DEC4 Podcast

In this clip compiled from our 2022 Beach Boys Book Club episode, with our leading contributor, Gary Wells ( www.soulrideblog.com ), we focus on Timothy White's wide-ranging 1994 biography, The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience. Gary explains what sets this apart as more than just a rock and roll bio, we discuss Timothy White's asses...

Our leading contributor, Gary Wells, joins us this episode to take a close look at Elvis' concert at the St Paul Civic Centre on April 30th, 1977, which was the subject of a devastating review in the St Paul Pioneer Press, by a very well regarded sports reporter named Charley Hallman. Many claims in the article are open to question, and it's an interesting chapter in the saga of Elvis and...

Oliver Crocker is one of Britain’s leading and most respected authors, historians, podcasters and publishers on classic British television, whose work on iconic productions like The Bill and All Creatures Great and Small is valued and appreciated as much by the creators as by the fans. He has put together something very special for us this episode, as we remember actor and playwright, Frank Willia...

In this episode we sample a clip from our Beach Boys Book Club conversation, as our leading contributor Gary Wells tells us how he and an accomplice managed to find themselves backstage at an early 1990s Beach Boys concert in Canada, chatting to Mike, Al and Carl. It’s a little comical, poignant, and slightly eccentric at various moments, but it’s a great story with some treasured memories. We als...

In this latest episode, we present clips sampled from our conversation with Australian radio legend, Steve Collins, Once Upon a Time in Sydney , in which Steve took us on a nostalgic, personal journey through the intense Sydney music scene of the 1970s. As well as his studio work for pioneering rock radio station 2JJ, Steve was at the heart of an incredible era of authentic, in-your-face live musi...

In this episode, we reflect on a couple of important 50th anniversaries in 2023; Elvis’ pioneering satellite concert, Aloha From Hawaii, which was broadcast internationally in January of 1973, and the August release of one of the iconic movies of the 1970s, American Graffiti, both of which we’ve discussed in previous episodes. These were landmark moments in entertainment, but both faced potential...

In this special extended episode, Gary Wells ( www.soulrideblog.com ) is our guide for an immersive audio tour through Memphis and Las Vegas. We’re considering these destinations wholly in the context of mid-twentieth century entertainment and culture, and what are essential places of interest for the ‘vintage leisure’ enthusiast. We begin in Memphis, and visit Sun Records, the Stax Museum, Al Gre...

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 Mik...

We're delighted for this episode of the DEC4 Podcast to be joined by a genuine legend of Australian radio, Steve Collins, who takes us on a nostalgic, personal journey through the intense Sydney music scene of the 1970s. As well as his studio work for pioneering rock radio station 2JJ, Steve was at the heart of an incredible era of authentic, in-your-face live music, working at iconic venues, and...

Gary Wells is back with us for our final instalment in our deep dive into the landmark entertainment event, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii . This time, we look beyond the international concert broadcast to the hit double-album release, the single, and then the domestic television special that aired in the US in April, 1973. This is the only available preserved visual record in its original edit, and we s...

Welcome to our second of three episodes taking a deep dive into the landmark concert via satellite, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii, with Gary Wells ( www.soulrideblog.com ). In this instalment, we consider the lessons learnt from the dress rehearsal show, then Gary takes us on an in-depth and personal journey into the music and the performance of the international broadcast event. We recognise the suppor...

Welcome to the first of our three-part series as we take a deep dive into Elvis' pioneering live satellite concert broadcast, Aloha From Hawaii . Gary Wells ( www.soulrideblog.com ) joins host George Fairbrother to discuss the most iconic single performance of Elvis’ later career, and very possibly one of the most significant entertainment events of the 20th century. In this first episode, we foll...

Gary Wells is back with us to preview our upcoming three-part series on the pioneering 1973 satellite live concert, Elvis Aloha From Hawaii, which will be available across January of 2022. There’s a lot explore; the lead-up, preparations and rehearsals, important people behind the scenes, the intense pressure on everyone involved, a near catastrophe as technical faults threatened to derail the bro...

Thank you for joining us for this interim episode featuring a recap of Gary Wells’ fascinating personal take on the ending to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. (Spoiler warning reminder). Gary has written some very interesting stuff on his website, www.soulrideblog.com , on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the soundtrack, and also a review of Quentin Tarantino’s novelisation. There...

Highly accomplished author, podcaster and filmmaker Oliver Crocker is back for part 2, in conversation with host George Fairbrother and this time talking adventures in guerrilla indie filmmaking, Dad's Army, some memorable and poignant encounters with authentic legends of British television, and lots more. We thank Oliver for being so generous with his time and sharing so many candid and fascinati...

Welcome to the first of two episodes in which host George Fairbrother is joined by highly accomplished filmmaker, author and podcaster, Oliver Crocker. With around 200 000 listens as of August 2021, Oliver's ongoing project, The Bill Podcast, is loved not only by fans of the iconic ITV police show (2500 episodes, 1983-2010), but also by the artists and crew behind it. He has written a very well-re...

AUGUST 2025; AN EXPANDED OMNIBUS EDITION COMBINING PARTS 1 & 2, ALONG WITH SOME ADDITIONAL CONTENT, IS NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK YOUR USUAL PLATFORM, OR FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW :) https://dec4podcast.com/2023/01/22/elvis-thats-the-way-it-is-parts-i-and-ii/ Welcome to part two of our deep dive into the influential 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That's The Way It Is . Host George Fairbrother i...

AUGUST 2025; AN EXPANDED OMNIBUS EDITION COMBINING PARTS 1 & 2, ALONG WITH SOME ADDITIONAL CONTENT, IS NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK YOUR USUAL PLATFORM, OR FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW :) https://dec4podcast.com/2023/01/22/elvis-thats-the-way-it-is-parts-i-and-ii/ Welcome to part one of our deep dive into the influential 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That's The Way It Is . Host George Fairbrother i...