Paul McCartney is simply ageless. Although his face may have a few more lines and wrinkles, he still doesn’t present as a man who is pushing 80 next year. His energy and drive are that of a man a third of his age.  This documentary, produced by Rick Rubin, is 6 parts of utter magic, strung together in compelling 30-minute segments. Rubin is also the interviewer for the piece.



In segment one, Paul immediately praises John on All My Loving, and how intricate his playing was on the song. He also points out what a clown John was. Always pulling a face or doing some silly thing that made everyone laugh. He speaks so fondly of John, and their undeniable chemistry and bond.



He talks about writing “Michelle,” and how it came about from going to John’s art school parties and pretending to be French to try to catch the ladies’ interest. Years later, John said, “You remember that French song you fiddled with? You should finish that.” And Paul did.



The Beatles were very heavily...

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The legendary Studio 54 in New York City was more than just a nightclub in the late 70s. It was a cultural phenomenon that only happens once in a lifetime. Brooklynites Ian Schrager & Steve Rubell created a totally fantasy venue that drew people from every walk of life. In its relatively short 33-month span, the hallowed walls of “54” drew celebrities from every corner of the globe. It was the place to see and be seen.



Schrager and Rubell met while in college at Syracuse University through their fraternity. The two were total opposites personality-wise. Schrager was a studious self-proclaimed introvert, and the very outgoing Rubell was definitely an extrovert. What started off as a friendship and then a lawyer-client relationship after graduation, quickly turned into a business partnership when they decided to do a nightclub together.



Schrager got the bug first, sensing that there was a big opportunity for a successful nightclub if done right. Rubell didn’t need much...

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Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (often referred to as Laugh-In) was an American sketch comedy TV program that ran from January, 1968 to March, 1973 on NBC, hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. The show was characterized by a rapid-fire series of gags and sketches, many of which conveyed sexual innuendo, or were politically charged.



The show featured Gary Owens as the on-screen announcer and permanent cast member Ruth Buzzi; long-tenured cast members included Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, Lily Tomlin, Johnny Brown, Dennis Allen and Richard Dawson.



Hawn was only on for the first three seasons before being plucked to co-star in a movie. After winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in that movie, Cactus Flower, Goldie Hawn came back, and made a guest appearance in the fourth season. She began the episode as an arrogant snob of an actress; however, a bucket of water thrown at her transformed her...

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Even for those who aren’t the biggest rock ‘n roll fans, there is a certain curiosity about the band KISS and about their fans, known as the KISS Army. This two-part documentary gives up some of their deepest secrets, and the obstacles they overcame to become “the hottest band in the world/land.”



Originally named Wicked Lester, KISS has been performing and recording for almost 50 years, and the beginning of this documentary goes back even further. We learn that Gene Simmons was born in Israel and moved to the U.S. in 1958, while Paul Stanley was born in Queens, and was a very awkward, lonely child. We also learn that Stanley has a congenital handicap, a deformed ear, and can only hear out of his “good” ear. Neither man uses their given names of Stanley Bert Eisen (Paul) and Chaim Weitz (Gene). And that’s just for starters.



The two men met in 1970, and much of the first episode is spent with the two co-founders of the band recollecting those early years...

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Rick Springfield (nee Richard Lewis Springthorpe) was born in South Wentworthville, a suburb of Sydney, Australia to a career Australian army officer and his wife. He grew up in Australia and England and was bitten by the music bug early on.



He learned guitar at age 13, saw the Beatles at age 14, and his decision to perform was cemented. After playing with various bands in both the United Kingdom and Australia, Springfield decided to go solo in 1972. The singer signed with Sparmac Records and issued his debut solo single, Speak to the Sky, in October, which peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set singles chart. Sparmac label owner, Robie Porter, was also Springfield’s producer and manager. After recording his debut album, Beginnings, in London, Springfield moved to the United States in mid-1972. Speak to the Sky, was released in October 1972 in the U.S. under the Capitol Records label. Springfield provided all the songwriting, lead vocals, guitar, keyboard, and banjo for the album...

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From the start, The Beatles second movie, Help!, is wildly different from their initial offering, A Hard Day’s Night. It’s from the same director, Richard Lester, and John, Paul, George, and Ringo star in this full-color, wild and crazy farce. The basic plot of Help! is the group struggling to record their new album while trying to protect Ringo from a sinister cult and a pair of mad scientists, all of whom are obsessed with obtaining a ring.



It seems Ringo is the proud owner of a sacred giant ruby ring, but it’s never really explained how? He’s stalked by a fanatical religious cult, who must sacrifice any human wearing the ring. They pursue the Beatles for most of the movie, setting bizarre traps in the Fab Four’s gimmicky high-tech mansion, and even attacking them at “safe” havens like the Police Constable’s office and Buckingham Palace. Since the uncanny ring refuses to come off Ringo’s finger, the lads consult a mad scientist. What do you know? He starts chasing Ringo as...

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Richard Lowenstein’s long-awaited documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence arrived in July 2019 after a decade in the works. It’s no surprise that Lowenstein seems to struggle a bit to determine the best path to take to frame Hutchence’s story; after all, they were close friends. That being said – it was definitely worth the wait.



Mystify is not your standard rock documentary. There are no talking heads, and there’s no narrator. Instead, Lowenstein relies entirely on archival footage – much of it shot by the singer himself, or by his intimate friends and partners – with his story told as an off-camera oral history by associates and lovers in particular, INXS’s United States manager, Martha Troup.



It contains hours of footage from audio, video and photographs, condensed and compiled into an hour and 45 minutes, but still leaves you wanting more. Starting with his early days, you can see Michael’s innate charm, and charisma. If the “X factor” is that indefinable charisma that...

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What do the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith all have in common? The brilliant and amazing singer and songwriter Steve Winwood, for starters.



Winwood began playing piano at 4 years old and started playing drums and guitar soon after. His first live performance came when he was 8 years old, but he had to play incognito. His Brother, Muff, said that when Steve began playing regularly with his father and brother in their band in licensed pubs and clubs, the piano had to be turned with its back to the audience to try and hide him, because he was so obviously underage.



He began playing with the Spencer Davis Group at age 14, where his very vocal style and high voice drew comparisons to Ray Charles. The group signed with Island Records in 1964 when Steve was 16. Founder/producer Chris Blackwell said of Winwood “He was really the cornerstone of Island Records. He’s a musical genius and because he was with Island, all the other talent really wanted to be with...

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Show creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman were good friends and roommates in New York City in their 20s. Their lives, loves and friends are the material they utilized to create the epic television show, FRIENDS, that captured the hearts of millions all over the world. But the story behind it is so much more. The 2-hour reunion show gives us a glimpse of exactly what it was like to create, cast, and film the iconic original series.



Friends is a hit television sitcom, created by Crane and Kauffman, aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, and lasted ten seasons. During the height of its popularity, the show ran in over 100 countries, and was the #1 rated nighttime comedy show for 6 seasons. In the U.S alone, 52.5 million viewers watched the series finale on May 6, 2004, making it the most-watched finale since Seinfeld in 1998.



Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the original title Insomnia Cafe in late 1993. They presented the idea...

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Canadian siblings Sid & Marty Krofft are truly master puppeteers. Born in Quebec, Canada, they spent many years honing their craft before their television career began in earnest.



In the 1940s, Sid created his one-man puppet show, The Unusual Artistry of Sid Krofft, and performed it all over the world, with his father. Marty stayed in New York, where he started using his older brother’s puppets to earn money by staging performances. By the 1950s, the Krofft brothers were working together, and in the late 50s, they developed Les Poupées de Paris, a puppet show for more mature audiences.



In the late 60s, they designed the characters and sets for Hanna-Barbera’s The Banana Splits on NBC. The Kroffts’ producing career began in 1969 with the children’s television series H.R. Pufnstuf, featuring a boy who was lured into an alternate fantasy world and can’t escape. The series introduced the team’s trademark style of large scale, colorful design, puppetry, and special effects. The...

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Almost every hit song has a really great tale behind it, and this one definitely has one worth telling. This is the story of the making of “We Are the World”.



The USA for Africa project began with an idea that actor, singer and activist Harry Belafonte had for a benefit concert, after hearing of the UK effort Band-Aid’s success with “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”



In late December 1984, looking for people willing to participate, Belafonte called his friend, manager Ken Kragen, who oversaw an impressive roster of talent. Kragen loved the idea and convinced Belafonte that they could raise more money and make a much bigger impact with an original song. Belafonte agreed, and Lionel Richie came on board to help, along with his good friend Michael Jackson to jointly compose the music and lyrics.



Kragen asked Quincy Jones to produce; Richie got Stevie Wonder involved, and from there, word spread like wildfire, with many music artists ready to help. The project from conception to...

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On January 1, 1985, MTV’s parent corporation launched a new music video network aimed at building upon what the original music channel had created, but it focused on a slightly older demographic. When VH1 first came into existence, it was all about music videos and music shows. Favorites like “Behind the Music”, “VH1 Legends”, “Best Week Ever”, and “Pop-Up Video” kept us up long past our bedtime. The anticipation of what was to come was always such a thrill to us music lovers. “Behind the Music” in particular, was truly the forerunner to today’s biopics about the people and bands we loved from the 60s to the 90s, and beyond.



A brief history on the show: “Behind the Music” came to be after Paul Gallagher and George Moll produced a one-hour special entitled “Dying in Vein” which first aired on VH1 in December 1996. While “Dying in Vein” was a magazine-style show, its approach to storytelling served as the prototype for “Behind the Music.” A short-lived half-hour spin-off series...

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When you read the endless list of accomplishments of Todd Rundgren, it’s nearly overwhelming. He has done nearly everything in the music industry and done it very well.



Rundgren grew up in Philadelphia and taught himself to play guitar at a very young age. He developed a love for music that grew first from his parents’ music collection, then added in his own tastes from the Beatles and the Stones to the Philadelphia sound of bands like the O-Jays.



His own personal brand of music has been called “sophisticated” and “unorthodox,” however the term “unique” seems to fit best. His stage shows are often lavish, and he was one of the earliest to adapt to technology such as the internet as a means of music distribution in the late 90s.



He was one of the first acts to be prominent as both an artist and producer. His notable production credits include Badfinger’s Straight Up (1971), Grand Funk Railroad’s We’re an American Band (1973), the New York Dolls’ New York Dolls (1973), and...

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In the early 90s, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray were looking for new ideas and watched a 70s show on PBS called “An American Family.” It was a chronicle of the daily life of the Louds, an upper middle-class family in Santa Barbara, California, but ended up documenting the break-up of the family when the parents separated and divorced during filming.



That documentary prompted Bunim and Murray to create a similar show, reflective of the popularity of other 90s shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and Dawson’s Creek.  That idea spawned the massive hit reality show “The Real World” on MTV.  It was originally billed as “This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.” Originally designed as a ‘one-off’ experiment, the show grew into a monster almost overnight, and to date, has spanned 33 seasons, including several spin-offs. Bunim had stated, “We knew...

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Let It Be is a 1970 British documentary film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. featuring the Beatles as themselves. The film memorializes the rehearsing and recording of songs for the album Let It Be, in January 1969. Released just after the album dropped in May 1970, Let It Be is the final original Beatles release. The film also shows the unannounced rooftop concert by the group, the legendary last public performance of the four together.



The production is more of a fly-on-the-wall view, rather than your typical documentary format. No interviews, no narration, just the band rehearsing, with them discussing improvements to the songs. Billy Preston is also there, accompanying several of the songs. However, it’s crystal clear from the outset that McCartney is trying to dominate the proceedings.



On closer inspection, the cracks are visible. It’s seemingly more like Paul is desperately trying to get John’s attention, or at least evoke a response from him throughout.  At...

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The Monkees was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneide as a situation comedy series about a pop/rock band. Their original line-up consisted of actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and British actor/singer Davy Jones. Their music was initially supervised by record producer, Don Kirshner, and backed by the songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. But their appeal and massive success was something no one saw coming.



The four actor/musicians were initially allowed only limited roles in the recording studio for the first few months of their career as “the Monkees,” however they quickly proved their mettle in both performing and songwriting. They fought for and won the right to collectively supervise all musical output under the band’s name, acting as actors, musicians, singers, songwriters, and producers. Ironically, the success of the show led to the musicians/actors becoming one of the most successful bands of the...

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Early years



It all started with a man named Neil Bogart and his partners, Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris (Bogart’s cousin) and Buck Reingold.  The company had a rough start, but it quickly found the sound of the 70’s and became the label of both disco and excess, churning out hit after hit. 



Until September 1973, Bogart had overseen the Buddah record label that was owned by Viewlex Corporation. He tired of conforming to Viewlex’s requirements and left the company to start his own record label. Initially he used his relationships at Warner Bros. Records to obtain and arrange funding for his new venture. He brought with him his cousin, Larry Harris, along with a few other friends and colleagues from Buddah, Cecil Holmes (who would also go on to found the Casablanca subsidiary, Chocolate City Records) and Buck Reingold   Initially Bogart wanted to name the company Emerald City, but the name was already taken by another label, that later ended up as an Atlantic subsidiary...

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There are so many words that we could use to describe the remarkable life and accomplishments, and true legacy of singer and songwriter Eddie Money. He was truly gifted, but his path to stardom was a bit rocky in the beginning.



Edward Joseph Mahoney was born into a large Irish-Catholic family in Long Island, NY. He started singing on the streets at age 11 and played in numerous rock bands “mostly to get chicks,” as he later stated. After struggling in high school, he finally graduated and at age 18, he tried to follow in the footsteps of his police officer grandfather, father, and brother as a NYC police department trainee. However, much to his father’s dismay, he soon found that wasn’t the path for him, and he left to pursue a career in music. “I couldn’t see myself in a police uniform for 20 years of my life, with short hair,” he later said, referring to the department policy that then stated, “no long hair”.



In 1968, Money moved to Berkeley CA to study with vocal coach...

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Baker Street and Me



When you ask me who my favorite artist is, I normally respond with which of a thousand ones? However, we all those artists who not only are favorites but who we also feel speak to us. Then, there are those few, those very few, who speak for us.



It was early 1978, I was   a 12-year-old listening to the old Los Angeles AM pop radio station, KHJ, when I first heard Baker Street. It was a kick to the heart and the guts, it coalesced in my soul, and affected me like few other songs ever have. A few weeks later, Right on Down the Line, entered the soundtrack of my life, and I was permanently hooked. 



The idea that he speaks for my soul and not only to me was solidified with his 1979 album release “Night Owl” and the song Get it Right Next Time. As I grew older and wore out the grooves in his first two commercially successfully albums, which required replacing them both in vinyl and other formats, I came back to his music with a more nuanced ear...

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On March 2, 2021, the documentary, “Tina,” debuted at the Berlin Film Festival where it received a very favorable rating.  The Oscar winning documentary duo, Dan Lindsay and T. J. Martin, went on to watch HBO release in the U.S. on March 27, and saw it garner the largest HBO audience for a documentary since the 2019 release of “Leaving Neverland.”



Born Anna Mae Bullock 1939, Tina Turner was destined to be a star. Her childhood was tragic, both parents abandoned her. She met Ike Turner, who was more a father figure at first than a husband but married him anyway out of fear and desperation. All she knew was he was her key to success.



The documentary opens with Tina singing and performing. And Tina dances like no one else – wild, sensual, truly feeling the music, on the greatest legs ever to hit the planet. Seriously, the best legs ever. In this film, she immediately addresses the 1981 People magazine article with Carl Arrington, where she finally told the true story about Ike...

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When you think of the greatest female voices of the 70s, Linda Ronstadt should, very rightfully so, be at the top of that list.



From the very start of this Dolly Parton produced documentary, you just know this film is going to be something very special. Ronstadt announces in the first 5 minutes that she has Parkinson’s disease, as did her grandmother. Tragically, this disease is what has silenced Ronstadt on stage since 2011 – in her own words “I can no longer sing a note.”



Ronstadt grew up in Tucson, AZ to a musical family, was raised on radio, and she loved singing. Her first gig was with her older brother and sister, performing around Tucson. After trying her hand at various venues, she went to Los Angeles in 1964 at age 18 as a solo artist. She and good friend Bobby Kimmel, along with guitarist Kenny Edwards formed the Stone Poneys. They started making the open-mike rounds, and quickly homed in on the Troubadour (which was an up-and-coming club at that time) that focused...

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Inspiration comes from many places, but in this case, I was inspired in the identical fashion of my last offering about the eerie similarities of the suicide scene of the group Boston’s Brad Delp and a fictional suicide from the television show Twin Peaks. If you haven’t read it, give it a read as it comes highly recommended, if I do say so myself. So once again, I found myself watching Netflix to cope with the boredom of my self-imposed isolation during the Covid-19 crisis.



Desperate for something to watch, I stumbled onto one of my personal comedy favorites. Up inSmoke was Cheech & Chong’s first and unquestionably best movie. It can easily be termed a classic. Contrary to popular misconception, you don’t have to be a pot-laden stoner to find it funny. Frankly, it’s nothing short of absolutely hilarious, and it’s a member of the exalted subset of comedies that you can watch multiple times without its humor losing potency. For me, that’s the core criteria to qualify as a truly...

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Originally formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977, coming out of Sydney, Australia,  the rock band INXS demonstrated early on that they were something truly special and unique. However, their journey to stardom was not an easy one and they would have to prove themselves to both fans and critics alike. The band consisted of founding members, Andrew Farriss, main composer/keyboardist, Jon Farriss, drummer, Tim Farriss, guitarist, Garry Gary Beers, bassist, Michael Hutchence, lead singer/main lyricist, and Kirk Pengilly, guitarist/saxophonist.



For twenty years, INXS was fronted by Hutchence, whose sultry good looks and magnetic stage presence made him the focal point of the band. Initially known for their new wave/pop style, the band later developed a harder pub rock style that included some funk and dance elements.



Stars on the rise



In the very beginning, the band began with Andrew Farriss convincing his fellow school classmate, Michael...

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Set in 1996, the movie is the story of an assassin who returns to his 10-year high school reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. John Cusack stars as Martin Q. Blank, who sets out to win back his high school sweetheart Debi Newberry, played by Minnie Driver, after he stood her up for their senior prom because he left to join the Army. Once in the military, his tests revealed he had a propensity for “moral ambiguity” and he is recruited by the CIA to become an assassin. He eventually becomes a contract killer for hire. He returns home to the reunion because it coincides with a hit he has been hired to complete, but he doesn’t know the target yet, and he decides to win his high school sweetheart back in the process. While the twists and turns are a lot of fun to talk about, I’ll hold off for those who have yet to see the movie or want to watch it again. I will share that there is an awesome scene where Cusack finds himself in the gun fight, with his erstwhile girlfriend, Driver, is...

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When you mention “The Troubadour” (or “The Troub” as many call it), most locals and people in the music industry know you mean West Hollywood’s iconic bar and restaurant since the late 50s. Located on Santa Monica Boulevard, where Beverly Hills and West Hollywood meet; Doug Weston initially opened The Troub as a coffee house in 1957 where it was originally located on La Cienega Boulevard that would later become known as “Restaurant Row,” he moved the club to its current location in 1961.



The club by the mid-60’s the club had become known for helping singer/songwriters in particular and new artists in general get their start. Among the beneficiaries of the exposure that Weston’s Troub brought them were Elton John, Carole King, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, the Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, James Taylor, and Tom Waits; among many others. It was a major center for folk music in the 1960s, and subsequently for...

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