TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Over on the TCBCast Patreon, we just released our unofficial commentary for the 1984 comedy spoof "Top Secret," starring Val Kilmer as Elvis pastiche Nick Rivers and from the creative team behind "Airplane!" Here's a brief teaser.

If you enjoy this teaser, please consider joining to support the show at Patreon.com/TCBCast to receive access to dozens of hours of new, exclusive and early access bonus content including film commentaries on Elvis- and early rock-related movies, topic polls, Blue Suede Reviews video essay series covering all of Elvis' movies chronologically and more!

Part 2 of the Elvis and Country Music saga picks up right where Justin and guest host Garrett Cash left off, with a deconstruction of both sides of Elvis' first Sun single. Elvis's country career is traced through his time at Sun and on the Louisiana Hayride, dedicating time to sidebar the realities of how flawed the way we discuss and understand country music as a genre during this period will always be due to the historical omission of the countless non-white artists who loved performing country music, but were disincentivized from recording in that genre by A&R reps and studio execs, and rarely allowed a welcome presence with country audiences. And to that end, was Chuck Berry just a country music artist hiding in plain sight all along?

We also begin to see the beginnings of the development of the Nashville Sound as Elvis joins RCA and single-handedly popularizes the gospel backing group sound in country music by demanding to work with The Jordanaires. Zig-zagging between the "traditional" country songs Elvis dabbled in during the 1950s and the actual charting country hits he had between 1956-1958, like, you know, All Shook Up, Jailhouse Rock and Hard Headed Woman, we land on the popular notion held in country lore that Elvis simply outgrew country by the late 1950s... but what if the truth was more complicated - and malicious - than how the Nashville establishment, and even more contemporary retrospectives like Ken Burns' Country Music, has told it?

You can find more of Garrett on "The Beat! With Garrett Cash" on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/garrett-cash-635212819

As well as on the Let It Roll Podcast miniseries "Holy Roll" at: https://letitrollpodcast.substack.com/p/let-it-roll-with-garrett-cash

In late October we will be releasing a YouTube and Spotify playlist with as many songs featured on this series as possible. Stay tuned to our social media pages for details. This series would not be possible without the support of TCBCast Patreon backers, thank you to all of our patrons!

This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 2nd episode are:

Ken Burns’ Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

The Birth of Rock and Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records by Colin Escott and Peter Guralnick

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Walk A Lonely Street: Elvis Presley, Country Music and the True Story of Heartbreak Hotel by Tony Plews

Cocaine and Rhinestones by Tyler Mahan Coe

The Nashville Sound by Paul Hemphill

How Nashville Became Music City, USA by Michael Kosser

TheMusicalDivide.com: "Pop Goes the Country" Blog

Here's a brief teaser some of our exclusive unofficial commentaries we did for supporters at Patreon.com/TCBCast. This month, we spent time examining a handful of depictions of Elvis or Elvis imagery in TV sitcoms to better understand how all these shows over the years contributed to the general public's (mis)understanding of who Elvis was. Among them, we looked at episodes of ALF, Happy Days and Full House.

If you enjoy this teaser, please consider joining to support the show at Patreon.com/TCBCast to receive access to dozens of hours of new, exclusive and early access bonus content including film commentaries on Elvis- and early rock-related movies, topic & Song of the Week polls, Blue Suede Reviews video essay series covering all of Elvis' movies chronologically, and more!

Thanks to all our current and previous patrons for their support!

50 years ago, Elvis' NBC TV special aired just in time for the holidays. Gurdip & Justin break down how it happened, the show itself, and just some of its after-effects. Then for Song of the Week, Justin pulls the Doo-Wop rug out from under Gurdip, and Gurdip heads to the 70s for a stunning live ballad.

Featured Songs of the Week:

Gurdip: Let It Be Me

Justin: I Need You So

Justin and Bec wrap their discussion on the recorded and filmed rehearsals undertaken for the Las Vegas engagement documented in the feature film "That's The Way It Is". The duo continues through July and August 1970's rehearsal dates, right up to August 10, the day Elvis would take the stage in front of paying customers, and reflect on the insights into Elvis and his band's creative processes along the way.

Then Gurdip taps in for Song of the Week, selecting the rowdy gospel number "If the Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side", which Elvis cut for his "How Great Thou Art" album. Justin's Song of the Week is Elvis's 1970 version of Joe South's plea for empathy and understanding, "Walk A Mile in My Shoes."

Our primary resource for this episode was the content contained within the Follow That Dream release "That's The Way It Is: 50th Anniversary Collectors Edition" including the book by David English and Pal Granlund.

Don't forget that the Netflix documentary "Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley" releases today, November 13, 2024 on Netflix. We intend to have a full-group discussion soon!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.