1968 Archives – How Good It Is

Ladies and Gentlemen, the queen of them all. Pattie Boyd was the inspiration for a huge number of songs. Some of them went to the top of the charts, some of them weren’t released as singles, but nearly all of the songs about her are well-known, and not just because they’re about her; because they’re … Continue reading "179: Influential Women, Pt. 4–Pattie Boyd" The po...

By 1968, Glen Campbell had moved from session musician to a star in his own right. His single “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” written by Jimmy Webb, was a huge hit for him. So when Campbell decided he needed another song, he turned back to Webb and asked him for another song. For … Continue reading "173: Wichita Lineman" The post 173: Wichita Lineman appeared first on How Good It...

Pardon my allergies; I’ve sounded kind of rough for a week or so. There was a lot of throat-clearing to edit out of this one. I can’t even blame the Southern Studio on this one; it’s the direct result of spending too much time cutting the grass at home. (And THEN I can blame the … Continue reading "160: Failing Upward, Vol 2" The post 160: Failing Upward, Vol 2 appeared fir...

Last week’s show was short, time-wise, and I promised I’d make up for it. And make up, I did, because this is one of my longer non-interview shows, clocking in at 20:30. If you listen to this show during your morning commute, you may have to circle the block a few times before going in … Continue reading "Episode 108–Books on Vinyl" The post Episode 108–Books on Vinyl...

Thanks for your patience as the show migrates from one server to another. As I noted on the social media, I’m working hard to make it as invisible as possible if you listen via Google or Apple or Spotify, etc. And the website here is going to look kind of weird for awhile with a … Continue reading "Episode 105–Under the Covers, Part 6" The post Episode 105–Under the Covers,...

Click here for a transcript of this episode. This is the penultimate of my special episodes concentrating on the Summer of 1969, and this time around it concerns one of the more horrific crimes of the 20th Century–the Tate-LaBianca murders during the weekend of August 8 and 9. The murders were incredibly savage, and intended … Continue reading "Episode 88–Manson and the White Alb...

Click here for a transcript of this episode. Let me open up with an apology for the delayed show. Those who know me well know that there was a medical issue in the family that distracted me, and that’s got to come first, right? For me, “Classical Gas” is one of those songs that passes … Continue reading "Episode 73–Classical Gas" The post Episode 73–Classical Ga...

Click here for a transcript of this show. The Stone Poneys was the group that launched Linda Ronstadt’s career, but the sad truth is that Capitol Records was never interested in the rest of the band, instead pushing for her to be a solo artist from the beginning. It was only through a little persuasion … Continue reading "Episode 68–Different Drum" The post Episode 68–Diffe...

Click here for a transcript of today’s show.  Shel Silverstein was a humorist, a poet, a cartoonist, and a musician who had a strong, if not especially obvious, influence on pop music through the late 1960s, up into the 1980s. Most people know him for his poetry books largely aimed at a children’s audience, but … Continue reading "57–Shel Silverstein, Part I" The post 57&#8...