if a magazine boasted on it's front cover articles on Beefheart, Elton, Spands v Duran Duran, Cricket, and Richard Bloody Thompson my wallet would remain firmly trousered. However, the fact that it's you three doing the chuntering about said topics fair butters my muffin. Huzzah and happy new year to all at Word Towers.

Listening to this podcast is more fun than anyone should have for free.

This podcast does not appear to be on iTunes yet. Or am I being dim?

for the podcast fellas, just the tonic for a typically miserable January.

Good to have y'all back.

is oddly not available on DVD in good old Blighty (not 'Made in England' eh? - obvious joke Ed) but is only about 6 dollars on Amazon.com. Has extra material and commentary.

And if you want to play the part of a Decca PR man from 1962, here's your chance

http://theultimatebootlegexperience2.blogspot.com/2011/01/beatles-decca-...

It's Gene Roddenberry (not Roddenderry)

Here's the Star Trek theme with lyrics

Word Podcasters "Congrats Richard on your MBE"

RT testily "OBE actually"

as in 'Old Big 'Ead'

Just check out Save a Prayer, the Reflex and Ordinary World. Far superior to those Cockney poseurs ...

Keith Emerson had a synthesiser as big as his house. I remember that one.

Another subject of rumours was who was gay/bisexual although, since these were less-enlightened times, those weren't the terms used. One strong rumour involved David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Micky Finn.

Edit: Nearly forgot, great podcast.

A happy new year from Mali (I think I heard)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toumani_Diabat%C3%A9

wasn't it ?

... enjoyed the banter driving into work tonight.

Happy New Year.

It may not be 100% accurate, but the way I heard it was like this. On New Year's Day 1962 two aspiring young beat groups, The Beatles and Brian Poole & the Tremeloes turned up at Decca studios for an audition.

Decca boss Dick Rowe (who always gets the blame for turning down the Beatles) was on holiday at the time, so the job fell to his assistant A&R man and engineer Mike Smith, along with ex-Shadows' drummer Tony Meehan.

The story goes that although he liked both bands, Smith only had the budget to sign one of them. So he got on the phone to his boss Dick Rowe and explained his dilemma.

"Where are they from?" asked Rowe. "One is from Liverpool and the other's from Dagenham", replied Smith. "Sign the band from Dagenham", said Rowe, "It'll be cheaper to bring them in to record".

Who could have known?

...that account for The Beatles' failure at Decca, in my opinion. At least, based on what's officially released.

1. George Harrison up front as lead vocalist
2. Trying to be The Coasters

Both well and good, but not exactly representative, no?

Our three heroes all seem to have had a challenging Christmas.

Particular sympathies go to the Hepworth family for being poorly over Christmas - hope you are all better. Further sympathy is offered to the Ellen family for having to enthusiastically discuss Haile Selasse and Rastafari over the stuffed goose. Perhaps Mrs Ellen was able to deploy the language in Haile Selasse's famous telegram of 1941 to Winston Churchill (after the colonising Italians had been booted out) where he wrote: "We have finished the job. What shall we do with the tools?" to help persuade Mr Ellen to roll up his sleeves and do the dishes? This is probably something else that Elton would not dream of doing (I see a picture of Elton fuming about his dishwasher, because he's just been told it's her day off). The world really does need to see Elton changing a nappy (the return of The Brown Dirt Cowboy?)

listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%27_Decca_audition

always forget that 'Money' was on it. and *3* originals.

Happy New Year podcast crew!

here's the snapshot from iToonez

they are married, happily too