This season on Lost Notes: Groupies. Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk. From KCRW and Golden Teapot.
The Groupie Dream
As the first wave of LA punk started to take hold in Hollywood, both on and off the Sunset Strip, the girls of the rock n roll underground flattened scene hierarchy by carrying the torch of the sexually charged, “I do what I want” spirit exemplified by the most notorious Hollywood groupies–in creative and unexpected ways. Then, Lori, Morgana, Dee Dee, and Pamela look back on their rock'n'roll lives, and consider their own personal mythologies.
The Dawn of Punk
In the mid 1970s, as glam rock fizzled out, new kids began to trickle in on the block–kids who looked up to the groupies as party girl icons, as rock’n’roll legends, who went out there and got what they wanted…come hell or high platforms. Kid Congo Powers, Alice Bag, Pleasant Gehman, and Theresa Kereakas all were pulled towards the glitter and guitars and debauchery, and give their first-hand teenage accounts of those crucial years where glam burnt out and in its embers, early LA punk started co
Supreme Glamour (from "Dressed")
Hello Lost Notes fans! The final two episodes of Groupies: Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk are coming later this week. But first, we want to share an episode of the podcast Dressed: The History of Fashion. Mary Wilson is a founding member of one of the most iconic, successful—and stylish— 1960s singing groups of all time: The Supremes. Mary has been collecting and archiving the gowns the Supremes wore and shares many of the glittery details with Dressed.
New episodes of Dressed
From the Slutmobile to the Starship
Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco. The Continental Hyatt House. The Rainbow Bar & Grill. Glam rock was the genre du jour and there was no more convenient or welcoming a circuit for an intrepid teenage groupie to land in than the Strip in the early 1970s. As for Led Zeppelin, LA became their spiritual home-away-from-home (read: wives). From flying in on their private jet, the Starship, to cruising down Sunset picking up groupies in their white stretch limo, the Slutmobile, Led Zeppelin’s supers
The Oral History of Star Magazine
A teen magazine so daring, so outrageous, so scandalizing and sexually suggestive that it only lasted…five issues. Star Magazine: from the publishing empire that brought you Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Guns & Ammo, and later in the 90s, Sassy, there was, in 1973, a red-hot new music rag that glamorized the teenage groupie lifestyle rampant on the Sunset Strip. Or did it? We asked the original staff who made the magazine: who, exactly, was a Star girl?
Hollywood Encounters
As a girl, Dee Dee Keel ditched the doldrums of Venice for the thrills of Hollywood. Just a few years later, she would soon become the woman behind the world-famous Whisky A Go-Go... as well as an infamously active groupie. Meanwhile, Morgana Welch, a scene-savvy Beverly Hills High Schooler, gets in with Rodney Bingenheimer, Led Zeppelin, and other powerful party boys and scene insiders, as she tries to chart her own path into the rock n roll lifestyle—Hollywood encounter by Hollywood encounter.
Girls Together Outrageously
Venice Beach teen Dee Dee Keel was desperate to find out what was happening behind the scenes, in the clubs and hotel rooms of Hollywood: so she tracked an intriguing local rocker, Jim Morrison, on his way to the Strip. That’s where she first saw Miss Pamela in all her groupie glamour.
By 1969, Pamela Des Barres was no longer a Valley teenybopper; she had transformed into a rock icon-in-the-making. Her freaky clique of Laurel Canyon sprites were ordained by Frank Zappa to become the world’s firs
The Fairytale of Miss Pamela
The origin story of Miss Pamela Des Barres, the original queen of the groupies, author of the iconic memoir, I’m With the Band. From her mid-Sixties teenage bop room Beatlemania, to in a few short and sexy years, having Mick Jagger on the prowl looking for her – Pamela learned quickly, through friendships with Captain Beefhart and Frank Zappa, that she was something special.
Lori Lightning and the Baby Groupies
In 1973, the Sunset Strip was the epicenter of the rock n roll universe, where rockstar mythology was being built in real time. This is where fourteen-year old Valley girl Lori Lightning found herself, along with her clique of Sable Starr and Queenie Glam, known as the Baby Groupies, as they became the teenage rulers of the Hollywood music scene.
Coming soon... Groupies: Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk
In the early 1970s, LA’s Sunset Strip was the epicenter of the rock'n'roll universe. Drugs, sex, private planes, limos, destroying hotel rooms – it wasn’t a myth. At at the center of it all, were groupies. It’s a story we all know – but it’s never been told from this perspective. This season, on Lost Notes, we bring you GROUPIES: The Women of Sunset Strip, from the Pill to Punk. The real, riotous, rock'n'roll stories of the girls who lived it all, hosted by Dylan Tupper Rupert, from KCRW and G
Chasing the Watermelon Man
An audio folk story examining the tradition of Black watermelon long-haulers, who drive to farms in the South for watermelon and sell them in Black neighborhoods around the US.
Gloria Jones In Conversation
KCRW’s acclaimed music documentary podcast, Lost Notes, returns for its fourth season. Co-hosts Novena Carmel (KCRW) and Michael Barnes (KCRW / KPFK / Artform Radio) guide you through eight wildly different and deeply human stories, each set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of LA’s soul and R&B scene of the 1950s-1970s. Support KCRW’s original programming like Lost Notes by donating or becoming a member.
This season of Lost Notes kicked off with the story of “Tainted Love” – and, more specific
Talking Fela Kuti with Sandra Izsadore
KCRW’s relationship with Fela Kuti goes back to 1980, when KCRW’s Tom Schnabel and Roger Steffens were connected with the mighty Afrobeat innovator while he was still imprisoned in Nigeria. Six years later, once Fela was free and clear to tour internationally, he came to Los Angeles and visited KCRW in person, again with Tom Schnabel.
The connective tissue between these two events is Sandra Izsadore, who returned to KCRW for the first time in decades to talk with Lost Notes co-host Michael Barne
Larry Mizell Live in Conversation at KCRW HQ
KCRW’s acclaimed music documentary podcast, Lost Notes, returns for its fourth season. Co-hosts Novena Carmel (KCRW) and Michael Barnes (KCRW / KPFK / Artform Radio) guide you through eight wildly different and deeply human stories, each set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of LA’s soul and R&B scene of the 1950s-1970s. Support KCRW’s original programming like Lost Notes by donating or becoming a member.
On Wednesday, July 17, Lost Notes welcomed the legendary Larry Mizell to KCRW’s Annenberg
Crying in the Club (from "Primer")
While we're off this week, we want to introduce you to a new show made by our pals over at Maximum Fun. It’s called Primer – and it’s all about exploring music from outside the English-speaking world. This season is all about Japanese City Pop and features artists like Tatsuro Yamashita, Hiroshi Sato, Taeko Onuki, Haruomi Hosono, Mariya Takeuchi. We'll catch you back here for more Lost Notes in July.
Nia Andrews & Terrace Martin on Reggie Andrews
Lost Notes brings you behind-the-scenes conversations with Nia Andrews and Terrace Martin about the legendary Reggie Andrews.
Do What You Want To Do: The Legacy of Reggie Andrews
Lost Notes examines the legacy of Reggie Andrews, a world-class musician, producer, and mentor who changed the lives of countless young musicians in South LA.
Andrews spent more than four decades in the LAUSD school system, teaching and mentoring generations of notable musicians: Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Cameron Graves, Ronald Bruner Jr. and his brother Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner, Patrice Rushen, Gerald Albright, Ndugu Chancler, Rickey Minor, The
Dear Ruth: How Ruth Dolphin (Re-)Built a Musical Empire
Lost Notes celebrates the life of Ruth Dolphin, who went from being a terrified widow with four kids to the mother of an LA musical empire.
Go with the Flow: Community, Virality, and the Politics of Dancing
Lost Notes presents a story about Soul Train, the Slauson Shuffle, and what’s lost – and found – when a regional dance suddenly belongs to the world.
Places & Spaces: The Mizell Brothers’ LA Alchemy
Lost Notes introduces a pair of brothers - one from NASA, the other from Motown - who launched an entire musical universe from their Hollywood Hills hideout.
Kendrick Lamar and the big samples (from “Switched on Pop”)
Lost Notes returns with a brand new episode next Wednesday. To tide you over, we’re featuring a deep dive into Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers from our friends at Switched on Pop.
Viva Tirado: The South/East LA Connection
Lost Notes explores how the song “Viva Tirado” exemplifies the inter-generational musical conversation between LA’s Black and Brown communities.
My Lady’s Frustration: How Fela Kuti Found Afrobeat in LA
Lost Notes explores how Fela Kuti’s time in LA in 1969 was instrumental in the creation of his legendary Afrobeat sound.
Mojo on Trial: The Seedy, Greedy World of Ruth Christie
Lost Notes details the darkly hilarious schemes of record-label magnate Ruth Christie, who instigated one of the most absurd court cases in music history.
The True Story of ‘Tainted Love’
Long before “Tainted Love” was an ‘80s anthem, it was a 1965 B-side by LA’s Gloria Jones. We trace the song’s journey from a warehouse floor to the annals of pop history.
Lost Notes Returns with the True Story of ‘Tainted Love’
‘Lost Notes’ returns for Season 4 with a special preview episode about the song “Tainted Love,” and its lesser-known origins as a forgotten ‘60s soul gem from LA.
Jonathan Demme: 'Stop Making Sense' interview and guest DJ set (1984)
Talking Heads’ 1984 film, Stop Making Sense, has long been regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest concert films ever made. A new A24 restoration of the film is out in theaters now.
Director Jonathan Demme dropped in on Deirdre for a guest DJ set while the film was still in theaters. Demme sat in for SNAP No. 172 on November 8, 1984, spinning a wild selection of his favorite music — including the premiere of a then-unheard Talking Heads son
Dwight Yoakam & The Babylonian Cowboys
Among the more uproarious of SNAP sessions, Dwight Yoakam brought his merry band of Babylonian Cowboys to SNAP in July 1986. In addition to playing a full set of rip-roaring country and bluegrass, Yoakam and his band engage Deirdre in a stream of relentless banter and convivial shit-talking. One for the books.
Glass Eye
Glass Eye represented the very best of what Austin, TX had to offer, which at the time also included “SNAP!” staples like the Reivers, the Wild Seeds, and Poi Dog Pondering. And whenever Glass Eye came to L.A., Deirdre welcomed them with open arms and a sincere appreciation of their own bent nature.
Their third session from February 1990 captures the band at its zenith: a tightly-coiled blast of nervous energy, delivering their best performance yet.
Daniel Lanois
In 1989, Daniel Lanois was in the upper pantheon of pop producers, having produced globe-shattering albums like U2’s “The Unforgettable Fire” and Peter Gabriel’s “So.” But Lanois was also a songwriter and performer in his own right, and 1989’s solo debut, “Acadie” finally redressed the imbalance. He joined Deirdre for a short but powerful solo acoustic set in December of that year.
Bent By Nature - Ep. 10: Rollins
Throughout “Bent By Nature,” you’ve heard many stories of the lifelong connections set in motion by Deirdre O’Donoghue. But none were quite as surprising as the bond between Deirdre and fellow iconoclast Henry Rollins, the former Black Flag frontman, musician, writer, actor, activist, and longtime KCRW host. After a chance meeting in early 1984, Rollins became a regular voice on “SNAP!” And he quickly became one of her most treas
Bent By Nature - Ep. 9: Promised Land (with Julian Cope)
The artist has got to be not like the historian.The historian’s got hindsight. He can go back and go, “That was a great moment.” But the artist’s got to go, “No, I was there.” It’s like, history is something that happens. You can’t be there at history. — Julian Cope, May 10, 1991
It’s May of 1991. Deirdre is in London, chatting backstage with post-punk indie underground legend Julian Cope. Cope has just released &l
Bent By Nature - Ep. 8: Half A World Away (with Michael Stipe)
It’s September of 1984. And Deirdre is head over heels for a fast-rising quartet from Athens, Georgia called R.E.M. In just a few years, the band’s music will be inescapable on commercial and college radio alike — and their massive success will mark a turning point for the American musical underground.
“There were moments when R.E.M., my former band, were hugely popular,” says ex-singer Michael Stipe. “And we were able to really push the boundaries of what's acceptable withi
Bent By Nature - Ep. 7: Ages of You
In the mid-1980s, two young women are coming of age in the San Fernando Valley. In a few years, when they’re teenagers, they’ll both latch onto DJ Deirdre O’Donoghue, for totally different reasons. Felicia Daniel becomes obsessed with the new music Deirdre is playing on “SNAP!” Her best friend, Tanja Laden, gets into Deirdre’s deep-dives into the past on her Sunday morning show, “Breakfast with the Beatles.”
On this week’
Bent By Nature - Ep. 6: Crossing Over (with David Lowery)
It’s New Year’s Eve, 1986. Deirdre is talking with the LA Times’ music critic, Robert Hilburn, about the musical trends of 1985.
Deirdre O’Donoghue: I don't think that the big, quote-unquote, "rock" stations can very much longer ignore the growing numbers of people who are listening to alternative radio stations all around the country ... with which you're seeing album sales, at least on a smaller level, but it's making a bump.
Among the acts
Bent By Nature - Ep. 5: Haywire (with Kathy McCarty & Brian Beattie)
It’s Independence Day Weekend, 1988. And Deirdre is celebrating the return of Glass Eye, her favorite independent act from Austin, Texas. They’ve just released their third album, “Bent By Nature.” But Deirdre’s allegiance to the band went much deeper than a catchy title. For her, they represented the very best of what Austin had to offer, which at the time also included “SNAP!” staples like the Reivers, the Wild Seeds, and Poi Dog Po
Bent By Nature - Ep. 4: Almost Magic (with Syd Straw)
It’s September 4, 1986. And Deirdre has just met a kindred spirit in singer Syd Straw. Like Deirdre, Syd traveled in good company. You could pick out her voice on records by Los Lobos, Rickie Lee Jones, Was (Not Was), and more. As an early member of the indie supergroup The Golden Palominos, she was a feature on Deirdre’s playlists long before she became a regular guest.
Most artists that appeared on “SNAP!” will tell you how comfortable Deirdre made
Bent By Nature - Ep. 3: Inside Out (with David and Bekki Newton)
In 1988, while most of the music world was fawning over Morrissey’s solo debut, Deirdre O’Donoghue was all-in on a new record from a lesser-known English band: The Mighty Lemon Drops. After years of support on “SNAP!,” their single “Inside Out” blew up in the U.S., becoming a college rock anthem and MTV staple that launched the band into pop consciousness and amphitheater tours.
The Lemon Drops’ guitarist David Newton and his w
Bent By Nature - Ep. 2: Music Could Be Your Whole Life
Illustration by Meredith Schomburg
In episode two of Bent By Nature, co-producer Bob Carlson explores the life of influential and enigmatic DJ Deirdre O’Donoghue behind the mic. Born in New York City and DJing across the country before landing at KCRW to host "SNAP!", O’Donoghue didn’t talk much about her past or private life — even in the face of personal demons, and eventually, her deteriorating health.
But O’Donoghue’s fi
Bent By Nature - Ep. 1: This Is 'SNAP!'
Before Soundcloud and Bandcamp, there was Deirdre O'Donoghue and "SNAP!," the LA DJ and radio show that served as a waypoint for underground music, artists, and its fans — and helped shape the sound of independent and D.I.Y. culture today. In the first episode of "Bent By Nature," co-producer Bob Carlson introduces O’Donoghue and goes inside the community she cultivated, her passion for music, and the problems she had with KCRW’s management
Bent By Nature: Trailer
She was the most influential American DJ you’ve never heard of. Deirdre O’Donoghue was a vital force in the musical underground of the 1980s. Countless artists crammed into her studio to perform live on her late-night show, “SNAP!” on KCRW. And after 40 years, those legendary sessions will be heard again. Join Michael Stipe, Henry Rollins, Julian Cope, and more for a sound-packed series from the producers of Lost Notes and Unfictio
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 7: Grace Jones
In 1980, anti-disco sentiment was at a high and Grace Jones was coming off a trilogy of disco albums. If she stayed stagnant, it felt like her career could be swept away. And so out of disco’s death rattle – driven by the discomfort of white male tastemakers – Grace Jones rose, reinforced and reimagined in a new decade freshly obsessed with risk.
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 6: Minnie Riperton
Most know Minnie Riperton because of one part in one song. “Lovin’ You” was Riperton’s biggest hit, and she doesn’t sing that magic, piercing note until around the 3-minute mark. Cancer took Riperton away tragically in 1979, and the next year producers got to work on a posthumous album. Filled with leftover recordings and celebrity cameos, “Love Lives Forever” is an album full of ghosts.
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 5: Hugh Masekela & Miriam Makeba
In December of 1980, two exiled artists and freedom fighters attempted return to their home in South Africa for a concert. Jazz musician Hugh Masekela and singer Miriam Makeba were briefly married, but they had a robust collaborative relationship that stretched across multiple decades. The 1980 concert wound up happening in neighboring Lesotho — and the performance became about defiance, namely against the Apartheid government in South Africa. But a recording mishap me
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 4: John Lennon & Darby Crash
Punk singer Darby Crash dreamed of immortality. The single full-length Germs album was to become a holy grail of music history, and his passing might’ve made him a legend, but Darby Crash died on December 7th, 1980. By the time the news of his death began to circulate, it was well into December 8th, the day John Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman. As radio stations in Los Angeles began to start their marathon of Germs songs, John Lennon lay dying in New York, a
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 3: Ian Curtis
In May of 1980, Joy Division lost its lead singer, Ian Curtis. The band decided that they would carry on with a different name. From the cutting room floor, a song with Ian Curtis haphazardly slurring the words he’d written became the first single for a decade-defining band. New Order was made up of people who were weighed down by grief and regrets. Straining themselves to make sure they did justice to the words Ian Curtis couldn’t bring himself to sing.
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 2: The Sugarhill Gang
In 1979, "Rapper’s Delight" was released and went on to become the first Top 40 hip-hop single. Sugarhill Gang almost had no choice but to follow the single up with a full-length. So in the early months of 1980, a six song, nearly forty minute album by a rap group was released. The debut, self-titled album by the Sugarhill Gang wasn’t received without controversy, and wasn’t received without skepticism. When one thinks about the greatest rap groups of
Lost Notes: 1980 - Ep. 1: Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder released seven albums from 1970 to 1976. It is an impenetrable run of albums and songs, one of the greatest in music history. Then, in 1979, he faced his first defeat of the decade. Reviews for “Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants” were harshly mixed. So in 1980 Stevie was due for a comeback. Lost Notes host Hanif Abdurraqib reflects on the album and Wonder’s call for the observation of Martin Luther King’s bi
Lost Notes: 1980 - Introducing Lost Notes: 1980
This season the poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib explores the year 1980. It was the brilliant, awkward and sometimes heartbreaking opening to a monumental decade in popular music.
Lost Notes S2 Bonus: Teenagers Surfing on the Wave of the Apocalypse
Our second of two Lost Notes bonus episodes for this summer. This one is about The Student Teachers. In 1977, a group of music obsessed friends got together and decided to form a band. Most of them were still in high school and almost none of them had even picked up an instrument before, but they lived and breathed the New York City music scene and wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. They worked in record stores, ran fan clubs, and spent every second they could toge
Lost Notes S2 Bonus: Power to the People
The new season of Lost Notes will be here in September. Meantime, this summer, we’re sharing a couple of bonus episodes. Fifty years ago, an unlikely musical group evolved out of the Oakland chapter of the Black Panther Party. They were called The Lumpen. And although they quickly gained a following for their air-tight funk, they were always meant to be much more than mere entertainment. Peter Gilstrap reports on the rise and fall of an unlikely R&B group born
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 8: Song of a Gun
As long as there have been guns, there have been songs about guns. But American culture's relationship with guns is changing. Does popular music reflect that? We take a look at the history of music's relationships with guns, and gun control activism, to find out.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 7: Beyond Disco: Nermin Niazi and Feisal Mosleh
In the early ‘80s, two teenage siblings in London recorded an album that fused Pakistani pop and British New Wave. It became a perfect harmony of the two worlds they lived in. This is the story behind their lost masterpiece.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 6: Imagining Billy Tipton
Jazz pianist Billy Tipton has been celebrated by some as a trans pioneer – but his story resists an easy telling.
Lost Notes S2 Bonus: More on John Fahey and Legacy
As a supplement to our episode on John Fahey, we share a conversation between Jessica Hopper and Carla Green about artist legacies in the era of cancel culture and #MeToo.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 5: Living with John Fahey, aka A Room Full of Flowers
John Fahey’s guitar playing influenced the sound of the American underground for generations. But how does that legacy change when you hear from three of the women who knew him best?
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 4: A Castle On Top of A Hill: The True Story of Fanny
The rock band Fanny ruled the Sunset Strip in the 1970s, and they were supposed to be the next big thing. They explain the price women pay for being ahead of their time.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 3: Sonic Sculptor: Suzanne Ciani
Synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani used an esoteric instrument to design some of the most well-known commercial sounds of the 20th century.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 2: To Chan Marshall: A Letter to Cat Power
Poet and author Hanif Abdurraqib's letter to Cat Power about how her album The Greatest worked its way into his life.
Lost Notes S2 Ep. 1: Teenage Offenders: Reckoning with a Punk Past
The Freeze were an early American punk band. Now, 40 years later, two members reckon with the lyrics they wrote as teenagers.
Lost Notes: Introducing Season 2
On this season of Lost Notes, the music journalist and author Jessica Hopper is looking at artist legacies. How do they hold up? How do they change over time? Learn how decades on a song can find new meaning, something different than when it was written. Find out what happens when we apply our 2019 politics to 1974’s songs. And hear from pioneering women who have been written out of music’s history.
S1 Bonus - Reissue: Unfictional - Nature Boy
The strange story of the postwar pop standard "Nature Boy" and its enigmatic creator, eden ahbez.
S1 Bonus - Reissue: Heat Rocks - Cymande
Legendary DJ/crate-digger Cut Chemist professes his love for Cymande’s 1972 self-titled debut.
S1 Bonus - Reissue: The Dove
A global pop icon appears in a most unexpected place in this story from Pod Planet’s Clive Desmond.
S1 Bonus - Reissue: Mad About the Boy
We resurface a story from Falling Tree Productions that takes a look at the empowering flip-side of pop fandom.
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 8: Searching for the Root: The Incredible Journey of Aisha Ali
In the wake of the swinging ‘60s, a young woman named Aisha Ali travels to North Africa in search of her roots. There, she single-handedly documents hours and hours of music and film from Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt ... much of it still unheard.
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 7: A Million Dollars Worth of Plastic
In 1989 McDonald’s ran the biggest flexi-disc promotion ever, sending out 80 million discs (playing the “Menu Song”) as inserts in newspapers all over the country. A very special copy of this record was almost burned to heat a family home in Galax, Virginia. Instead, it ended up winning the homeowner a million dollars.
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 6: Shaggs' Own Thing: The Story of the Wiggin Sisters
One of the most unlistenable bands of the ‘60s became a cult favorite decades later, gaining praise from the likes of Frank Zappa, Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth. But did the Wiggin sisters from Fremont, New Hampshire even want to be in a band in the first place? The New Yorker’s Susan Orlean recounts her reporting on the band’s strange trip to unexpected fame.
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 5: Johnny Tried: The Ballad of Glen Sherley
When Johnny Cash played his iconic concert at Folsom Prison he covered the song of one very talented inmate. Johnny pulled some strings, plucked Glen Sherley from prison and brought him out on the road. Did this turn of fortune wind up helping or hurting the formerly unknown songwriter?
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 4: New Edition's Neighborhood Secret
The boys in New Edition were basketball fans from Boston - Celtics country. So what happened when they hung out with the L.A. Lakers in a music video during the height of the 1980s Celtics/Lakers rivalry?
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 3: Electricity: Conversations with Captain Beefheart
In this intimate radio portrait of one of music’s most legendary eccentric geniuses, writer Kristine McKenna offers you a visceral experience of what it was like to be friends with Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart).
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 1: Louie Louie: The Strange Journey of the Dirtiest Song Never Written
An FBI Investigation, an engagement ring, wine coolers... the surprising story behind the ubiquitous anthem that every teenager bangs out on their first guitar.
Lost Notes S1 Ep. 2: Outlaws of the Airwaves: The Rise of Pirate Radio Station WBAD
Pirate radio station WBAD in New York was a beloved source for fans of underground, unsanitized hip-hop in the 1990s, but how high could this illegal operation fly while also staying under the radar?
Lost Notes - Season 1: Introducing Lost Notes
Hear a preview of Lost Notes, an anthology of some of the greatest music stories never truly told. Top journalists present stand-alone audio documentaries that highlight music’s head, heart and beat, with host Solomon Georgio as your guide.
Pere Ubu
Cleveland’s indomitable Pere Ubu come to SNAP under the guise of Petit Ubu, a miniaturized trio, on the heels of their eighth album, "Worlds in Collision."
They play a short acoustic set that cherry-picks from throughout their extensive history, while leader David Thomas gamely endures Deirdre’s flattery.
John Wesley Harding and the Deceivers
Early in his career, English songwriter Wesley Stace borrowed his stage name from that of Bob Dylan’s eighth album. His stateside success arrived under the John Wesley Harding banner, as did his sole SNAP session from June 10, 1991.
Touring in support of his album “The Name Above The Title,” Stace also borrowed Steve Wynn’s backing band. Now called The Deceivers, the band provides sturdy and sympathetic support to Stace’s wordy and melodic tunes.
Sam Phillips
Now a cult figure in the American underground for her witty, literate, and acerbic songwriting, Sam Phillips was still in her ascendancy when she dropped in on SNAP in June 1991.
For one of Deirdre’s final live sessions, Sam brought her charming rapport and a brace of her best songs in this magnetic and endearing session.
Peter Himmelman Band
Peter Himmelman’s decades-long career can hardly be distilled into anything as simple as a “singer-songwriter” tag. Nevertheless, during the SNAP era, he was best known for his deeply humanistic, literate, and thoughtful songwriting, played here without fuss by the Peter Himmelman Band.
The sextet focuses on material from Himmelman’s then-new album, 1991’s aptly-named “From Strength to Strength.”
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses were already legendary by the time they touched down on SNAP in May 1991. Having recently shed long-time bassist Leslie Langston for new recruit Fred Abong, the reconfigured quartet played a short but sweet set of songs from that year’s “The Real Ramona.”
R.E.M.
R.E.M.’s meteoric rise was already well underway when they came to SNAP in April 1991. But the agreeably loose acoustic session feels like a gathering of old friends.
A rambling mix of classics, covers, and spontaneous outbursts, it exemplifies the very best of SNAP.
Kitchens of Distinction
London’s Kitchens of Distinction were always a few steps ahead of their time. Their swirling, shoegaze-adjacent pop arrived moments before that genre officially exploded. And vocalist/bassist Patrick Fitzgerald’s frankly queer lyrics were still a rarity, even in underground circles.
The band dropped into SNAP on Valentine’s Day 1991 for a noisy and rapturous set in service of their second album, “Strange Free World.”
Hex
A collaboration between Steve Kilbey (The Church) and Donnette Thayer (Game Theory), Hex released two albums of lush and mystical pop during their brief existence.
This 1991 SNAP session finds Thayer leading an expanded lineup (minus Kilbey) to promote their second and final album, “Vast Halos.”
Downy Mildew
Downy Mildew were perhaps the archetypal SNAP Band: scrappy, independent, locally beloved but nationally obscure, and possessing an earnest but ambitious indie-pop sensibility. The LA band’s December 1990 session was their third for Deirdre, and it arrived at a transitional time.
They were between record labels, having parted ways with Santa Monica’s Texas Hotel Records. And their next album, 1992’s “An Oncoming Train,” was still two years away. But Downy Mildew are here in fine form, offering u
Blue Aeroplanes & The Jazz Butcher
The Blue Aeroplanes and The Jazz Butcher (a.k.a. Pat Fish) were not only mutual favorites of Deirdre’s, but also long-standing friends and collaborators in their own right.
While both in LA by chance, they dropped into SNAP during the show’s off-hours to record this ramshackle but lovely acoustic set for later broadcast.
Aaron Neville
In the wake of Aaron Neville’s surprise return to the pop charts with Linda Ronstadt, the soul legend graced the SNAP studio in 1990 with a transcendent solo set for voice and piano.
Blue Aeroplanes
England’s mighty Blue Aeroplanes landed on SNAP in July 1990 for an electric full-band session favoring songs from their American major-label debut, “Swagger.”
Outside the confines of a traditional studio, the band bursts forward with a tightly-wound sound that perfectly underpins vocalist Gerard Langley’s spoken proclamations.
Hetch Hetchy
Rising out of the late, lamented Athens band Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy is a name true heads know. The duo of Lynda L. Limner and Jay Totty produced gloriously oblique music which occupied its own uniquely art-damaged space.
Swelling their ranks to a sextet onstage, they floated into the SNAP studio on May 31, 1990, in support of their sole full-length album, “Swollen.”
The Chills
One of the leading lights of New Zealand’s “Dunedin sound,” Martin Phillipps and The Chills landed on SNAP in May 1990.
The band’s 11th incarnation stopped by to promote their album “Submarine Bells.” Their set includes a heavy dose of that record and a generous selection of earlier classics.
More: Martin Phillipps’ LA Story: 30 Years of The Chills’ ‘Soft Bomb’
Luka Bloom
Irish singer-songwriter Luka Bloom moved to the USA, adopted a new name, and began chronicling his experiences in song as an expatriate living in New York.
In April 1990, the man formerly known as Barry Moore sat in with Deirdre for an hour around the release of his US debut, “Riverside.”
Nick Lowe
Legendary English songwriter Nick Lowe brings his “Party of One” to SNAP in February 1990 for a solo acoustic showcase of that album.
Nick and Deirdre also enjoy a wide-ranging chat about his 21st anniversary as a career musician; the joys of Tone Loc and the agonies of Rick Astley; and the state of record production at the turn of the decade.
Cowboy Junkies (1990)
Cowboy Junkies return for a second SNAP session in February 1990. Newly expanded into an octet, the band’s set includes songs from their first three records, plus a few others slated for a future album.
Deirdre also chats extensively with singer Margo Timmins.
Love Tractor
Beloved Athens, GA stalwarts Love Tractor stopped by SNAP for their second session in January 1990.
Their career-spanning set ranges from 1983’s “Around the Bend” to 1988’s “Themes from Venus,” and also includes a few as-yet-unnamed new tracks.
Shawn Colvin
A veteran of the “fast folk” movement of the early ‘80s, singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin chanced into a gig as Suzanne Vega’s backup singer before signing to Columbia as a solo artist.
Her solo acoustic appearance on SNAP coincided with the release of her 1989 debut album, “Steady On.”
Fetchin Bones
Led by vocalist/human tornado Hope Nicholls, North Carolina’s Fetchin Bones regularly conjured enough onstage electricity to power Santa Monica.
They plugged into Deirdre’s grid for a second time in October 1989, bringing their adrenaline-soaked rock’n’roll back to the SNAP studio in support of their fifth (and final) album, “Monster.”
Camper Van Beethoven (1989)
Camper Van Beethoven returned for their second and final appearance on “SNAP” while touring behind their ostensible swan song, 1989’s “Key Lime Pie.”
Augmented by new violinist Morgan Fichter (replacing Jonathan Segel), the group offers a punchy and impeccably-played set of new and recent material.
More: Listen to Camper Van Beethoven's 1987 session
Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan brought their delirious chamber-pop to SNAP in September 1989. Nominally a duo of Caroline Crawley and Jem Tayle, the group expanded to a sextet for their opening slot on The Cure’s “Prayer Tour.”
On this rare US radio date, they perform a lovely set of selections from their “Century Flower” album.
Peter Case
Cult songwriter Peter Case returned to SNAP in 1989 to support his second solo album, “The Man With The Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar.”
Backed up by a cracking, no-frills rhythm section, Case rolls out another set of smartly crafted roots-rock interleaved with a few choice covers.
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett stopped by SNAP in April 1989 with the paradoxical distinction of promoting his “Large Band” with a solo acoustic set.
Lovett dips evenly into his albums for this lovely and sardonic five-song performance.
Robyn Hitchcock
The legendary Robyn Hitchcock was a firm favorite of Deirdre’s throughout the 1980s. Stepping away from his backing band, The Egyptians, Hitchcock stopped by SNAP in April 1989 to play a short acoustic set of songs which would later feature on the following year’s classic solo album, “Eye.”
Sarah McLachlan
Long before she was a global phenomenon, Sarah McLachlan dropped into SNAP prior to the U.S. release of her 1989 debut, “Touch.”
She and bass player Jeff Cross play a short duo set spotlighting her earthy but ethereal sound.
Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, & Ilene Markell
A year before they reunited on wax with 1991’s “Mavericks,” The dBs’ Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey dropped in for a surprise appearance on “SNAP!”
Bassist Ilene Markell joined the legendary duo for a casual and breezy set that beautifully prefigured their forthcoming album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds join Deirdre in-studio on March 3, 1989, for a loose-limbed acoustic set following the release of “Tender Prey.” The set includes two bona fide Cave classics (“The Mercy Seat” and “The Carny”) and an appealingly ragged selection of covers.
Visual footage of the performance was also captured in Uli M. Schueppel's documentary film "The Road to God Knows Where," depicting five weeks of the US leg of the band's 1989 tour.
Cowboy Junkies
Canadian slowcore godparents Cowboy Junkies waltzed into the SNAP studios in December 1988, weeks after the release of their now-iconic album, “The Trinity Session.”
Their performance is characterized by the same slow burn that made “Trinity” an instant masterpiece.
Paul Kelly and the Messengers
In October 1988, Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly made his second SNAP appearance with two members of his band, The Messengers, in tow: pianist Peter Bull and drummer Michael Barclay (here reduced to a backing vocal role).
They play a low-key acoustic set featuring numbers from their latest album, “Under the Sun,” and others from his catalog.
The Railway Children
The Railway Children made their US radio debut on SNAP in September 1988.
The Manchester, UK, quartet played a full set of gorgeous and chiming guitar pop, drawn on their two albums for Virgin (“Recurrence”) and Factory Records (“Reunion Wilderness”).
Meat Puppets
Arizona’s Meat Puppets returned to SNAP in 1988 as a tighter, brighter unit, beaming into the studio on the long tail of 1987’s “Huevos” album.
As usual, the trio’s surreal, desert-fried inter-song banter only adds to the psychedelic effect.
The Dream Syndicate (1988)
LA’s Dream Syndicate were one of the foundational bands in the so-called Paisley Underground movement of the early ‘80s. Led by songwriter/guitarist Steve Wynn, they returned in 1988 on Deirdre’s birthday for their second SNAP performance.
The local legends played a fiery set in anticipation of their “Ghost Stories” album, which would be released the following month.
The Mighty Lemon Drops
The Mighty Lemon Drops made their SNAP debut in May 1988, on the cusp of their American success with “Inside Out.”
The English quartet plays a rough and raucous mix of originals and covers that hearkens back to their earlier indie recordings.
More: BBN Ep. 3 – "Inside Out" (with The Mighty Lemon Drops' David Newton)SNAP archival interview: The Mighty Lemon Drops (3/18/87)
The Church
The Church visited SNAP in March 1988 for an all-acoustic set focused on material from their future US breakthrough, “Starfish.” Along with gorgeous renditions of now-classic songs, the band are in great humor, sparring verbally with Deirdre and improvising extensively.
The Reivers
Austin’s The Reivers (formerly Zeitgeist) stormed into SNAP for a seething set of crunchy power-pop in support of their 1988 Capitol Records debut, “Saturday.”
With a vibe reminiscent of their Northern neighbors in Toronto, The Pursuit of Happiness, the band harnesses delicious boy/girl harmonies to a hard-edged sound.
Steve Wynn
Several years before his “official” solo debut, 1990’s “Kerosene Man,” the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn steps out with a few good friends for his first acoustic SNAP set.
Recorded in December 1987, Wynn and co. roll out a full set of new and unreleased songs.
The dB’s
In December 1987, fresh from an opening stint on R.E.M.’s “Document” tour and the release of their album "The Sound of Music,: the Peter Holsapple-led incarnation of the dB’s dropped in on Deirdre.
Making their official debut with second guitarist Eric Peterson, the dB’s put on a SNAP-style roadshow, featuring cuts from throughout the band’s career and a generous helping of odds and sods.
Hurrah!
Hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne, Hurrah! were one of the earliest signees to the UK’s influential Kitchenware Records label (Prefab Sprout, Editors).
Long a favorite of Deirdre’s even before their full-length debut, the band stopped by SNAP on their first US jaunt to play a brief but lovely acoustic set with new drummer Steve Price.
Glass Eye
Glass Eye represented the very best of what Austin, TX had to offer, which at the time also included “SNAP” staples like the Reivers, the Wild Seeds, and Poi Dog Pondering.
And whenever Glass Eye came to L.A., Deirdre welcomed them with open arms and a sincere appreciation of their own bent nature.
Tom Waits
Tom Waits joins Deirdre for a wide-ranging conversation and performance on the occasion of his 1987 album and stage play, “Frank’s Wild Years.”
In addition to performing and guest DJing, Waits discusses the differences between the play and the album; the use of bullhorn in his vocal style; the graphic design of his ‘80s albums; and so much more.
Camper Van Beethoven (1987)
Camper Van Beethoven made their “SNAP” debut in support of 1987’s “Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart.” The wisecracking ensemble rambles through selections old and new in a semi-acoustic session rife with cheerful chaos.
More: Bent By Nature Ep. 6 – "Crossing Over" (with David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven)
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton was already three decades into his career as an actor’s actor when he began touring regularly as a song interpreter with a small acoustic trio.
Joined by top-shelf sidemen Steven Soles and Kenny Edwards, Stanton dropped into Deirdre’s studio on June 24, 1987, to share a commanding set of covers in both Spanish and English. Included is “Canción Mixteca,” which Stanton legendarily performed in Wim Wenders’s “Paris, Texas.”
Concrete Blonde
LA’s Concrete Blonde were fresh off an ill-fated tour with Cyndi Lauper when they careened into SNAP in April 1987.
They serve up a characteristically paint-peeling performance punctuated by grade-A banter between Deirdre and frontwoman Johnette Napolitano.
More: BBN Ep. 1 – "This Is SNAP" (with Johnette Napolitano)
Love Tractor
Love Tractor made their long-overdue SNAP debut in June 1989, as part of the long-running promotion for their “Themes from Venus” album.
The 11-song set draws evenly from that 1988 album as well as the three which preceded it.
The Dream Syndicate (1986)
For a moment, LA’s legendary Dream Syndicate seemed to be victims of the major-label doldrums. After a failed engagement with A&M records, they took a hiatus and made a triumphant return with their 1986 album, “Out of the Grey.”
That same year, the newly-reformed band dropped in on Deirdre for their inaugural performance on SNAP.
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega visited SNAP in April 1985 for her second-ever live radio appearance. Ahead of her now-classic self-titled debut album, Vega offers perfectly rendered takes of songs from that record, as well as an early appearance of one of her most iconic numbers.
An essential and long-unheard document of Vega at a crucial moment in her early career.