E194 - Top 5 '60s Crossovers (with author Dave Philpott, Dear Catherine Wheel)

The '60s were marked by dizzying revolutionary change, musical evolution, and technological innovation. It was the decade where pop music as a whole went from ephemeral entertainment to serious art. It was the catalyst for social and cultural shifts. Most of the music that we talk about on this very show, from punk rock to power pop to synth pop, has very strong roots in the music of the '60s. Yet very few '60s pioneers were able to successfully cross over into the O3L era. Many sounded hopelessly out of touch as they tried to chase the trends of the day - glossy synths, gated snares, etc. Artists who were once the harbingers of cool traded in their mop tops and Spanish boots for big hair and Member's Only jackets. Who successfully crossed over to the classic alternative era?

Joining us to discuss the topic is author Dave Philpott. For close to a decade and a half the Philpotts (Dave and his father Derek) have been getting under the skin of musical artistes. Picking up on glaring errors in their lyrics or sometimes getting completely the wrong end of the stick (perhaps to irritate things a little further) they totally misunderstand the meaning of ‘poetic license’.

Hundreds of missives have landed on the real and virtual doormats of musicians, worldwide. In return, these lyrical legends have exercised their right to reply, correcting and sometimes confirming the authors’ summation of what went wrong... or right.

In their new book Dear Catherine Wheel: Bonkers Letters to U.K. Indie Bands with Genuine Replies, letters were addressed to some of the finest indie/C86 bands, including The Soup Dragons, The Jasmine Minks, The Bevis Front, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, The June Brides, Talulah Gosh, and 80+ more.

It's a brilliant, absurd, and hilarious book that you never knew you needed! It's now available at Amazon worldwide.

The Philpotts have also authored the companion volumes Dear Mr. Kershaw, Dear Mr. Pop Star, and Grammar Free in the U.K.

A portion of all sales aid the Musicians Against Homelessness organization.

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