‘Twas a warm and cozy gathering of film-addicted friends, reminiscing upon favourites in the year 2023. With Jason Drury joining from the UK, Harrison from Australia, and Mike & Rob in Canada, it was a a truly intercontinental show.
We took a look at some new musical arrivals (signed Blaze Bayley, Rock Candy Ronnie James Dio, some sweet soundtracks on CD) and some books as well.
Though we always try to promote the physical media on Grab A Stack of Rock, the thoughtful conversation was what made this episode special. Specifically, we went down the Doctor Who rabbit hole and touched on what is happening with the show today. We also praised Ray Stevenson in Ahsoka, and lambasted a few of the Marvel products out today. Saved from the hot seat was Loki Season 2, which Jason and I both thought was a high water mark for the franchise.
Controversially, Jason weighed in on UK fish & chips vs. their Canadian counterparts.
Happy new year my friends, we’ll see you in 2024. Next week: Down For the Count, with Tim Durling and Jex Russell.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 45: Return of the Drury
Tonight, film and soundtrack expert Jason Drury is back on the show from five time zones away! All the way in Ramsgate UK, Jason will be burning the midnight oil with Robert Daniels, Jex Russell and Harrison Kopp tonight.
Tonight we will just be catching up with friends, talking everything that we enjoyed in 2023. (I will be saving my Top Five albums list for January 1.) It’s a casual show and those are often the best kind.
Please join us tonight and welcome Jason back on the show!
LIVE Friday Dec 29 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Twitter!
Show #31, Aug 11 2023, featured another Nigel Tufnel Top Ten list! Harrison said to me, “I think we need to get Rob Daniels back on.” Rob said “OK! How about TV Show Themes?” With Harrison and Rob, we counted down our Top 11 Themes. List shows are proven to be popular, but this one was really cool. Jex Russell sent in his own list to read, and we had minimal crossover. You’ll be shocked to learn that Star Trek ranked high on my list. For “Ask Harrison”, we featured the debut of musician Jazz King asking the question!
This was a very busy period, and I had no choice to take some time off the show so I could do some other significant collaborations.
Show #32, Sept 1 2023, allowed me to bring on Rock Daydream Nation’s Peter Kerr for the first time. Also for the first time: two Australians in one show! The topic, chosen by Harrison, was What Bonus Tracks Should Have Been on the Album? A very popular list show, this one also had Jex Russell on board. Peter shared the link far and wide which helped with the views. I personally think it’s one of the best lists we’ve ever done. Lots of love for Black Sabbath here. We also unboxed the second edition of Tim Durling’s book, Unspooled! You can get yours on Amazon right now.
Show #33, Sept 8 2023, was another personal favourite. It took place on the cottage porch on a beautiful afternoon, with Jex Russell! The subject this time, in honour of Durling’s second edition, was music books! I hauled up to the lake a huge box of my music books, hardcover and softcover alike, signed and unsigned: Sean Kelly, Martin Popoff, Michael D. LeFevre, Robert Lawson, Dale Sherman, Neil Peart, Aaron Lebold, and so many more! Jex didn’t have any of his books on hand, so instead we ran an old video from his YouTube channel CineBrosSupreme featuring his collection.
Show #34, Sept 15 2023, featured a first-timer! All the way from Ramsgate UK came interviewer and soundtrack specialist Jason Drury! I’ve been trying to work with Jason on a live show for over three years, but the time zones made that difficult. Finally, he was back in Canada and we got him on board with his friends Rob Daniels and Erik Woods. For Erik, it was his first time on the new show as well! Harrison joined us for a fun discussion about Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and more. Jason provided his Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Star Wars movies (basically ranking them all in order) to go with the lists that the rest of us did in 2022. It was wonderful to finally get to chat with Jason in real time. Another very popular show.
At this point, my hair was getting unruly. I hadn’t cut it since March and it was time. Therefore, I planned a stunt. A repeat stunt albeit, but a stunt indeed: I shaved my head live on the show!
Show #35, Sept 22 2023, came as a surprise to Kevin the Mars Man who was not informed in advance of my shenanigans! All he knew was that we were doing another list show: Top Five Bald Artists! Harrison couldn’t attend this afternoon cottage show, but I honoured him by putting Blaze Bayley at the very top of my list. Kevin and Jex also brought awesome lists. Importantly, we spotlighted the courage it takes for an artist to go bald publicly, like Joe Lynn Turner did.
Show #36, Sept 29 2023, was a night off for me! I relaxed at the cottage while Jex and Harrison went “LeBrainless” again! Harrison wanted to get the show “back to basics”. Grabbing and showing off stacks of rock! I popped on at the very end to show off my Aerosmith Greatest Hits 6 CD set from Japan, which took a healthy critiquing. Jex and Harrison showed off some Twisted Sister, Paul Di’Anno, Alice Cooper, Concrete Blonde, Slade, Judas Priest and a batch of DVDs. A lot of interesting items in this stack of rock.
Show #37, October 6 2023, was largely in honour of Eddie Van Halen who we lost three years prior to the day. John Snow had his new Hagar Years box set on hand. Tim Durling and Rob Daniels also joined Harrison and I, with rare books, 7″ picture sleeves, rare soundtracks, and…José Feliciano!? You never know what you will see on Grab A Stack of Rock!
Show #38, Oct 13 2023, was a special one to commemorate Friday the 13th! Harrison, Rob and I were joined by Peter Kerr for our Top Five Songs about Monsters. We chose actual classic monsters, and some metaphorical monsters as well. Jex Russell had a written list, as did John Snow. Greed, addiction, werewolves, space aliens and more! We hope you like our choices. We tried to go outside the box and bring you songs you might not have thought of yourself, though Ozzy and Alice were expected and did appear!
Show #39, Oct 21 2023, was the third LeBrainless episode, at a special time. Jex had spent the day with Tim Durling at a Record Faire. Meanwhile, Harrison had recently attended a record show too. On a Saturday night, with Aaron “Mr. Books” on hand, the pair showed off some of their recent finds. There was some cool stuff here, on CD, cassette, DVD and vinyl. I came on at the very end to unbox the new Sven Gali Bombs and Battlescars, and a disc by Toronto’s Evil Elvis! A fun way to finish off the last cottage weekend of the season
…And that’s it for recapping, as we look towards the future. We have lots planned, and no intention to quit this time.
Our one-year anniversary happens to coincide with Show #40, October 27 2023. One year before (on the 28th, to be exact) I was feeling the itch to go live once again, and so I messaged Harrison that morning. “Are you free if we decide to go live tonight?” We didn’t have a name, a theme song, or a plan. Grab A Stack of Rock was born. Despite the highs and lows of 2022-2023, it was a bright spot of our week for the last year. I can’t wait to see what another year will bring.
We started out as a casual gathering, to show off our music collections. It’s currently more than that, with lists and special guests once again. In fact this week we’ll have a new one who has never been on the show before, John Clauser from My Music Corner! Tim Durling, Peter Kerr, Rob Daniels and Harrison will also be back.
Because it’s one year, we’re doing Top Songs About the Number One.
Thanks for Grabbing a Stack of Rock. Hope to see you celebrating with us!
We only had an hour but could have gone two! (Why only an hour? You’ll just have to ask Peter Kerr…stay tuned to Rock Daydream Nation.) Regardless, Jason Drury has finally arrived in Canada after a long flight from the UK.
We also talked Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and its CD soundtrack, the odd physical release, and we reminisced about The Phantom Menace a whole lot. Though Harrison did not see it in theatres originally, he is the only one of us who saw it in 3D.
As always, we had some viewer questions. Jason and Harrison’s questions this week came from Jazz King!
This was a fun, loose chat and we all had a great time. Just like hanging out with friends.
Join me next Friday at 3:00 PM EST with Jex Russell and Kevin Simister for a list show! Top 5 Bald Artists! Stay tuned!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 34: Soundtrack Special with special guests Jason Drury and Rob Daniels
I’ve been wanting to do this show for years. Due to time zones and schedules, this has proven difficult, until now! Please welcome Jason Drury from Cinematic Sound Radio, who is visiting Canada from the UK as you read this. You may remember Jason from his narration on the April 1 “Deke’s Palace” movie trailer. Jason and Rob Daniels will be joining Harrison and I this week to talk movies, soundtracks, and of course, John Williams. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may well be the Maestro’s final movie score, and Disney kind of botched the original CD release. (My copy is due in October.) We’ll talk about this, the Star Wars prequels, the composers that Jason has interviewed, and much more.
This week’s Ask Harrison question comes from Jazz King.
Don’t miss this one! A fun time is guaranteed.
LIVE Friday Sept 15 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
LIVE at 12:00 AM (ET) Saturday morning! It’s Robert Daniels and Jason Drury on VISIONS IN SOUND with music from BLADE RUNNER! Tune in on your dial to 98.5 or internet to CKWR. You folks in the UK can tune in as you enjoy some morning java!
As to my own involvement, I’ve come down with a mystery cold-like illness. Whether I can make it to the station or not remains a question mark at this point in time. I’d certainly like to. Even if I’m “well enough” to go, I can’t risk passing this on to anyone else. But you should still listen, if I’m there or not! Rob and Jason always do an entertaining show with great music.
I’d love to share my own stories of this movie. Seeing the comic book in a convenience store. Thinking the title was cool if ambiguous. But wishing Harrison Ford would get back to playing Han Solo or Indiana Jones already! (As kids, we really did think it was that simple.) I didn’t see the movie for many years later, when it was showing on one of the new pay TV channels. Family friends the Lazbys were over, and it didn’t make sense to anybody! The thing I remember the most about that viewing was the guy selling eyeballs. I think that’s the moment all of us pretty much gave up trying to enjoy it.
But times and perspectives change.
Blade Runner’s visual impact came later. The first and most obvious example was Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time album. The front and back cover art are smorgasbords of Blade Runner visuals. Numerous films have attempted to rip off Ridley Scott’s remarkable cityscapes, notably George Lucas in Attack of the Clones.
RECAP: Visions In Sound – The Black Hole on 98.5 CKWR
To those of you who tuned in: thank you! Sorry to Holen MaGroin for not reading your email on the air. I couldn’t quite figure out how to work “I wish I could ask about The Black Hole, but I’ve never seen it, Disney sucks ass, Fuck ’em,” into the discussion.
Thanks Rob Daniels for having me, and to Jason Drury for awesome insight and comedy relief. (Ernest Borg-ninny.)
I was doing research all week, including watching lectures from Neil DeGrasse Tyson and other scientists about black holes. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is a harsh critic of the film, incidentally. I was glad to have worked this into the discussion. Due to the sheer amount of research I did, I was overprepared and hyped to go.
I always take a nap before the show, which used to air at 12:30 am. Well, I hadn’t been on Visions In Sound for a while. I woke up at 11:50 to have my coffee and a bite to eat. Then my phone rang. It was Rob and they were about to go live! Turns out the show was back to the 12:00 am slot. Whoops! I hopped in the car and drove down to CKWR which happens to be only 10 minutes away anyway. I made it in just in time for my introduction, and that’s including having to stop for a R.I.D.E. check on my way! Thank you to the local boys in blue, always doing a fantastic job keeping us safe on the road.
Among the myriad subjects discussed, one of the most interesting to me included Rob’s topic, the blaster beam. I’d never even heard of it before, but I have absolutely heard it before. It’s an integral part of the soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which I am intimately familiar with. I thought that what I was hearing was a guitar. Turns out it’s a bizarre 15-foot long beam of stainless steel with strings and pickups. You can hear it readily in The Black Hole (music by John Barry), and now I know what it really is.
We also talked a bit about the toyline (available by mailing in UPC codes found on cereal boxes). We couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room, which is the bizarre ending to a so-called “children’s film”. In this visually stunning abstract sequence, the villain Dr. Reinhart (Maximilian Schell) embraces and merges with his robot minion called Maximilian (no relation). Reinhart finds himself trapped in Maximilian’s shell (pun intended) ruling over a hellish landscape. Wild-eyed and helpless, Reinhart is punished for the evil he inflicted. Meanwhile our surviving heroes, including robot V.I.N.CENT. (Roddy McDowell) experience a wild ride including visions of a heavenly cathedral and a floating angel. They then emerge in a brand new universe, to triumphant swells of Barry’s score. This raises numerous questions about the film’s message on heaven, hell, morality, mortality, the soul, artificial intelligence, and more.
Thanks again to Rob for having me. I am currently planning to be there for his 1000th episode a few weeks from now, and his Rise of Skywalker special the following week.
I will be LIVE at 12:30 AM (ET) Saturday morning with Robert Daniels and Jason Drury on VISIONS IN SOUND. Tune in on your dial to 98.5 or internet to CKWR! You folks in the UK can tune in as you enjoy some morning java! Join Us THIS Saturday 12:30-2:30am (ET).
What a bizarre Disney film The Black Hole was. Marketed to kids with funny looking robots from the House of Mouse, instead of a swashbuckling adventure, kids got a strange treatise on life, death, morality, mortality, God, the soul, isolation, artificial intelligence, good, evil, heaven, hell, and eternity. It attempted to be Star Wars, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Rob, Jason and I will be playing the soundtrack by John Barry, and dissecting this interesting and puzzling film piece by piece.
Regular readers know that for the past five weeks (except one!) I’ve been appearing with Rob Daniels on his radio show Visions in Sound at 98.5 CKWR, talking about movie soundtracks. Also appearing were Erik Woods and Jason Drury live from the UK. May was Star Wars month, and we did four shows dedicated to the 40th anniversary of that franchise:
May 6: Star Wars for a New Generation (Rogue One, Rebels)
May 13: Alternate Forces (Star Wars video game soundtracks – I missed this one due to prior commitment)
May 20: The Prequels (Music from Episodes I, II, and III)
And there was also the June 3 show, the celebration of The 30th Anniversary of Spaceballs, a classic Mel Brooks parody of Star Wars (and other classic sci-fi).
So thanks Rob for asking me to be on the show, and to new friends Erik and Jason.
Not to toot our own horns too much, but these were great shows. It’s hard to listen live at 12:30 in the morning, but if you take the time to listen to one of these shows in the archives, I know I’d appreciate it. Great music was played, much geeking-out was had, but you’ll also hear a ton of knowledge that you probably never knew before, from four guys who live and breathe this stuff.
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