stand Up and Shout (3:18) by Dio from Rainbow in the Dark (1983) Heavy Metal
• Fifth Announcements (0:26) by George Carlin from A Place for My Stuff (1981) Comedy
• Elephant Talk (4:43) by King Crimson from Discipline (1981) Progressive/Art Rock
• Evil Has No Boundaries (3:09) by Slayer from Show No Mercy (1983)
o MIC BREAK: The last track is still very important to me and always has been for various reasons throughout the years. At first just the musical genius of the song, the depth of the lyrics. The album carried me through my first REAL breakup when I was in college. And several years my brother and I had this us vs. the world and it was echoed in the show Supernatural which was about two bothers taking on the evils of the world….would always end the season with The Road So Far montage of that season to Carry on Wayward Son. So in a lot of ways I connect with brother on this song. Rest in Peace my brother Glenn: 4/4/1972 to 6/26/2018. Love.
o Sound bed during Mic Break: L’Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird Suite) Pantomime I & III (1:27) by Columbia Symphony Orchestra & Igor Stravinsky from Stravinsky Conducts Firebird Suite (1945 Version) & Petrushka Suite (1945 Revised Version) (2000) Classical
• Carry on Wayward Son (5:24) by Kansas from Leftoverture (1976) The Rock Album*Short Version* (1980) Progressive Rock
• Polka Outro (0:07) by M.I.R.V. from Dancing Naked in a Minefield (2000) Just because.
