DEC4 Podcast

Frank Williams (1931-2022) is remembered with enormous fondness by generations of fans as Timothy Farthing, the perpetually exasperated Vicar in the BBC’s Dad’s Army; on television, radio, stage, and in two feature films separated by almost half a century. Victoria Wood once described Dad’s Army as ‘the most affectionately regarded comedy programme in the history of television’, and Frank Williams...

It's a great thrill and privilege this episode to welcome multi-talented actor, writer and music artist, Andrew Mackintosh, who carved his own special niche in British television history as Detective Sergeant Alistair Greig, a key character in over 300 episodes of one of the most successful and influential television dramas of all time, The Bill. But as we discover, there's so much more to...

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, our leading contributor Gary Wells‬ joins us to consider press reaction to Elvis' March 3rd, 1974, matinee performance at the Houston Astrodome as part of the Livestock Show and Rodeo, at which time he broke his own 1970 Rodeo attendance record. Jeff Millar, writing for the Houston Chronicle, applauded Elvis' effort,...

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, our leading contributor Gary Wells joins us to consider press reaction to Elvis' March 3rd, 1974, matinee performance at the Houston Astrodome as part of the Livestock Show and Rodeo, at which time he broke his own 1970 Rodeo attendance record. Jeff Millar, writing for the Houston Chronicle, applauded Elvis' effort,...

This episode, our leading contributor, Gary Wells,‬ guides us through the fascinating story of Colonel Parker, the Presley Estate, and a tenacious Memphis lawyer determined to get to the truth. In the wake of Vernon Presley’s death in 1979, court-appointed attorney Blanchard Tual presented a 300 page report detailing his forensic investigation into Colonel Parker’s financial arrangements with the...

In this supplement to our episode on the Winter Dance Party tour, headlined by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson (the Big Bopper), our leading contributor ‪Gary Wells‬ joins us to discuss in more detail some of the friendships and professional relationships forged during the tour. We examine the culpability of the promoters taking into account the context of the time, and learn that th...

This episode, our leading contributor ‪Gary Wells,‬ guides us through the fascinating story of Colonel Parker, the Presley Estate, and a tenacious Memphis lawyer determined to get to the truth. In the wake of Vernon Presley’s death in 1979, court-appointed attorney Blanchard Tual presented a 300 page report detailing his forensic investigation into Colonel Parker’s financial arrangements with the...

This episode is inspired by our regular contributor Gary Wells’ popular website, www.soulrideblog.com, Your Home for Vintage Leisure; specifically, his reviews of two important and fascinating books on the Beach Boys - The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience (1994), by Timothy White, and Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy (2016), by Mike...

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, we’re joined once again by our leading contributor, ‪Gary Wells, to take a deep dive into the local coverage of Elvis’ performance in Saginaw, Michigan, on April 25th, 1977. It was the first of two non-consecutive shows to nearly 7 200 at the Wendler Arena, with a second concert added to the end of the 13 night tour in respo...

For this latest instalment in our occasional series, Elvis and the Press, we’re joined once again by our leading contributor, Gary Wells, to take a deep dive into the local coverage of Elvis’ performance in Saginaw, Michigan, on April 25th, 1977. It was the first of two non-consecutive shows to nearly 7 200 at the Wendler Arena, with a second concert added to the end of the 13 night tour in respon...

This episode is inspired by our regular contributor Gary Wells’ popular website, soulrideblog.com , ‘Your Home for Vintage Leisure’; specifically, his reviews of two important and fascinating books on the Beach Boys – The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience (1994), by Timothy White, and Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy (2016), by Mike...

In this our second Elvis and the Press episode, we're joined once again by our leading contributor, Gary Wells (soulrideblog.com), to take a deep dive into the coverage of Elvis' New Year's Eve performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of 1976. The Pittsburgh show, concluding a very well-received, high energy tour over just five nights, proved to be a remarkable moment in tim...

In this our second Elvis and the Press episode, we're joined once again by our leading contributor, ‪‪Gary Wells,‬ to take a deep dive into the coverage of Elvis' New Year's Eve performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of 1976. This was the second consecutive New Year's Eve Elvis had worked, with touring now continuing throughout winter by financial necessity. Elvis'...

In this our second Elvis and the Press episode, we're joined once again by our leading contributor, ‪‪Gary Wells, to take a deep dive into the coverage of Elvis' New Year's Eve performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of 1976. This was the second consecutive New Year's Eve Elvis had worked, with touring now continuing throughout winter by financial necessity. Elvis'...

This episode, we take inspiration from some articles by our leading contributor, Gary Wells, on his hit website soulrideblog.com . First, we discuss the sequel to the groundbreaking 1973 movie classic, American Graffiti, as we follow the fortunes and misfortunes of our favourite characters in an increasingly troubled 1960s America. We also learn about an independent film studio and distributor, Am...

This episode, we take inspiration from some written history by our leading contributor, ‪Gary Wells‬. First, we discuss the sequel to the groundbreaking 1973 movie classic, American Graffiti, as we follow the fortunes and misfortunes of our favourite characters in an increasingly troubled 1960s America. We also learn about an independent film studio and distributor, American International Pictures...

This episode, we take inspiration from some written history by our leading contributor, ‪Gary Wells‬. First, we discuss the sequel to the groundbreaking 1973 movie classic, American Graffiti, as we follow the fortunes and misfortunes of our favourite characters in an increasingly troubled 1960s America. We also learn about an independent film studio and distributor, American International Pictures...

For this episode, we’ve put together a special omnibus edition of our series on the pioneering 1973 satellite concert broadcast, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii, with our leading contributor Gary Wells. There's so much to explore; preparations and rehearsals, critically important people behind the scenes, the intense pressure on everyone involved, creative and corporate conflict, a near catastrophe as...

This episode, we take inspiration from some articles by our leading contributor, Gary Wells, on his hit website soulrideblog.com . First, we discuss the sequel to the groundbreaking 1973 movie classic, American Graffiti, as we follow the fortunes and misfortunes of our favourite characters in an increasingly troubled 1960s America. We also learn about an independent film studio and distributor, Am...

The very first time Gary Wells‬ joined us back in 2021, we talked about the 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That’s the Way It Is, which we presented as a two-part podcast. We've now combined those two episodes, with some additional content, as an expanded omnibus edit. It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding a wave of renewed commercial and artistic success; he is once again makin...

The very first time ‪Gary Wells joined us back in 2021, we talked about the 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That’s the Way It Is, which we presented as a two-part podcast. We've now combined those two episodes, with some additional content, as an expanded omnibus edit. It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding a wave of renewed commercial and artistic success; he is once again makin...

The very first time ‪Gary Wells joined us back in 2021, we talked about the 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That’s the Way It Is, which we presented as a two-part podcast. We've now combined those two episodes, with some additional content, as an expanded omnibus edit. It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding a wave of renewed commercial and artistic success; he is once again making some g...

In this clip from our extended conversation with David Leaf, we learn about the challenges of putting together an event television programme featuring some of the biggest names in music, and which would become a pivotal moment in Brian Wilson's journey toward the completion of SMiLE. Join us for the full conversation on your favourite podcast platform https://dec4podcast.com/2025/04/09/david-l...

This episode, we're enormously privileged to welcome award winning filmmaker and author, David Leaf, to discuss his latest book, SMiLE: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Brian Wilson. This celebratory work takes us to the very heart of Brian Wilson's lost musical masterpiece; its traumatic unravelling in 1967, and the road to a triumphant rebirth in 2004 as an ecstatically received live concert...

Frank Williams (1931-2022) is remembered with enormous fondness by generations of fans as Timothy Farthing, the perpetually exasperated Vicar in the BBC’s Dad’s Army; on television, radio, stage, and in two feature films separated by almost half a century. Victoria Wood once described Dad’s Army as ‘the most affectionately regarded comedy programme in the history of television’, and Frank Williams...