TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Latest Episodes:

TCBCast 158: An A-Z of Elvis feat. Joe Shooman Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

This week, Justin & Gurdip are joined by Joe Shooman, author of "An A-Z of Elvis: Infrequently Asked Questions," a new short book highlighting trivia ranging from conspiracy theories to Elvis' genealogy, from ETAs to collectors and producers. Fittingly, our chapter of "Elvis What Happened" to cover this week as part of our TCBCast Book Club segment tackled some of Elvis' own interests in the unusual.

Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip went for the cute "Your Time Hasn't Come Yet Baby" from 1968's "Speedway" while Justin ponders "Who's Sorry Now" after hearing Elvis & Anita Wood's home recording of the 1958 Connie Francis hit.

Joe's book will be available on Amazon both as a digital and physical release starting March 23, 2021.

TCBCast 157: "Welcome Home Elvis" The Frank Sinatra Timex Show feat. Ryan Droste Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Ryan Droste makes his return to TCBCast to join Justin & Gurdip in reviewing the 1960 TV Special "The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: It's Nice to Go Traveling or, Welcome Home Elvis." Packed with celebrity cameos, then-contemporary pop culture references and musical performances, this program served as Elvis' first major appearance after his return from the US Army. We all know the Elvis performances hold up, and the Sinatra-Presley duet still remains iconic, but is the rest of the show worth revisiting?

But first - Trivia! Justin puts Gurdip & Ryan's Rat Pack knowledge to the test in lieu of TCBCast Book Club this week.

Then, for Song of the Week, Ryan & Gurdip both pick 1960s movie songs, choosing "Big Love, Big Heartache" from Roustabout and "I'll Be Back" from Spinout, respectively. Justin instead goes back to the Sun era to show the influence of Rat Pack member Dean Martin on Elvis by spotlighting "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine."

TCBCast 156: Walk A Lonely Street, Pt 2 feat. Tony Plews Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Justin continues the discussion with Tony Plews, author of "Walk A Lonely Street: Elvis Presley, Country Music and the True Story of Heartbreak Hotel," digging deep not only into the foundations of "Heartbreak Hotel" as written by Mae Boren Axton & Tommy Durden, but the genesis of the song itself: the tragic life, and end, of criminal Alvin Krolik. Amazing connections and tales uncovered by Tony are discussed, including why "Heartbreak Hotel"'s original published sheet music sounds so different from Elvis' recording, how Colonel Parker got one over on music publishers Julian & Jean Aberbach when it came to Elvis' first national hit, coincidences abound in the west Texas town of El Paso, and a heartbreaking epilogue that leads both Justin and Tony to get choked up.

All this and so much more, and that's before Gurdip re-joins Justin as they both tackle "Heartbreak Hotel" as one of the biggest "Song of the Week" segments they've tackled. They highlight key performances of the song from throughout Elvis' career, then 10 of the most notable or interesting cover versions they could find. We hope you have enjoyed this two-part discussion!

If you are interested in picking up "Walk A Lonely Street," please visit Tony's website georgesmithpublications.com for details and links.

If you enjoy TCBCast and would like to support us while receiving early access to episodes, bonus content like film commentaries and Justin's Blue Suede Reviews video essay series, you can support us on Patreon.com/TCBCast. In February, we produced over 17 hours of new early access or exclusive content for patrons on top of a high-quality archive of previous TCBCast episodes. This episode featured 4 minutes of additional bonus content on our Patreon!

TCBCast 155: Walk A Lonely Street, Pt 1 feat. Tony Plews Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

After Justin & Gurdip discuss the official release of the Peloton Elvis remixes, Gurdip sets Justin loose with author Tony Plews to talk about his new book "Walk A Lonely Street: Elvis Presley, Country Music, & The True Story of Heartbreak Hotel."

Tony's book is a sweeping, nearly 700-page epic, spanning from just after the US Civil War through the 20th Century, with a cast of real life-characters as interesting, and a web of stories as deeply interconnected, as any modern fantasy or sci-fi saga. This first half of the discussion leads up to July 1954 and Tony's convincing theory about whether "That's All Right" was really as spontaneous as all the biopics have made it out to be. We are extremely proud to present this two-part discussion this week.

Next week, we will continue with the chilling real-life inspiration for "Heartbreak Hotel," the songwriting process Mae Boren Axton & Tommy Durden undertook, and the influence of the music publishing industry on Elvis's career as well as Song of the Week featuring, what else? "Heartbreak Hotel"!

If you are interested in picking up "Walk A Lonely Street," please visit Tony's website georgesmithpublications.com for details and links.

TCBCast 154: Black Lives Mattered to Elvis feat. Giacomo (Jay) Viviano Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

This week we're joined by Elvis researcher Giacomo "Jay" Viviano to discuss his and his colleagues' work uncovering stories, interviews and other research relating to Elvis's connections with people of color.

For Song of the Week, Justin takes Mark Potter's Patreon request song "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" and tries to show how Elvis and others slowly moved it from its fairly restrictive country roots into the rock genre, while Gurdip would rather be out on a "Moonlight Swim."

Featured Songs of the Week:

Justin: I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water

Gurdip: Moonlight Swim

Note: this discussion is meant to simply explore research surrounding documentation of Elvis' historical interactions with his friends, fellow musicians, and prominent political figures, not represent the many varied and valued perspectives within the Black community.

TCBCast 153: If I Can Dream Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

This week, Justin & Gurdip highlight five songs apiece that Elvis recorded written by Black songwriters - whether they have interesting stories behind them, are iconic tunes of Elvis' musical career, or the guys just happen to like the songs a whole hell of a lot.

Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip is all pooped out after picking the fiery "Dixieland Rock" from 1958's "King Creole" soundtrack. Justin finishes out by going deep on "If I Can Dream," the finale number of the "Singer Presents Elvis" TV Special from 1968, and loosely inspired by the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you'd like to support TCBCast and receive early access to episodes, bonus content like video movie reviews and film commentaries, and the chance to vote on upcoming topics Songs of the Week, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TCBCast.

Featured Songs of the Week:

Gurdip: Dixieland Rock

Justin: If I Can Dream

TCBCast 152: Dudley Brooks and Elvis Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

Justin & Gurdip explore the life and music of pianist Dudley Brooks, the jazz pianist who came into Elvis' life through his feature films, and put his own distinctive stamp on Elvis' sound in the 50s and early 60s. We also explore Dudley's a few non-Elvis cuts from his career as a songwriter, most famously the holiday hit "Everybody's Waiting for the Man with the Bag."

Then, for Song of the Week, Justin shines a light on "Up Above My Head" from the 68 Special, and the unique influence of Sister Rosetta Tharpe on rock and roll. Gurdip selects "Any Way You Want Me," the ballad recorded at the same session that produced "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel." We take a detour when Gurdip discovers a remix of the song somehow connected to the official Elvis YouTube Channel (we'll dive more into that in the news next week; upon further post-show investigation, it's actually from an unofficial European remix album from 2012).

TCBCast 151: Billboard R&B - June 16, 1956 Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

This week, Justin & Gurdip dig into a little bit of information on Elvis' attendance at a Juneteenth celebration night at Libertyland in Memphis on June 19, 1956, and then look at his chart placement with "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Want You I Need You I Love You" among his peers on the R&B best sellers chart from three days earlier, June 16. Gurdip's right at home listening to classics by Little Richard, Clyde McPhatter and Fats Domino, but Justin reveals to Gurdip's dismay that he's not the biggest fan of one of the singles featured on the chart.

Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip keeps the early rock & roll theme going by highlighting Elvis' live cover of Chuck Berry's country-influenced smash "Maybelline." Justin, meanwhile, goes in the complete opposite direction and makes perhaps the strongest case ever made for the oft-maligned "Speedway" cut "He's Your Uncle, Not Your Dad," including an in-depth lyrical breakdown of all its references. You will not find a more thorough analysis of this song anywhere else but TCBCast, we can definitely promise you that. Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.

Featured Songs of the Week:

Gurdip: Maybelline

Justin: He's Your Uncle, Not Your Dad

TCBCast 150: Elvis & The Beatles Pt. 2 feat. Antony Rotunno Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

This week marks the third anniversary of TCBCast, and we start off wrapping up our in-depth discussion about Elvis & the Beatles with Antony Rotunno from Glass Onion: On John Lennon. We finally dig into all the various songs Elvis did that were originally written & recorded by the Beatles, some of the Elvis-related songs The Beatles performed, and compare their feature film acting performances before finally closing out with Antony posing a twist to his trademark final question from Glass Onion interviews: what do we think Elvis would have done if he'd lived?

For the 250th Elvis song covered on TCBCast, Gurdip highlights "You're A Heartbreaker" from the SUN era, while Justin tells the story of a legendary-yet-rediscovered acetate from the same year, 1954, the contents of which led to young Elvis Presley being invited to record at Sun under more professional circumstances in the first place.

Huge thanks to Antony for the wonderful conversation, representing John Lennon and the Beatles' legacy, and for all his talent. Please be sure to check out Glass Onion: On John Lennon at https://soundcloud.com/glassonionjlpod, it's very highly recommended!

Songs of the Week:

Gurdip: You're A Heartbreaker

Justin: Without You (Jimmy Sweeney)

NOTE: As mentioned at the top of the show, we have launched a Patreon where you can help support the show and receive additional bonus content, including NEW episodes of the Blue Suede Reviews video series, TCBCast Now, Elvis & 50s-related movie commentaries by us, opportunities to vote on upcoming topics and Songs of the Week, and more! Visit Patreon.com/TCBCast for more details. We appreciate your support!

TCBCast 149: Elvis & The Beatles Part 1 feat. Antony Rotunno Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

Just in time for our big 150th episode and third anniversary of TCBCast, we're thrilled to have Antony Rotunno, from the podcast Glass Onion: On John Lennon, join us for our first-ever big two-part discussion about Elvis and The Beatles. We cover a lot of ground in this first half, from the Quarrymen's Elvis-inspired demo, to Elvis' sole attempt at serious songwriting, and the Beatles' open desire as fans to see Elvis return to his rock roots. There's plenty of comparisons between performing styles, the wide variety of genres both took influence from, how fame impacted them, and even differences between Elvis & Beatles tribute acts.

Also this episode: Chapter 7 of our TCBCast Book Club look at "Elvis: What Happened?" and Justin's impressions of the Regina King-directed "One Night in Miami," which features Sam Cooke as a prominent protagonist.

Next week, we'll wrap up this topic with Antony by looking more closely into Brian Epstein's vs Colonel Parker's management styles, delving into respective filmographies, and of course, the Beatles songs Elvis did, and vice versa. Fun fact: Song of the Week next week will feature the 250th Elvis Presley song we've covered on TCBCast! Be sure to check out Antony and Glass Onion: On John Lennon over at https://soundcloud.com/glassonionjlpod

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