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Bonus Peace and Love! (Play Sunday, July 7, 11:45 localtime!)
131 Plays5 months ago
WAIT! Listen to this podcast (wrong Beatle?) on Sunday, July 7 at 11:45 AM localtime! Kit, Martin and I wish Ringo "All the Best" and "Peace and Love" to the universe in this brief WTWF crossover diversion. A tiny bit of Ringo Starr's 24th birthday from 1964, but mostly just doing our bit to help spread the good vibes!
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Transcript
Crossover Celebration of Ringo's Birthday
00:00:01
Speaker
Stop, queue this up at exactly 11.45 a.m. local time on July the 7th. This is the very special crossover episode. Happy birthday, Ringo. Peace and love of When They Was Fab and Toppermost of the Poppermost. Join us for the celebration.
00:00:30
Speaker
Well, happy birthday. Thank
Ringo's Musical Journey Begins in Hospital
00:00:32
Speaker
you. Your music and art has given so much to the world, obviously, but what would you say is the greatest gift that music has given you, personally? Well, it's given me a life, and it's a dream come true. ah You know, if you know my story, you know, at 13, I was ill in hospital. And to keep us entertained, because we're all bedridden, they brought maracas and a little drum. and Anyway, I hit this drum and I wanted to be a drummer from that minute. And guess what? It's paid off. I think it worked out for you pretty well. I think I'm doing good. Alright. How is your perception, I guess, and understanding of peace and love evolved over time?
Understanding Peace and Love
00:01:09
Speaker
I understand that peace and love is we don't harm each other.
00:01:11
Speaker
And there's no violence. That's my, what I feel. I feel I'm doing this, and like we showed them up there, I don't know any of those people there, but I do this, they do that. We're spreading it the best we can. As soon as I implemented peace and love into my life, let me tell you what it changed it hugely. So thank you, sir. I appreciate it. Well, happy birthday, Ringo. Any good presents? Um, a few, you know. very few anything particular no just um the phone sent me a lot of cards and dolls and rings and oh i got one funny one from America a ball ring no off a bull's nose i don't know if that's an insult it was
00:03:05
Speaker
Welcome to our special Ringo birthday edition of When They Was
Introduction of Guest Kit O'Toole
00:03:11
Speaker
Fab. I'm Ed Shin. I'm Martin Quibbel. And joining us, because we're doing a crossover with Toppermost of the Poppermost, ah is Queen of all Beatles Media Kit O'Toole. Hey, Kit. Hey, Ed. Hey, Martin. Great to be back. Every year, as you all know, we do a little show to talk about Ringo on his birthday and to wish him all the best and as he wants us to do to have peace and love sent out into the world at noon local time of course there is no noon on local time on the internet so we will tell you when you should begin this podcast here you go
00:03:50
Speaker
We don't want to go right to
Ringo's Creative Comeback with Mark Hudson
00:03:52
Speaker
it. As a mini topic, we wanted to talk a little bit about the Mark Hudson years. It's hard to believe that Mark Hudson was with Ringo for a decade from 1998 to 2008. That is pretty amazing. yeah Hard to believe it was that long, but it certainly was part of his Renaissance, a career comeback, a creative comeback. and certainly was a revitalization for him. Well, and it's Martin who certainly introduced him to a lot of these people that he's now working with, that he's doing the EPs with. Yeah. Like you said, I don't think he would be where he is now if it wasn't for those years that that he was with Mark.
00:04:31
Speaker
So the records for those who are interested, Ringo and Mark Hudson did five full albums, Vertical Man, Ringo Rama, Liverpool 8, Choose Love, and I Wanna Be Santa Claus. i yeah My favorite, as Marv knows. It is, yeah. Yeah, the whole album's fun. It's a great Christmas album, and it was overlooked for a long time, and I think in recent years it's gained more recognition. It's been reissued a couple times as well, with slightly different names. Yes. Does it come out every year then in the O'Toole household kit?
00:05:09
Speaker
Not exactly, but I've talked about it quite a bit to people and said, you know, add it to your Christmas rotation playlist because there are some really fun songs on there. And I just think Mark did a nice job of of producing him on that. Then I want to be Santa Claus. The song itself just really suits Ringo's voice. And that's another thing that I think on many songs, Mark Hudson really knew how to write for Ringo, how to pick songs for Ringo's voice. He really captured his humor, knew how to work with his range. And he really knew how to work with Ringo's personality. You say that, but I think by 2008, we were all kind of looking for Ringo to do something else. So I think it's not quite such a bad thing aside from the fact that they had their separation for their reasons. Right. Yeah. And actually it was great for the time that they worked together, but yeah, to be honest, I was getting a little tired of the constant Beatles references in the lyrics. I mean, it was great for the time that they worked together. And it really did revitalise Ringo and I think rejuvenated him creatively. But yeah, I think it was time for him to move on but to work with other people. But for the time that he needed it, they were a great team. I think if he was around at the time, George would have agreed with you because didn't George used to get fed up with the amount of times Paul used to mention the Beatles?
00:06:32
Speaker
Yeah, but then George would always go back and forth on these things. Just look at Cloud9. Yeah, there you go. yeah When we was fab slash when they was fab. Exactly. And then Mark Hudson and Ringo also did a couple live albums. They did the VH1 Storytellers album and that's really been forgotten. And that's a great record. That's one that you guys need to do over on Talk More Talk sometime as they listen again because no one remembers this record. That's a good point. at the end of helters skelter is it you or john that says they have blisters on their fingers
00:07:06
Speaker
it was me um got blessed on my videoss That was a good performance, seeing the program when it aired on VH1. And then, yeah, just the album itself. That was a great performance with the Roundheads. ah The Roundheads were a terrific group. Can you get that on disc at all to watch? That'd be brilliant to be able to get hold of that as a video to watch. It was certainly never released on DVD. It may have been released on VHS, I don't remember.
00:07:38
Speaker
a If he can, I think that needs releasing Ringo. If you're listening. Absolutely. Something else to go in the Ringo Star box set, which we've never gotten. Yep. Yes. That's quite a box. But I can guarantee you it is available through other channels, shall we say. Yes. You look hard enough. You know we're together. We know what you're saying Ed. But we can't tell you where those other channels are. Learn to use Google. I'll leave it at that. Yes. Mark Hudson was also behind the Live at the Soundstage Ringo album and the mostly unreleased Ringo at the Bottom Line. He did a live show at the bottom line, which was released on radio and was a promo disc, which came along with the two disc version of Ringo Rama, which is fairly rare these days. Oh, yeah, that's right. I forgot about that one.
Live Album and Crossover Humor
00:08:35
Speaker
Yep. And the soundstage, one was recorded in Chicago and produced for at our local PBS station here. And and soundstage is always a terrific series. Unfortunately, it no longer exists, got too expensive to produce, but that's a great performance as well. Yep. And if this was top of most, you'd be able to tick off one of your bingo points. That's right. I had to do it. Sorry guys. I had to work at it. This is a crossover. Yeah, this is a crossover. I mean, we, we can release this on the top or most side as well because well, it's relevant and we're all here, aren't we? Yeah, that's right. There you go. Ding, ding, ding.
00:09:15
Speaker
And then the other one, before Giles Martin got into the surround sound business, Mark Hudson produced Ringo 5.1, which was highlights from the albums he did with Ringo remixed into 5.1. This was in the pre Atmos days. That's a really cool record. Wow, I forgot about that. I could think of some other Ringo work that I'd like to hear in 5.1. Yes. So before we go on to our peace and love kit, I mean, you've actually seen and talked to Mark, you had him on talk more talk and you've seen
Mark Hudson's Engagement at Beatle Fests
00:09:50
Speaker
him at fest. Do you have a story or two that you can give us about Mark and Mark and Ringo?
00:09:56
Speaker
Sure. Well, I remember when he first started coming to Fest, you know, he immediately won over crowds because, you know, he would say, yes, I work with Ringo and produce him, but I'm a fan too. He said that right in the beginning when Terry Hemmert, who is the emcee at Chicago Fest and longtime host of Breakfast with the Beatles here on WXRT FM, And he would say, hey, I'm as big a fan as you are. I couldn't believe when I got to work with Ringo. yeah know i I was geeking out as much as you were. And so he would tell great stories and he would always play with Liverpool. Those of you who come to Fessnall, Liverpool is sort of the house band of Fests, the sort of tribute band. He would come on and perform
00:10:48
Speaker
different Beatles songs. He became particularly known for, this isn't a Beatles song, but would do a working-class hero. That was one of his signature songs that he loved to perform as a cover. He would do it in his own way. He didn't do it exactly like John. He would do it in kind of a harder, rocking ah version. It only had three guys on it. It was Klaus Orman, Ray Goh, John, and Phil Spector played the piano on Sunday. And I think that that album for him was very sort of, it was kind of like a journal of his life and what he was feeling. So I'm gonna do a song now. It's one of my favorite John Lennon songs. And anyone in there who's a Catholic or a child, they give their language. And as soon as you're born, we make you feel small,
00:11:52
Speaker
And he would just bring down the house with that. i mean The audience loved it. And he loved interacting with fans at Fest. He just quickly became a crowd favorite. And then, yeah, he was on Talk More Talk and talked about working with Ringo in those years and working on those albums. And it couldn't have been nicer. A terrific guess. Very funny sense of humor sometimes, ah yet in a good way, twisted sense of humor. But it's clear, as I said, how much he cherishes those days working with Ringo because he was as big a fan as any of us. So it was like a fan's dream come true. I mean, obviously he has all those years experience.
00:12:37
Speaker
you know working with Aerosmith and many other artists and of course on his own with the Hudson Brothers but working with Ringo is on a whole other level and clearly they were very close at one point. They were like brothers. They really became close and that only enhanced their working relationship. really interesting guy and he still treasures those years that they work together. And the Hudson brothers were of course huge Beatles fans.
00:13:07
Speaker
Oh, yeah. and And you can tell in their music, too. Didn't they have their own variety show for a while? They did. And I'm sad to say I don't really remember it. I mean, I don't know if you do add. I mean, I don't. Just barely. Yeah. I do remember when they guest starred on The Love Boat. Hey, they made it then. Check it out. It's on YouTube. No, I don't remember, but I know they had one. They had a variety show at one point, but I think everybody did in the 70s.
The Story of Pumpkinhead Records
00:13:39
Speaker
One other thing that Mark and Ringo did together, they formed Pumpkinhead Records. You remember that? Unfortunately, that seems to have disappeared. That's right. I forgot about that. They did form that record label, but yes, sadly, that seems to have vanished. The only artist I know that was on that was Liam Lynch.
00:13:58
Speaker
interesting Here's a little quote from Ringo at the time. The two hope the label will be a throwback to the creative spirit of multimedia little labels such as MGM and Apple. As to the name? I thought of the name Pumpkinhead using Pumpkin without the P explaining star. Ads Hudson, Ringo can't seem to get away from the fruit and vegetable family.
00:14:22
Speaker
We are counting down in just about 30
Celebrating Ringo's Birthday with Peace and Love
00:14:26
Speaker
seconds. It will be 12 noon, assuming you started it at the proper time, which we will mention at the top of the show. So um we got to say happy birthday to Ringo. All right. Well, I'll tell you, I've grown up on Ringo's music and with and without the Beatles, his music, his humor and his talent means so much to me. And so, you know, I wish Ringo all the best. on his birthday. We're almost there. Five, four, three, two, one. Peace and love everybody. Peace and love. Peace and love. All right. Thanks everybody. We'll be back with our regular episode of fab real soon. Take care.
Subscribe to 'When They Was Fab'
00:15:19
Speaker
Subscribe to When They Was Fab on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or wherever finder podcasts are found. Please join our Facebook group and we could be reached at When They Was Fab and on Gmail. The opening theme was written, produced, and recorded by J. Young Kim, Beecher Famine Studios, San Francisco, California.
00:16:12
Speaker
I tell you one thing there's sickness going on and there's some good people doing work in hospitals and but they've got no bread to do it on. Not only are they working in a miserable condition with sick people, but they're scraping the barrel for funds to keep going.