Vineyard Beatle Show, "Just Four Guys" plays a Gino Vanelli song

Just when you thought it was safe to listen to a seemingly unassuming Beatle podcast, the unthinkable happens. If you were minding your own business Tuesday afternoon (July 28th) and looking forward to a new installment of "Just Four Guys" on http://www.mvyradio.com, you had no idea that the host of the show would commit musical heresy. 

The theme of this week's show was "Pillow Talk" (Beatle Style). Basically, I went into the show with the mindset of your typical, schmaltzy & insincere "Pillow Talk" radio host - Low Tone of Voice, REALLY into myself, dispensing some Love suggestions and waxing eloquent about whatever came to mind. SO, to get it all going, I started the podcast with Gino Vanelli's "Living Inside Myself" (a staple of soft rock stations all across the United States). For me, it was the natural choice to begin such a ridiculous show. It's my sincere hope that it rocked the "Fab" infrastructure of Beatle Lovers everywhere. A collective "WTF" was the desired effect. WHY? Because almost every Beatle Show on the planet does the expected thing - Beatle Songs, Bootlegs, Outtakes, Conversations, Movie Clips, and Boring-Ass commentary about what was happening in the studio with J,P,G & R. Am I interested in all the minutiae? Absolutely! But I'd rather read about it than hear someone drone on about something that's been documented over and over and over..... UNLESS, it can be made interesting (Uh, Oh... I'm digressing like a bastard. Reel it in boy...).

Anyway, the UNEXPECTED is an element I fully embrace for my program. Have I done the expected thing (like the aforementioned)? Yup. However, it's my sincere wish that I've put a spin on those things that provided a different perspective. But snapping your head around by engaging in the "WTF" is the only way I'll feel successful.

A good song is a good song, and Gino Vanelli's "Living Inside Myself" is a damned good song. And it was totally utilitarian for this week's theme.

If you were pleased, great. If you were pissed or nauseated, even better.

An Expression of Love

You wonder sometimes, "Am I letting my wife know just how much I love her?" Inevitably, the answer is no. Then you think, "How can I express how I feel about her without being typical, trite and too sappy?" For me, I utilized Beatle Music - together & solo - to help convey how I feel about my Beautiful Wife, Laurel. Music is such a HUGE part of our relationship, as is humor. Combining the two, again, in as unique and organic way possible was the only way to go - especially for MY WOMAN.
This is my way of "shouting it from the virtual rooftops".

Scroll Down to "Past Shows" and click on July 14th, 2009

Enjoy...

Perceived Misogynistic Show Title - "Just FOUR Guys"

Just Four Men. Just Four Boys. If you heard either of those titles uttered either in person or on a radio promo, you'd think that something a bit "unseemly" was afoot. I've heard people talk about my show - to me - referring to it as one of the two aforementioned titles. It makes me cringe thinking about the type of person who'd scan by my show hoping to hear some heavy panting (or worse... EW!). And, obviously, "Just Four Guys" isn't a show that excludes women. This isn't the 1950s anymore (a mindset I still can't wrap my mind around. Who died and left MEN to be the arbiters of what was to be or not to be?). Male Chauvinism. What those guys needed was a major slap in the tool bag for what they put the women through back in those days (Hmmm... I'm smell a theme for a JFG show)

Just Four Guys - The Beatles. They were just four guys ("just a band that made it very, very, big..") with drive, attitude, comedy, and whole lot of God-Given musical gifts. They changed the way we listened to music, the way we looked at rock/pop stars, and they helped open our minds up to the endless possibilities that can be achieved. There was a mystique about them that even Elvis and Sinatra didn't possess. Maybe it was the fact that they wrote such amazing tunes (never replicating what they did previously). Not many bands can lay claim to such musical innovation. Nor can many bands say they created absolute masterpieces under what would be considered primitive recording conditions. Four Tracks, the Imagination & Genius of "Just Four Guys", and a producer & engineer in George Martin & Geoff Emerick respectively - who listened to their ideas and helped make them reality. The result of this blessed combination were the albums "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper" & "Magical Mystery Tour" (HUGE kudos to Norman "Hurricane" Smith for all HE did from their first recordings up to the amazing "Rubber Soul" album).

"Just Four Guys" is, without question, the Most Realistic Beatle Show on Earth. I produce this show purely from a fan's perspective. I'm no authority on ALL-THINGS BEATLES. Do I know a lot about them? Absolutely. But I'm not John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison or Ringo Starr. Those Four Guys are the only experts on The Beatles. All I try to do is respect and maintain their legacy the best way I know how, infusing a bit of myself and my "spin" on the phenomenon that was - is - The Beatles.

The Best Music Ever Recorded. The Personalities. The Legend. The Humor. Common Themes - as they may relate to what we 21st Century Folks go through today. Some might say that reality is a drag. I say it depends on your outlook. If we can take just one lesson away from The Beatles as a once-in-a-lifetime phenom, let it be this:

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something in your own distinct, inimitable way. Yeah, we're working our collective tuckus' off trying to keep body & soul together, while trying to carve out the precious family and private time we all need. But always remember that The Beatles existed for many reasons - enjoyment, inspiration, peace, love & understanding. Also, they had their flaws. But they didn't allow those flaws to stifle them. As long as you maintain your priorities and don't compromise your principles, you'll be living in the spirit of the freedom we received whenever we listened to The Beatles.

They may very well have been "just a band that made it very, very big", but to life-long devotees like us they were so much more.

/Users/laurelwhitaker/Desktop/ray just four guys logo 2-1.tif


An expert on The Beatles? Not necessarily. Passionate as a bastard about The Beatles and their profound influence on culture? Absolutely.
Please join me in my quest to perpetuate their legacy in my own unique way.

Thanks!