Muses and Stuff Podcast

This week Chanty and Lynx chat with Christian Swain, founder, host and producer over at Rock N Roll Archaeology! We first met when both of our shows were featured on the Elvis episode of the CBC Podcast Playlist. What is Rock N Roll Archaeology? They’re a group (a symphony!) of podcasts all about rock n roll “digging into music, culture and technology”. Some of their shows include Rock N Roll Archaeology, Reel Rock, Vinyl Snob and Rock N Roll Librarian. Before we get into each of the shows and how Rock N Roll Archaeology came to be, we ask Christian about his musical beginnings. We ask which posters he had up on his wall as a child, talk about his band Tin Man, discuss his involvement in “Little Kids Rock” as well as the importance of music in schools and of course the FUTURE of Rock N Roll Archaeology! You can find all their information over at www.rocknrollarchaeology.com You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes!

It’s PART TWO of our collaboration with TRAMPS LIKE US and Lee McCormack. This week we talk about the enduring musical partnership and marriage of Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen. This is a spotlight on the First Lady of E Street! We discuss Patti’s childhood, her solo career, how she came to meet Bruce and become a part of the band and OF COURSE- her influence on Bruce musically and personally! You can find TRAMPS LIKE US at www.trampslikeuspod.com and on iTunes You can make a donation to the Nashville Rock n Pod Expo here http://www.nashvillerocknpodexpo.com You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine, bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! www.electrifiedporcupine.com Be sure to also check out our friends over at  Rock n Roll Archaeology www.rocknrollarchaeology.com

This week Muses and Stuff teams up with the podcast TRAMPS LIKE US with Lee McCormack. In part 1 of this 2 part series Chanty, Lynx and Lee discuss Bruce’s upbringing and the women who made big impacts on his young life. We take you back to when Bruce Springsteen was a boy- a shy, soft-hearted dreamer. In this episode, you’ll hear about his humble beginnings which include his relationship with his grandmother, mother and sisters as well as how his father affected his attitude and actions towards love. Using Bruce’s memoir and Lee’s steel trap mind and knowledge, we go over Bruce’s early relationships, girlfriends, one night stands and his marriage to Julianne Phillips. Stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk about his enduring relationship and marriage with Patti Scialfa! You can find TRAMPS LIKE US at www.trampslikeuspod.com and on iTunes You can make a donation to the Nashville Rock n Pod Expo here http://www.nashvillerocknpodexpo.com You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine, bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! www.electrifiedporcupine.com Be sure to also check out our friends over at  Rock n Roll Archaeology www.rocknrollarchaeology.com  

We couldn’t be more excited to share this weeks interview with the beautiful, talented and supremely lovely Maureen Van Zandt! Maureen has had quite an incredible life and it was such a joy to hear some of her stories! Her passion for dance and the theatre has been the center of her life since she was a young girl leading her to work both on and off Broadway. She has built an amazing career for herself, not just dancing and acting but developing her own theatre companies and producing the plays the matter to her most. In this episode, Maureen talks about some of the more memorable plays she’s participated in and her latest theatre company, Renegade Theatre, which she created with Soprano’s co-star and friend Vincent Pastore. Maureen also shares with us her passion for music. When the British Invasion hit, so did Maureen’s love of rock n roll. When she wasn’t dancing, teenage Maureen could be found working at a record shop, going to concerts and hanging at all the hot spots where the coolest names in rock n roll visited. Maureen tells us some incredible stories from those early years, like taking a ride in James Brown’s Purple Caddy as well as visiting Electric Lady Studios where she listened to the Jimi Hendrix Experience lay down some tracks! As if that weren’t Rock N Roll enough, wait until you hear about Maureen’s wedding to her husband of 36 years, Steven Van Zandt! She tells us the story of how they met and all about what was no doubt the most rockin’ wedding party ever! One of the MANY reasons we love the Van Zandt’s is for their outstanding philanthropy. Maureen tells us about some incredible programs such as Little Kids Rock, The Rock n Roll Forever Foundation and their incredible curriculum Teach Rock which is not only now used in classrooms across America but can also be accessed online, all for free, over at teachrock.org. We discuss the importance of women supporting one another and the joy that can be found from teaching others. Maureen is also a fellow podcaster! Learn about her new venture Generation Gap, how the idea came about and how much fun her and co-host Josh Accardo have talking all things pop culture! Check out Maureens podcast at https://soundcloud.com/gen

This week Lynx shares the story behind the unique friendship of two iconic artists, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. After discovering the arts at a very young age Patti dreamed of not only becoming an artist herself but to find a partner to share inspiration with. At age 20, on her first day as a New Yorker she found just that. Patti and Robert immediately hit it off and were soon living together, working side by side. Patti and Robert were your typical young, starving artists, creating nonstop and earning just enough to scrape by.  Money may have been sparse but they had all they needed in each other. “One cannot imagine the mutual happiness we felt when we sat and drew together. We would get lost for hours.” Together they made a vow to never leave the other until both felt ready to stand on their own. Over time their relationship would begin to shift, but their bond remained strong.  Robert began to explore his interest in men and while that initially came as a shock to Patti she always supported him through that journey. “His drives toward men were consuming but I never felt loved any less. We kept our vow, neither would leave the other. I never saw him through the lens of his sexuality. My picture of him remained intact. He was the artist of my life.” Patti also began to date others and had memorable relationships with fellow writers Jim Carroll and Sam Shepard.  In those early years when Patti and Robert weren’t busy working in their tiny apartment at the legendary Chelsea Hotel one could find them downstairs at the El Quixote or in the back room of Max’s Kansas City, mingling with fellow artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bobby Neuwirth, Todd Rundgren and the Warhol Crowd. Neither had yet found the medium they would become most known for, but each seemed to be able to sense where the other belonged with Patti constantly encouraging Robert to pick up a camera and take photos and Robert trying his hardest to get Patti to perform her poetry onstage. They never gave up on their art or each other and soon each began to find success. Robert finally did pick up that camera and started getting shows at galleries while Patti began to perform at poetry readings with Lenny Kaye on guitar beside her. Not only did that lead to Patti getting her poetry published, she also realized the stage is where she belonged and officially formed a band. Each came into their own and succeeded in their vow. The night before Robert passed away Patti made one last vow. “I told him I would continue our work, our collaboration, for as long as I lived. Will you write our story? Do you want me to? You have to, he said, no one but you can write it. I will do it I promised.” In 2010 Patti fulfilled that promise and Just Kids was published. It is an incredibly touching, beautifully written love letter to Robert and their time together. Be sure you check it out to learn even more about Patti and Robert. You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTune

This week Chanty presents the story of Rita Rae Roxx based on her book: Once Upon a Rock Star: Backstage Passes in the Heavy Metal Eighties – Big Hair, Bad Boys (and One Bad Girl). This book is FUN FUN FUN and so is this episode, so listen up! Rita, who would be come to know as “Rockin’ Rita” had the key to Omaha City, Nebraska and loved showing rock stars a great time when they rolled into town. Rita began going to shows when she was a young teenager, coming up with brilliant plans to get her backstage and into the arms of her desired musician. Rita is another one of our amazing trailblazers, a sex positive woman who went after what and who she wanted! Once she set her eyes on someone she made it her mission to go after him. Who might we be talking about? Anyone from members of Ozzy Osbourne‘s band to David Lee Roth, the lads in Def Leppard and even Paul Stanley! But we don’t want to spoil it, and we’re sure you’ll be surprised at some of the rock stars that appear on this wild ride. From Rita’s accounts, Chanty and Lynx get some real insights and understanding into what it was like rockin’ with musicians in the 80s and Chanty even learned something new about Tom Petty! We adored this book, and one thing is for sure, Rita left us wanting more!   You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine, bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! Be sure to also check out our friends over at the Rock n Roll Archaeology project at www.rocknrollarchaeology.com

Today Lynx and Chanty introduce you to Sami Harris- an LA doll who they met through the Queen- Pamela Des Barres! Sami Harris is 20 year old writer, social media influencer, music journalist and yogi based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. She is currently a social media intern for legendary 70s rock Groupie and author Pamela Des Barres’ project called GroupieU. Here, Pamela uses her platform to empower women. In Sami’s spare time she can be found exploring LA with a soy vanilla late in hand or front row at a concert. She is currently working on launching a podcast of her own as well as writing her first non-fiction book, set for release in mid-2018. Join the girls as they get to know each other, chat and discuss what it’s like to be a Modern Day Groupie. You can find Sami online on Instagram @samikatherinee and @purenowhere You can find Pamela Des Barres and GroupieU @pameladesbarres and @groupieu You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine, bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! Be sure to also check out our friends over at the Rock n Roll Archaeology project at www.rocknrollarchaeology.com

This week Lynx tells Chanty all about the delightful Ann Moses. When Ann scored herself a job at Tiger Beat Magazine she, like it’s readers, was just a teen herself. Within a few short years she would go from a part time editorial assistant to editor in chief of the ever growing tween magazine. If you’re picturing her stuck at some desk… think again. Ann spent the majority of her time outside the office. You may have found her traveling on tour buses with Tiger Beat faves like Paul Revere and the Raiders, Dino, Desi & Billy and The Standells, or hanging out on tv and film sets like Where the Action Is, The Monkees and The Flying Nun. Ann would also have the opportunity to see groups like The Mamas & The Papas, Jefferson Airplane and The Bee Gees in the recording studio and could always be found backstage or in the front row for concerts such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Monterey Pop Festival. Ann worked hard to create personal pieces she knew the readers would love and had a blast doing so. She had exclusive onset access to The Monkees and spent hours with the boys for material for her monthly Monkee column (You’ll have to tune in to hear what she thought about Davy, Micky, Peter & Mike!).  As she says in her memoir “It rarely occurred to me back then, that I was living the dreams of the girls I was writing for: Hanging out with cute teen idol rock stars until the wee hours, having the very kind of chaste fun I was forced to write about. Well, mostly chaste”. When Ann met Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees sparks flew and she soon found herself staying at the Gibb residence in England. There, the pair began to fall in love, though not everyone was happy about that (we’re looking at you Lulu!). While Ann managed to keep her own inner fangirl in check while working she was not always immune. When she got chosen to be one of the lucky few to sit at Elvis’s feet during his comeback tv special she was ecstatic & even more so when she watched and discovered her face superimposed over his when he sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. The King never did personal interviews, but that didn’t stop Ann from getting onset of one of his films and meeting the man himself! Ann’s fantastic memoir Meow! My Groovy Life with Tiger Beats Teen Idols is filled with so many incredible stories there was just too many to fit into one episode! There is plenty more where this came from and you can purchase it where ever books are sold. Be sure to also check out her website http://annmoses.com/ for more groovy stories that didn’t make it into her book!

Avery Florence is a Toronto based artist. Avery’s EP January which was recorded live off the floor was released earlier this year and it is SO GOOD. When Avery walked in to record, Lynx and I knew right away that this recording would lead to a wonderful friendship. In this episode, we talk about getting back to our inner child, women feeling confident and taking on leadership roles, the magic of house parties, what it means to follow your philosophy and why she considers herself a fan girl. Avery came armed with her keyboard and in a Muses and Stuff first, performed her song Woke Up This Morning for us at the end of the episode. You can find all of Avery’s music on Spotify, iTunes, on her website or send her a message! I read a comment under her video that said this “This woman is absolute dynamite. I have a tendency to find up and comers before they blow up, and I am putting all my money on Avery Florence!” So are we, she is one to watch. We will see you at the Dakota tavern on April 4th! You can find Avery on Instagram @averyflorencemusic and online at www.averyflorence.com You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! Check out our friends over at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Archaeology project at www.rocknrollarchaeology.com

This week we take you all the way back to the 1960’s to a log cabin nestled in Laurel Canyon. Chanty tells Lynx the story of Pauline Butcher, Frank Zappa’s secretary. This episode is based on her book: FREAK OUT! My life with Frank Zappa. So how did a secretary from England come to work for, befriend and even live with Frank Zappa, his wife Gail and all of the “freaks” in Laurel Canyon? Who is Suzy Creamcheese? What was it like living in a log cabin where anyone including Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful, Captain Beefheart, Graham Nash or Joni Mitchell might walk through the door on any given day? To our squealing delight, we learn that Pauline became close with our beloved GTOs (The Girls Together Outrageously), documenting their formation, beginning and wacky time together. We remind our listeners where the word “Groupie” came from and go back to a time when Hollywood was a trusting community and you just never knew who might stop by or what might happen. Other notable characters we chat about this week is (of course) our amazing Pamela Des Barres (the most “professional” of the girls), Cynthia Plaster Caster, Miss Mercy, Christine (the Zappa’s babysitter), Tiny Tim and like always- Eric Clapton. Take a break from the cold February winter and join us in warm Laurel Canyon, it sure is a trip! You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx  on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more! Check out our friends over at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Archaeology project at www.rocknrollarchaeology.com

This week Lynx takes you Greenwich Village in the 1960’s where poetry, politics and folk music take center stage. As a “red diaper baby” with 2 Communist parents, political activism was built into Suze’s DNA. As a young teenager Suze Rotolo began hanging out in Greenwich Village with other like-minded friends and was soon a fixture at clubs such as Gerdes Folk City, The Gaslight, Kettle of Fish and The Bitter End. Places that launched the careers of many folk singers such as Dave Van Ronk, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta and of course Bob Dylan. When remembering their first encounter, Bob said “I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. We started talking and my head started to spin. Cupids arrow had whistled past my ears before, but this time it hit me in the heart and the weight of it dragged me overboard.” Just like that Dylan met his first, and most important Muse. Bob had only recently moved to NYC from his small town in Minnesota and it was through Suze that he would not only discover many of the poets and writers that would greatly influence his work but also learn about the political issues he would soon be known for writing about. But as Dylan began to make a name for himself Suze could feel hers being diminished. “All that was offered to a musicians girlfriend in the early 60’s was a role as her boyfriend’s “chick”, a string on his guitar. In the case of Bob’s rising fame, I would be gatekeeper, one step closer to an idol. People would want to know me just to get closer to him. My significance would be based on his greater significance. That idea did not entice.” But Suze was much more than just a string on Dylan’s guitar. Or the girl walking down the street with him on the cover of A Freewheelin’ Time. In 2008 she published her fantastic memoir A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties. Tune in to hear all about her journey. You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more!

This week Chanty brings you the story of Carol Ann Harris and her 9 year relationship with Lindsey Buckingham. We dive deep into the inner circle that is the Fleetwood Mac family thank you to Carol’s amazing book “Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac”. Carol Ann first met Lindsey when she was learning how to be a sound engineer at the studio where Fleetwood Mac were putting the final touches on the Rumours album. They took one look at each other and her life was changed forever. Growing up in a family with 6 sisters in Tulsa Oklahoma, Carol Ann wanted to be in the mecca of Rock N Roll and moved to Los Angeles as soon as she got the chance. She never could have imagined that she would come THIS close, being at Lindsey’s side almost 24/7 through album recordings, rehearsals, tours and award shows. Once again, we learn that the glamorous Rock N Roll lifestyle comes at a price. We discuss the band (and their spouses’) deteriorating health , the in-band fights, the in-band affairs and ultimately, the extreme abuse Carol suffered at the hands of Lindsey. We go over some extreme highs (and we mean high), and some very low lows in their relationship. Of course it wouldn’t be a Muses and Stuff episode if we didn’t throw in some hilarious cameos from people like Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd, Dennis Wilson and as always, Mick Jagger. We want to thank Carol Ann for sharing her story.

Life had never been easy for Jan but growing up listening to Marvin Gaye‘s sweet soulful voice on the record player came with daydreams of a promising future. So when the opportunity came to meet the man of her dreams there was no way Jan wasn’t going to seize the opportunity. She didn’t care that Marvin was still legally married or about their 17 year age difference and neither, it seems, did Marvin. Before long the pair were inseparable and with Jan as his muse, Marvin began making the sexiest music of his career. But as their relationship progressed Jan was quickly learning that not only was Marvin tormented with deep-seated insecurities, he was also a man who believed that to create great art one must suffer. Thus began a wild roller-coaster of great highs and horrific lows that Jan found inescapable. Plagued with her own insecurities, the main one being the thought of losing the man she had so longed to be with, Jan began putting her own feelings to the side in order to please his. “I wanted to give him the children that he asked for. I wanted to let him have his flings, even if I had to bite my lip later and cry when he was away. I gave in when I probably shouldn’t have. I danced along that dangerous line of being accommodating but not giving in too much, and I was often left alone and hurting.” Tune in to hear Lynx tell Chanty all about Jan and Marvin’s time together and make sure you pick up Jan’s incredible must-read memoir After the Dance.     You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx & on instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by Electrified Porcupine bringing you the best in collectables, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more!

Today Chanty tells Lynx and listeners the story of BEN FONG- TORRES. We’ve been getting some requests to do another episode on a male Muse and/ or Groupie so listen up to see why we think Ben is a great fit and how we think he would be proud of what we’re up to in the Rock ‘N’ Roll world! In this episode, Chanty references Ben’s incredible book “The Rice Room: Growing up Chinese-American from Number Two Son to Rock ‘N’ Roll”. Not only will you learn about the early days of Rolling Stone Magazine and its founder Jann Wenner, but also about Ben’s family history, his upbringing and what eventually led him to become one of the first members and Senior Editor of the Rolling Stone Magazine team. Before Ben became such an integral part of such a legendary magazine he worked a million jobs at once! Ben worked in his family’s restaurant, was a writer for his local newspaper, became the editor for his school papers and worked various jobs at radio stations which led to an 8 year gig as a DJ! Ben recalls his time being called for induction to serve in the army 3 times in 20 months, his friendships and loves over the years and tells the heartbreaking story of his brother’s murder. Ben is the author of 9 books including The Rice Room, Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock ‘N’ Roll, Becoming Almost Famous: My Back Pages in Music, Writing and Life and Hickory Wind (a biography of Gram Parsons). We recommend that you check them ALL OUT. Stay tuned for the end of the episode when Chanty reads the article he wrote about GROUPIES called “Groupies of the ’80s: Still Grabbin’ for the Stars” which features a picture of our very own Pamela Des Barres and the GTO’s! You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx and on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by www.electrifiedporcupine.com, bringing you the best in collectibles, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more!

Singer-Songwriter. Business Woman. Rock ’n’ Roll Icon. Feminist. Trailblazer. Wife & Mother. Put all that together (and then some!) and you have this weeks muse, the incredible Pat Benatar!  Growing up Pat dreamed of being part of a dynamic rock ’n’ roll duo. Jagger & Richards, Plant & Page, she may have had the vocal chops but to make it to Rocks greatest heights she knew she needed a phenomenal guitarist by her side. It was while working on her first album, In the Heat of the Night, that Pat was introduced to Neil (Spyder) Giraldo. In Pat’s words “From he moment he stepped into the room our lives changed- first musically and later romantically and spiritually. Without Neil my career would not have happened, because I am not responsible for it, we are responsible for it, all of it. We were each others Muse.” Together they worked hard to build a musical career that has spanned nearly 40 years and through it all Pat fought hard on the front lines battling sexism in an industry that had not yet seen a woman climb to such rock ’n’ roll heights. Tune in to her the details of her journey and make sure to read her 2010 memoir Between a Rock and a Heart Place. We thank Pat for all the bitchin’ tunes and for making it a little easier for us girls trying to pave our own path in this rock ’n’ roll world! You can find us on Twitter @chantyandlynx and on Instagram & Facebook @musesandstuffpodcast. Don’t forget to Rate, Review & Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! This episode was brought to you by www.electrifiedporcupine.com, bringing you the best in collectibles, movies, music, wrestling, gaming & more!