October 2, 2025 • 62 mins
This week on The Vinyl Curriculum, Jim and Logan take center stage as they explore the magic, music, and storytelling of Broadway. From timeless classics to modern hits, the duo dives into what makes show tunes so powerful—how they blend character, emotion, and spectacle into unforgettable performances.
They discuss the evolution of musical theatre, highlight iconic composers, and share how Broadway has influenced pop culture, film, and even modern recording techniques. Whether you’re a lifelong theatre lover or just curious about why people can’t stop singing “Defying Gravity,” this episode will have you ready for the curtain call.
🎶 Tune in, take your seats, and let’s hit the lights—it’s showtime!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Every record tells a story. Independent labels.
I think a lot of interesting songs came out of that.
And every generation has a soundtrack.
The only hip you have in your body is made of titanium.
This is the final curriculum with Logan.
Apparently I don't know very much about anything.
Somebody calls her Tay Tay. Welcome back to another episode
(00:26):
of The Vinyl Curriculum. This is episode 1615. 15.
Man, we've got so many episodes.I'm losing track here, Jim, how
we doing? I'm.
Great. Are you?
Yeah, but you know, you're really in that intro.
You're really yelling. I'm excited.
I'm excited to be here every week and I'm trying to pass on
(00:47):
that enthusiasm to the listeningaudience and try and get you a
little bit more amped up. We're recording this on a
Monday, You know, I feel like you got a little bit of case in
the Monday Blues. No, I don't had a great weekend.
I went to my son was turned 25, went to an Oktoberfest event in
the city. It was so much fun.
Oh well, I went to a wedding so we had equally as fun weekends.
(01:10):
Not as fun as this weekend's going to be because it's my
birthday, but anyway. 2627. 27 that's yeah, that's how old I am
a. Mere child.
I am. I'm a I'm a little baby.
Logan, this is I'm I'm very worried about this week, this of
all the weeks, 15 weeks into this, I'm terrified because this
(01:31):
is Broadway. Broadway.
I don't know you like some Broadway.
You and I went and saw a show. We did.
Earlier this year, which is in this, but I don't know if you
have the emotional capacity to appreciate some of these older
Broadway shows. I think I do.
(01:52):
I listen to the playlist as I did last week.
Did you really? I really did.
I listened to it in the car. Scout's honor.
Scout's honor. OK, I don't know.
I don't know. I wasn't a scout.
No, I don't know what that means.
So that. So you just.
Lied. I just lied through my teeth.
But I did listen to the playlistand I made some comments to you
on the way up here, which I'm sure we'll talk about throughout
(02:15):
the course of the show today. But I think we just go right
into the first song here, which is.
This is from A Chorus Line, which was the first show I ever
saw. Like the first Broadway show.
This is what is the name A chorus line.
A Chorus Line. From 1975, I think I saw it
around 19801980, something like that in Memphis 'cause I was
(02:36):
living in Mississippi and we went to Memphis with my friend
Nancy Lee. Shout out to Nancy Lee, 'cause
she listens sometimes and fell in love with it.
OK, so let's listen. This is just a silly song.
There's some other songs that are, you know, I think when
people think of A Chorus Line, they might think of other songs.
I just thought this was a funny song and I remember it well.
(02:59):
OK first song. Song called Sing.
Sing from a chorus line. All right, let's take a listen
here on the vinyl curriculum. I really couldn't sing.
I could never really sing. What I couldn't do was sing.
It goes all around my It's a terrifying.
I'm terrific at us guys are coming in there.
(03:25):
You want to talk about yelling? There's a little bit of yelling
there. Yes, she's trying to sing.
She Can't Sing. Sounds like me if I was trying
to sing is what? Sounds like we've heard that.
Do you know what A Chorus Line was even about?
I have no idea. So it was a true like they
interviewed all these people whowere on Broadway, typically in
(03:49):
the chorus, you know, dancers and stuff.
Kind of what tell us about your life story.
And then they they took those stories and made them into this
show with the people who were writing the story.
So it's pretty fascinating. So this was a brother and
sister. She was a great dancer, but she
couldn't sing. Wow.
(04:10):
And so and then there's other ones where, you know, a guy was
gay, but he his sister used to take dance lessons.
She didn't like it. And he went one day and grabbed
her tap shoes and started going to dance classes and fell in
love. And just, there's love stories,
all that kind of stuff. But anyway, it's kind of
interesting. And then it's the fact that it
(04:31):
was so successful and then thosepeople got residual payments
from it because it was their story.
And it went on for years and years and years.
When when did it make its debut?This was in 75.
Did it win a Tony? I think it did, yeah.
But remember back then, like I was going to put hair in here,
(04:52):
but I never. I'm trying to do songs that I
saw. Hair was like in the midst the
late 60s and when you look at hair, which was like, you know,
they were nude, it was rock. It was compared to what was out
at the time. It was like My Fair Lady and
Funny Girl and like totally different.
And I can see the attraction. I think the same thing with
(05:13):
this. This was so different from what
people were used to seeing. Well, I think we saw the similar
thing was when Hamilton came along, where it's like once in a
while, all of a sudden a musicalcome out that totally just
breaks the mold that is totally different than everything that's
available. And I, I've never heard of this
musical, but it sounds like fromwhat you're saying, that's kind
(05:36):
of what happened with this one. So it's like I said, they were
all in the chorus, right, Right,right.
So at the end they all line up and they're wearing gold outfits
and they're doing the one singular succession and they're,
I don't know if you ever heard that song, but and they're doing
almost like the Rockettes and they got the hats and it's just
very typical A Chorus Line. I think they made a movie about
(05:58):
it like in the 80s. I don't even think I saw it
because I didn't want this. I didn't want to because I think
they kind of, you know, how sometimes when they make movies,
they'll make, they'll add songs,take songs away, and I didn't.
Know yeah, they dramatized it for movie.
So I, I don't, I don't know whatit was like, but I love, I love
that show. It was about set.
There were 17 dancers and they were all like in theory
(06:20):
auditioning for the show. And then they would say tell us
about and then so a lot of a lotof personal experience.
So did you choose these songs bait like to represent the whole
show for me or what? I struggle because what one it's
like you're telling someone you got to see this movie.
(06:43):
What one clip are you going to play that's going to make?
And so I didn't want to necessarily put the stuff that
everybody knew. I mean, obviously you didn't
know this, but you're a child, but you know, everybody would
know the one course long horse line song.
There's a lot of like I don't know, at the ballet was another
one of my favorite ones. There's one called Dance 10
(07:07):
Looks 3 and she's singing about how she's a great dancer, but
she was not very attractive. So she went to the doctor and
got breast rid of breast enlargements and now she's
getting all the parts So and it and it's the chorus of that has
some explicit words in it. So, but I remember at 15
(07:32):
thinking, Oh my goodness, they're saying, you know, and
everybody was laughing. I'm like, Oh my goodness, is
this what adults do? Well, hilarious that was.
Yeah. That was back in the old days
when, you know, Carson would, you know, Yeah.
Anyway, first on though, I you know the the screaming is a
little alarming. What she's telling us, she's
(07:54):
trying to explain to you how shecannot.
Right, but it's it's hard for meto visualize that when I have no
idea what the body even is the story.
That's true. That's why I said I'm very
nervous about this. You know.
Being honest with, granted. Granted, there is some big
moments in that song, you know, And I part of what I like about
(08:14):
Broadway musical and a Broadway song is the grandiose nature of
it. And it's big show, it's a big
ensemble, it's a big orchestra sound, and this has a little bit
of it, but then it goes into thescreaming in the distance.
Well, it ends though you cut it off.
It ends with them all coming in singing for her.
I did hear that. I heard it.
(08:34):
I heard it. That's why I think we got to
start off with just AB and it's not going to be any lower than
AB and. That was the gracious.
But I like Broadway musicals though, so this is a much like
90s dance. This, I think, will be a pretty,
maybe fairly graded episode, we'll say.
(08:55):
That being said, song #2. So what do you know about Evita?
I don't know much about Evita you.
Didn't even see the one that themovie with Madonna.
I have not she. Actually did a nice job I
thought. OK.
Evita was, it took place, it wasAva Peron.
She kind of slept her way to. She was a nobody and she kind of
slept her way to the top. She ended up marrying the
(09:19):
president and then they there was a lot of controversy about
were they stealing money? Everybody either loved her or
hated her. And this song is, is the guy
from Mandy Padinka or something like that.
He was in, in like 1 of the shows.
Yeah, he's been, he was in Yentl.
(09:41):
He was in, he's been in a coupleof these Broadway shows from
this one, very popular. He became an actor.
Mandy somebody. Anyway, he's singing kinda
Mandy. Pandinka, I think, was a person.
I don't know. I'll look it up.
But anyway, he's kind of summarizing her rise to the top.
OK, OK. And then what is the name of the
(10:02):
song? I flying adored.
I flying adored. Yeah, and it starts off a little
weird. So if you listen to the podcast,
you know how they'll they'll continue from one song to the
other. We're going to the the playlist
is going to have it. We'll cut that part out, but
you'll hear it's a little weird.And then he goes into the song.
All right, let's take a listen here on the vinyl curriculum.
(10:24):
High flying so young. Instant queen.
A rich beautiful thing. You'll be drained of all the
young ladies. That has given me a Phantom of
(10:47):
the Opera vibes. Yeah, and you said that's not
the guy who played fan of the Opera.
Michael Crawford. OK.
And his name is. This guy's name is Manny.
Patinkin, I think. Patinkin.
Patinkin. That's what it says on Google.
Anyway, like he was, I forgot what the TV show he was on
Chicago Hope or something like that.
Oh, as an actor. But he's done all kinds of
(11:08):
stuff. He was a Princess Bride.
He was in that, too. Yeah, so was Andre the Giant.
Yeah, but anyway. Yeah, I think this is back to
Here's one person on stage singing a song.
That's Evita singing. Now that's Pei Lupone.
Yeah. It's an interesting you need to
(11:32):
watch the movie because the Madonna did.
I had read that she really wanted that part so bad.
Madonna. Madonna and she did a really
nice job. I thought some people hated it,
but I thought. You did nice.
Well, I think I mean every musical made movie someone's
going to hate unless it's just arecording of the show.
Like Hamilton, I think is comingout with like a movie theater
(11:55):
version of it that came out on Disney Plus where they like did
the original cast Broadway recording, but.
And that was great because I could do the closed captioning.
Yeah, help with the rap. Yeah, this one though, Flying
high. Adored, I think we got to go B
minus. It's just not not my cup of tea
for even though like it towards the end there it it starts to
(12:15):
become more grandiose and and less I'm just going to stand on
stage and sing. Reminds me of like American Idol
or something where it's just like the whole stage is dark and
it's just a spotlight on one person.
This is amazing. Well those are usually the show
stoppers. Well, you, you have the two type
of show stoppers, like the curtain calls, like the end of
(12:36):
act one or something where everybody's out there and they
wow you. And we have a few of those in
the air. But then there's also the ones
where someone just gets up thereand they're telling you their
story and you're feeling for them and then they they blow you
away at the end. They get standing ovations.
So there's both kinds. I love to be, you know, you
know, don't cry for me. Argentina, right?
(12:58):
That was from here. I think so.
I probably would if I I'm sometimes bad with recognizing
names of songs, but that one sounds vaguely familiar so.
And then all right, so the next one I did not see.
I've seen all of these, but I did not I I have seen all of
these, but I have not seen Dreamgirls.
I saw the movie, but it I was, Iguess, I don't know.
(13:21):
I don't know if it came through or what, but Jennifer Holiday
was the one who sings this song and dissed it and win the Tony.
But I think she got a Tony as a performance.
I see OK, and this is a song called and I am telling you you
I'm not going. And I'm telling you, I'm not
going and I'm putting this in there because of the her, the
(13:43):
way she sings. This is just mind blowing and
this was a standing ovation. I'm sure every night she sang it
so. Yeah.
And what, when is this from? Is this race?
Is 80 no 82? These are kind of chronological.
I see. All right, he's.
Still older, I was still in highschool.
All right, let's take a listen to Jennifer Holiday here on the
final curriculum. Wow, that was grand there at the
(14:37):
end, starting off kind of similar to some of the other
ones, but that the intro, I guess you could call it intro,
right? The beginning part of that tune
was kind of quintessential 80s sound, 80s musical sounding.
I don't know what that sound is,but that just that's.
What I thought the beginning or the ending?
The. Beginning the ending was was
(14:57):
more showy. I guess it's the word.
Yeah, right, Showy. That Dream Girls.
So that was a movie with Beyoncé.
It had Eddie Murphy, it had Jamie Foxx, and it had instead
of Jennifer Holiday, it was Jennifer Hudson.
You know, she was a American Idol and she was from Chicago.
(15:18):
She played this part and she didjust a nice of a job on that.
But it was kind of loosely basedon The Supremes kind of.
And she's one of the big singersin the this girl group, and
they're kind of kicking her out.And she's like, no, I'm not
going. Yeah, again, it's it's hard for
me to visualize, you know, the the whole vibe of the show and
(15:42):
just to pick out one song is tough.
But I mean again, I am a Broadway fan, so I think going
with a fair grade of AB on that one is fair from my point of
view. I'm sure if you were at the show
and you saw this person singing this song and then everybody.
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
(16:03):
And I you know. And I didn't, I didn't see this
one, but I, I just just listening in the car and I turn
it up and I'm singing along and.I think that's the case with any
show though, because even when we went to see Hades Town, which
we'll hear a song from in a little bit, I listened to some
of the album like this is not mycup of tea at all.
But now it's like it's consistently on repeat.
(16:26):
Just because I saw the show. I'm like, wow, you know, this is
this is really good. The.
Connection in the lore. Yeah, so the.
Connection in lore. This is the other one I didn't
see Big River. It's based on Huckleberry Finn
and I again, I'm doing it because the guy who's singing
Jim just has the best voice ever.
(16:47):
The guy who does Huckleberry Finn kind of sounds nasally and
he kind of gets on my nerves, but this other guy is worth
listening to. This guy's Daniel Jenkins is
who's who's singing this song? I don't know who would that is.
I know Rodger Miller is the guy who wrote Big Big River and he's
was like a comedian, a singer, used to be on the, you know,
(17:10):
very family friendly, popular inthe 60s.
And I guess toward the end of his career he wrote this musical
and it was pretty big. I remember when I went to New
York City with my cousin, we were, we went downtown and I
remember Big River was up. Phantom of the Opera was, you
(17:31):
know, all these different. Well, maybe Phantom wasn't up.
Yet I think Phantom was in the 80s.
Yeah, Cats was up, but I remember taking a picture of my
roommate and I really like this musical.
I took a picture of the Big River marquee.
Yeah, yeah, this says Daniel Jenkins.
It was the artist listed and normally Apple Music is pretty
good about picking who you know sang the song.
(17:54):
But there's two guys. There's the the guy who's
playing gym and the guy who's doing.
Huckleberry fan. Oh, all right.
Well, while you look at that, let's take a listen Muddy Water
here on a vinyl curriculum. And I got a knee.
(18:30):
Little Muddy water action? Is that the name of another
album? Feel like it was Muddy Waters.
There's the name of a Blues singer, yeah.
This one sounds like it was recorded live.
I don't know. I know like some of the newer
ones, they all kind of I think go into the studio and do it
like for the recording. This one just has.
(18:53):
I don't know if it's more reverbor something or if I'm just
like. I don't crazy.
I think they always did did in studio.
I don't know if they did it. Live this one, there's a lot
more reverb here so I don't know, it sounds like they're in
a bigger space, but. Either white void.
Well, no, not, not just a white void, but you know, in a
(19:17):
probably Broadway theatre. I know, I don't think.
Yeah, they release it ahead of time.
See, they they always release the music, the music ahead of
time before the thing. So people get an idea.
By the way, the guy singing was Ron Richardson.
The other guy, this Daniel Jenkins at Spotify, that's just
the the white guy who has that nasally voice that kind of
(19:39):
ruined it. But anyway, it's good.
It's got like gospel music in it.
It's very Americana. It's a good story.
I don't know, I haven't, I haven't seen the show but love
the musical. I think the music, I think we'll
go B plus that's that's a littlebit more my speed for as far as
(20:01):
musicals are concerned. This next 1 is different.
It's a little slower, but I still like it.
One Day More by Les Mis. I've never seen it.
Or from Les Mis, I should say. I've never seen the show.
I've seen bits and pieces of themovie, but I've never seen the
full movie. But I also know that from what I
(20:23):
understand, the movie was not asgood.
I hated the movie. I've heard that from multiple
people. Hugh Jackman, I mean, he's a
nice guy and he was good and thegreatest showman, but oh, it was
painful. Les Mis was my favorite musical
for years and years and years. I've probably seen it, I don't
know, 3 or 4 times. Love it.
The stage with the rote. It was the first thing I ever
(20:44):
show I ever saw. They had a rotating stage.
It was a barricade. And next thing you know it
lifted up and it it was the citystreetscape of, you know, in
France. And they had to go back down to
be a barricade and you'd see who's on each side and then a
guy jumps off a bridge and it sweeps them away.
It's just the theatrics of it were amazing.
(21:05):
This song, though, is kind of like you're talking about.
This is the ensemble. And if I'm not mistaken, this is
the end of the first act. So everybody, all the
storylines, you hear all the storylines are happening in this
song. Getting ready for the finale
after you go get your popcorn and take a potty break.
This was 87. So I was in college and I had
(21:27):
the soundtrack. I remember when I graduated
college, I was working. I'd listen to it but I didn't
see it for probably 3 or 4 years.
Did you see it on Broadway or did you see it off Broadway?
I saw almost everything in Memphis.
Oh, until, you know, till I moved to Illinois.
But the only thing I saw in Memphis was in Broadway was
(21:48):
Phantom of the Opera. And we saw Blood Brothers.
I think we talked about that with Petulia Clark, your little
friend. From the 60s.
Yeah. All right.
Well, one day More by this is Cindy Benson and Jesse Cordy.
I have. No idea.
That's what it says. It's.
(22:08):
A bunch of and ensemble everybody.
Else, obviously we can't trust that based on the last song.
So let's take a listen here on the vinyl curriculum and some
impartial grading as usual. One day more, another day,
another Destiny. The Snuggle, Randy.
Road to Calvary My place is hereI fight with.
(22:32):
You one day more. One day more.
That's a great song and it's this is what I was talking about
(22:52):
with classic kind of big ensemblee song.
And, and I can't imagine it's a surprise to you that I like this
vibe if I like the grandiose. Right, but I didn't want a whole
playlist of that. Right.
I'm trying to mix it up. I'm trying to be eclectic.
And you wouldn't. Eclectic and I want.
(23:13):
You to that says that. This so you're attracted to like
the spectacle of it all. I'm trying to remember how we
you got the little bit baby, little wrench heart and we're
trying to grow him. I want you to get some of the
emotion of some of the other songs because although that was
great because Les Mis is very complicated.
(23:34):
You've got all these different storylines going on and love
interests and people die and people adopt their children and
then the police are looking for people.
It's just, you know, it's a really thick book by Hugo.
Or who was it? Hugo, Victor Hugo.
(23:54):
Yeah, old book. But anyway, they took this made
into musical and it's so it's sointeresting and the music is
great. There's slow songs.
There's a slow song called Castle on the Cloud.
I used to sing to Grace, to put her to sleep, you know, and so.
Yeah, I mean, I it's not necessarily just a spectacle,
but I like when multiple people are included.
(24:14):
There's like, you know, even with for like Haiti's Town, for
example, first song is just kindof introducing people and that
isn't necessarily the biggest spectacle of the show, but it
includes a lot of the ensemble, which I think is is part of what
I like. This one though from Les Mis, I
(24:37):
think, I think we got to go a minus for Les Mis.
We got to, we got to bust up into that a category that.
Should have been an A Logan because that's very powerful.
If you had been there, you wouldhave.
It would have. Been.
I'm sure I'm sure it would have been, but I want to.
I want. To add 1/2 of a grade to every
one of yours because if you you haven't seen any of them except
for Hades down. And I saw Hamilton too, and Lion
(24:58):
King and Wicked OK. So I've seen later.
OK, good. Yeah.
There's there's still plenty to go here.
One more where I'll be adding and then we won't be adding
anymore. Yeah.
This one hold on by Daisy Egan and Allison Frazier.
I don't know. We don't know who these people
are, but this is from what show.It's called The Secret Garden
(25:20):
and it was kind of a quaint little we saw it in Champagne,
like in a very small venue and Ilove the music.
And so I've been listening to the soundtrack again.
One, one of the guys on the soundtrack has a really deep,
powerful voice, but it takes, I don't know if it's Scotland or
Ireland. So they have this Scottish
(25:41):
accents, you know. So the one now is like the maid
is the maid is talking to the garden to the daughter, the
daughter of the man who's not very his, his the girl's dad
died. The the girl's mom died and the
dad is kind of removed himself because he's depressed and so
(26:02):
she's kind of raising him. She's the maid.
I'm not comprehending anything you're saying.
Just so you know, you're saying so many directions that I, I
just cannot keep up with what you're saying.
A man's wife died. OK, he's depressed.
He's kind of ignoring his child.All right, all right, the.
Maid is raising the child and she's singing to this kid.
(26:22):
Hold on. OK, thank you.
Thank you for the simplified my tiny little welcome P brain
can't keep up with. Your tiny little heart.
Yeah. All right, hold on.
I'm going to hold on and see what my grade will be here on
the final curriculum. What?
You've got to do is finish. I don't know, just.
(26:44):
It's not all until you've won when you see the.
Storm is coming. That is grand and I know it just
(27:07):
kills you that I have to talk over that.
I know I could see it in your face.
But it's not everybody in the ensemble singing with her, so
I'm expecting AB minus out of this for me.
No, I think it it's it has a little bit more energy than some
of the other songs, which is is part of it for me too.
As we've established with every other episode of this show,
(27:27):
you've got to have good energy. Obviously none of these songs
are get up and dance songs, so this should show to you that I
can show some diversity with my grading and what I like, and not
every song that I like has to besomething that I'm dancing to.
This is a good thing. This is a good thing.
So you're giving it an A plus. No, I'd give it AB plus though.
All right, B plus for effort. OK, for sure.
(27:51):
Yeah, it's a good. I mean, though, I don't, I just
don't know. I love the music and I I was
captivated. I didn't know it when I saw the
show and I was captivated by it.So it made me want to listen.
So now, so you said, you know the next one, Lion King?
Yep. Now this is 1.
You know, it started off as a movie.
Right. And then they made the show.
By the way, The Secret Garden was 91.
(28:11):
This is 97 The Lion King. This is one of the songs I
believe they added to the musical that was not in the
movie, I think. Yeah, I guess I should have
checked that. Out.
I think so too. We I was good friends or not
good friends, but I was friends with one of the people who
played Simba on Broadway and I think now he travels around.
(28:34):
He's in the touring version. So go see the touring version of
Lion King. That's what I usually see.
Yeah, but They Live in You by The Lion King Ensemble and
Samuel E Wright. So I don't know if that's do we
know what character he plays? I'm.
(28:54):
Going to be very honest to you, I don't care.
I don't care who sings these songs.
I don't care. They're Broadway people.
All right, Broadway people, let's take a listen here on the
vinyl curriculum, some Lion King.
Briar. And the spirit of life.
(29:28):
Yeah, that's a little bit more grand.
It took a while to get there, but here we are.
I can't even think. I was trying to think about
where like what was happening while this song was going on in
the show, like what part of the show this was from.
I couldn't do it. It's been, it's been so long
since I've seen Lion King. MUFAS is teaching Simba about
(29:51):
past generations and remember like the stars were like
showing. And Oh yeah, I remember.
That that movie, that show, though, when it first, when it
first opened up and those puppets came out, you know the
yeah, the people dressed up as saying it just was like, I was
in awe. Yeah, it is awe inspiring.
(30:14):
That was like, I want to say, I mean, I guess I have a new cue.
Did I have any cue come out before that?
I don't know. I don't know.
But like one of the first Major League Broadway shows to utilize
puppets and they have some pretty incredible technology.
I don't know if how much you know about the puppets in that
(30:34):
show, but they are. I mean have a lot of hidden
technology in that. No, I don't know much.
I just what I saw, you know gazelles, they would be like
multiple on each arm and legs and.
The giraffe with the big tall neck like dance with that on is
impressive to say the least. The Lion King We got to give The
(30:55):
Lion King at least an A minus. You're just crucial.
You're just. There's so many other saw like
so many other. Did you eat?
Did you eat lunch before you didthis?
Yeah, no, but I also, I told, I told you I I'm feeling the side
effect of the flu shot and the COVID shot.
So you know what? So not only are the ones before
(31:16):
Lion King, we're going to add 1/2 of a grade, we're going to
add another half a grade becauseyou didn't eat and you're
feeling sorry for yourself because you had a COVID shot.
Yeah, the next one though, IdinaManzel all.
Right, I know you're going to gripe and complain about the
song choice on this, but this isone of my favorite songs on this
this soundtrack. Was this included in the first
movie? Did you see the first Wicked
(31:37):
movie? Yeah, I think it was.
I think it was too. I think it's the first I.
Think it's the first half like you know.
Yeah, the first act. Yeah, I think she's singing in
the. She's in the woods.
Yeah. And then he's.
Coming by or whatever. I'm Not That Girl by Idina
Menzel Quality, quality early work of Idina Menzel, right?
(32:00):
Not to be confused with her frozen appearance.
That's true. This is the first time I ever
heard of her and Kristin Chenowitz.
But since then she's done a lot of stuff that I've, you know,
she was in some TV shows and, and, and they've done other
things just like, I don't know if you know this, but Linwell
Miranda. Lin, Manuel Miranda.
(32:21):
Did instead of doing Hamilton hedid into the Heights before
that? Which one of Tony?
Yeah. Don't like it at all?
I haven't seen the end of the heights, but I don't.
Like the music, I've tried to listen to it, I just don't.
We can't do it. I'm Not That Girl by Idina
Menzel. That's what we're listening to
now on the vinyl curriculum. Then some thoughts.
Hands touch. Eyes meet.
(32:44):
Sudden silence, sudden heat. I wasn't born before the Rose
and the Perl. And Dina Manzel.
She's not that girl. No, no, it's no, she's not.
I don't know. It's just not not my favorite
(33:07):
from this show. There's so much other.
I'm not asking you is this? Your favorite?
I know that but. But can you not appreciate?
It I can appreciate it, but it'sjust not, it's not something
that I enjoy and that's allowed.You know why?
Because it's emotional and you're not.
I'm not. No, it's one girl pouring her
(33:27):
heart out to you, telling, telling you how miserable she is
because she wants this guy, but she's green and she can't.
Yes. Spoiler alert.
Spoiler alert. I mean, it's not my cup of tea,
but it is wicked. But I think we're going to we're
(33:51):
going to go solid B. You got to judge the song, you
cannot do the music. But that's that's the you're,
you're too far removed from thatnow because that it's part of
it. Now that I'm now that I'm
familiar with these musicals, I've seen, I've seen wicked all.
Right, let's change things up a little.
All right, What would you give Lion King the musical itself?
The Musical an A. OK, that's we'll just do that
(34:15):
and that's the only dank I'm wayI'm going to get an A out of
you. What would you give the musical
a Wicked? I'd give that an A too.
OK, that's good. Now but but but big big big old
butt. This next song, I already know
what the great is going to be. OK, so and you haven't seen the
show? I have not seen this show, but I
(34:36):
already know what the song this great is going to be.
So let's take a listen. We're not even going to say what
it is. All right.
And I think you'll enjoy it. Hello, My name is Elder Price
and I would like to share with you the most amazing book.
(34:58):
Now, now we're talking, Jim. That's the kind of musicals that
I like. That's from the Book of Mormon,
though I have never seen the show.
That is a solid A OK. That's a very it's written by
the people who did South Park, so it's very irreverent but very
(35:19):
touching actually. It's interesting.
I I really want to see it next time it comes to Chicago.
I think this is at. It's coming.
Probably they're advertising it.The top of the list for musicals
that I want to see now. You need to look because they're
advertising it. I know.
It's very good, very good. And I think that that was
another frozen guy. That was, yeah, the snowman
(35:43):
Olaf. What the heck is Josh?
Josh. Josh.
He. Was in Beauty and the Beast the
movie? Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
He was. He's a good guest on Little Guy.
He's a. Good.
He reminds me of Jack. Jack Black, kind of crazy,
chubby. The comic element, you know,
(36:08):
comedic element, but I'll that'sI love that show.
It was. Josh Gad, That's who it is.
Josh Gad was a. Good funny show.
And I, I kind of felt, I don't know, it, it wasn't just bashing
the Mormons. It was, it had a nice ending to
(36:28):
it and in fact in the Playbill there was an ad for the Mormon
church and it showed the Book ofMormon and it said read the book
is even better. Yeah, that's funny.
That was clever marketing right there.
This next show, though, needs nomarketing because of what it is,
a show called Hamilton, and thatwas probably one of Oh no, Yeah,
(36:54):
Hamilton's next, right? Yeah.
OK, Hamilton was this was probably the most that anyone in
this country has learned about history in a long, long time.
You know, it it it opened our eyes a little bit to the
wonderful history of the founderof the Treasury.
(37:15):
You were paying attention. I was, I was.
I've done a lot of, I've watcheda lot of things about this show,
so I know probably more than most people, but Schuyler
sisters. And this is there's an internal
fight going on right now betweenJim and Logan because this is
probably one of my favorite songs on here, except for Burn,
(37:36):
which I knew I couldn't play because it's just one person
singing with pouring her heart out.
And I knew he wasn't going to like that.
That's at the bottom of my list on him.
I'll listen to this, the track I'll list.
This is one of the few albums onApple Music I'll listen straight
through and I will skip over that song.
Stop it. I will hit the skip.
(37:57):
Button there are other ones I skip over.
No, the rap. Some of the just the rap is the
best. Are you kidding me?
No, this is where you and I justdisagree.
But we're going to have to agreewith.
This we are focusing on the Skyler sisters right now with a
very unique spelling of Skyler. But this is where we kind of
meet them. Yeah, in the show.
And you learn, you, and I love it because you learn a lot about
(38:17):
what's going on just from this little song.
Yeah, well, fun fact, after the song, I guess you heard the
Hamilton mixtape. We'll talk about that.
I don't know, here on the vinyl curriculum.
(38:37):
Angelica. I know it just kills you that I
have to talk over it, but I knowit.
The Schuyler sisters. And you said you haven't heard
the Hamilton mixtape? No.
(38:59):
From Weird Al Yankovic. Oh, but there's a there's a part
in there where they're talking about the, the sisters and it's
like, it's like polka, right? Yeah.
But they go, they say the sisters, and then they go,
Peggy. Yeah, 'cause she poor thing.
(39:19):
She's just kind of forgotten about all all throughout this
show. Yeah, this, this show is just
absolutely wonderful. What do you think about that
song, though? That particular song?
That's that's above burn for sure.
I think I got to still give it an A minus, OK, because it it
(39:41):
does utilize an ensemble, which I can appreciate.
I know you you don't like the gentleman at the beginning.
Who? Well, it's not that I don't like
him, but I don't. I didn't want you to.
We're limited on the podcast, right?
Right. Yeah, a minus for the Skylar
sisters. You know, I wanted to put in the
one where there's the two, one where how they how he meets and
(40:05):
they get married and then it's helpless.
Yeah. And then it's the other. 1.
Where she goes back and she no, the first one is how they marry
and then helpless is where she'slike she's telling her story,
her side of it, how she had to give.
No, helpless is where they're getting.
Married What's the Rewind 1? The rewind 1.
(40:27):
Yeah, I look at it. I.
Can't. I don't know what you're talking
about, but there's the I. Don't think you know?
You're not talking about after the like the Reynolds pamphlet,
right? And then then where they're
singing and and her sister comesand talks to you're not, that's
not what you're talking. About and then she's telling the
(40:48):
story about how she was she wanted him, but then her sister
came up and she's like, I got a she's I got to let her do it
because. You married an Icarus, right?
She's the oldest son. You can't do it because she's
supposed to marry for money and he doesn't have money.
Even though she liked him. She.
Yeah. Yeah.
Anyway, I'm assuming you gave the show an A.
(41:09):
Oh yeah. Absolutely.
Not an A+ though. That's about as darn close to an
A plus. I know we try not to give out A
pluses. We don't see Vanilla Ice, but
that was a fluke. No, that that was about as close
to an A+ as you can get for a show.
So it was wicked though. So I I really, really liked
wicked too. We didn't we had we sat in like
(41:30):
the literally the for all of these.
We've actually not had great seats.
We sat for The Lion King. We literally sat in the last row
of the balcony and it was fantastic.
And Hamilton, we were a lot closer, but we were, I was like
all the way on the left. So I missed part of the state,
like the, you know, Yeah. But it was it was still
(41:52):
fantastic for sure. By the way, the next one is the
Dear Evan Hansen one. You got that?
OK. This was, I wanted to see this
one really, really, really bad. And so I was waiting and waiting
and waiting. We finally, when they was coming
to Chicago, we got season tickets to, I think Trey was
just graduating high school and we were now going to be empty
(42:14):
net weight. No, that's too long ago.
Yeah, maybe by the time it came,maybe it was because it came out
in 2016, but it takes a while for it to come around, Brian.
Anyway. And so I Karen's like what you
want for your anniversary. I said let's just get these
Broadway in Chicago season tickets.
So it was a couple of years we did that.
It was so much fun, but I loved it and she didn't love it at
(42:37):
all. Yeah, it's, it's kind of a
different. It is sad.
It's a sad story, and I think that was the problem that she
couldn't get past. But the music of it just blew me
away. And then Ben plays the guy who
sings on the show. But when we saw in Chicago,
whoever that guy was just. Killed it some guy.
Yeah, he killed it. I've only seen the movie, so and
(42:59):
then the movie just kind of movies are always just weird
because like it it they're like act, but then it like just goes
spontaneously. The song, which I get that's
what happens on stage, but it's like it's just different.
I'm stop. Watching it because it was, I
think it's the same thing. I like the musical so much I
started watching. I'm like, I don't think I'm all
like this. And Ben Platt's like 29 and he's
(43:20):
trying to be a high schooler at this point.
And it's like, but this is you will be found.
And this is kind of the it's another just to refresh your
memory. He, he, he does the speech at
high school. He's, he's acting like he was
friends with this guy. He really wasn't, but he's
(43:40):
lonely and these circumstances happen.
So he's does this speech, which is from his heart and it kind of
catches on and it goes viral andit then things get out of hand
because now everybody thinks he they're buying into the story.
That's not real. Yeah, All right, well, let's
take a listen to Dear Evan Hansen here on the vinyl
(44:01):
curriculum. Have you ever felt like nobody
was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in
the middle of nowhere? That's kind of a cool effect
(44:25):
there, right towards where we just came in at with the the
telephone like affect people calling.
It's been probably 10-12 years since I've seen the movies so I
not super clear on what the plotwas, but this is a grandiose
(44:45):
song. They had a lot of like video
screens and like, it was very social media, so all these
screens would always show because it's like how it caught
up online. So it was very digitally and
technologically interesting to watch the show.
Like almost like you're watchingblue mangrove.
Have you seen Blue Mangrove? Well, when I did it, though, it
(45:07):
wasn't that. It's been a while.
And back then they just spit stuff in each other's mouth, you
know? How they have screens and?
Stuff. But back then, well, they're not
even more They're out of Chicago.
Yeah, well, still in Vegas, though.
I think, Dear and Evan Hansen, that you will be found here on
the final curriculum. I think.
I think we'll go a minus. I think again, if I see the show
(45:35):
and I saw it in person and I could hear the music and really
feel it, then I get that. I get like all hot and bothered
by this music, you know what I mean?
You don't ever have to say that again.
Well, but even I guess some of the other this some of the shows
on this list that I'll just get into like the Wicked mode and
I'll just listen to a bunch of Wicked songs, you know, or
(45:58):
Hamilton or. But you're only doing The thing
is, you're only doing songs you've heard, you've seen.
In my day, because I wanted to hear the music and we I couldn't
see them because they really didn't come to Chicago.
I wouldn't live in Chicago. So I would listen to the album
first. I listen to Hamilton probably 20
times before I saw it and I had an idea.
(46:18):
But then you don't really, because you're like, well, who
is this guy? And you're like, oh, that's
somebody totally different, you know, so, right.
But I at least that I like to goin knowing.
I did the same thing with Haiti's town.
I wanted to go in knowing a little bit so I wasn't
completely, you know, out of it.I like to be pleasantly
surprised. I think that's the best way for
me to, to live react and, and really be like, wow, this is
(46:42):
instead of have the picture in my head.
You know, much like when you people who have listened to like
the, for example, my radio show when I was in college, they'd be
like, wow, you sound a lot different than you look.
I always took that as a little bit of an insult.
I definitely have a face for radio, but that's neither here
(47:04):
nor there. And so I didn't want to have an
idea in my head about what this show, what any of these shows
are before going to see it. This, I'll tell you, Dear Evan
Hansen, though, it's there's a song called Requiem.
And it's the the kid who dies atthe very beginning is his
parents and his sister and everybody's making a big deal
(47:27):
out of him for because of what'sgoing on.
And the sister is like, he was acrappy person.
Let's be honest, he was not goodto me.
Why are we making this big deal out of this?
And the dad's like, I tried so hard and he never had anything
to do with me. And the mother is like just
(47:48):
lost. And so that song just tears me
up. There's a song called so big, so
small that she sings Evan Hansen's mother sings to him
toward the end about when his father moved out and just tears
you up, makes you want to cry. But then there's some the funny
ones. There's there's they have a a
funny character in this, his best friend who's his mother and
(48:11):
and hit the two moms are friends.
And so they're like you need to hang out with Evan.
So he forces to. But he's kind of a funny, funny
release and you know, because you need you need some breaks.
But anyway, I loved your I gave.I would give Dear Evan Hansen an
A or an A+ in my book. Yeah.
The next one, though, come from.Away A plus for real and it's
(48:34):
probably my favorite or one of my favorite shows and it's my
wife's favorite and it's we're going to see it next month in
Aurora about 911 the day after when all the planes were in the
sky they shut down the airspace.All the planes that were coming
from Europe had to land somewhere so they land in Gander
NL, which is about as Far East as you can get.
(48:55):
It is used to be a huge airport there and all before jets, all
the planes coming from America would have to stop their refuel
so they get over. So they had this kind of unused
airport and they were like, I think it's like 7000 people live
in that town and about the same amount of people landed and had
to stay there for like 3 days. And so it's true stories of how
(49:15):
people managed. It's emotional so I know you're
not going to like it. The song I'm singing where I'm
playing here though, you're. Singing for us now I'm.
Going to sing this one because Ithink I'd do a better job than
her name is Q Smith. But this is, they're just landed
and they're, they, they bring out all these phones to try to
(49:36):
get people to call because they got to tell people, hey, we're
stuck in Newfoundland. And she's trying to reach her
son, who was a fireman in New York City.
Oh. And this is this is her quick
story. It's a very short, very
emotional though. Let's take a listen here on the
Vinyl Curriculum I. Am pure.
I am here on an island. Hello.
(50:01):
Hello. It's me again.
Yeah, my son. He's with rescue too.
And he knows I'm home. Mom, I should be there for my
son. But instead I am here.
I am here. She leaves message after message
for her son. Yeah, that is pretty powerful,
(50:24):
even for no hearty Grinch boy over here.
Yeah, you know. I'm not going to tell you how it
ends. You got to go see it.
I know great if you have listen though, if you have Apple TV,
just like you know how Hamilton is on Disney Plus, Disney Plus,
they did the same thing with on Apple TV right toward the end of
(50:46):
COVID. They went and filmed the
original Broadway cast of this. So it's just, it's not a movie,
you know, and it's just amazing.So Apple TV's try to watch it.
If you can't, go see it. The song though, I am here.
Did your heart grow a little bit?
(51:06):
That really, maybe I mean it. It fluttered.
It fluttered a little bit, I think.
Crickets. All right, what are you giving?
It yeah, but this falls back into one person standing alone
(51:30):
on on stage singing. I think it is pretty powerful
and and she does a very good job.
So I think for that we'll give it just a straight.
BI am going to I want to like why are you so opposed to a
single person singing? Does that mean no, that you are
you can't connect. You can't you can't emotionally
(51:55):
connect with a person. Poor fiance.
I need to talk to her because you're.
It's like you can't connect. No, I I can't.
Well, it's not even just that. I'm of Broadway and why I said
this at the start of the show. I like the show business aspect
of it, right? This is I like the lights, the
(52:18):
big marquee, big show. And when one person comes out
and just starts singing, that just does not do it for me.
Even though it's just, it's like, so it's like saying it,
we've talked about this. It's like you.
It's like saying, I don't like dramas, I only want comedies.
Well, after a while you need don't you get tired of it?
(52:40):
You want to? I'm moved by something.
I think it's important to remember though that the story
on a song like this from your prior criteria is a non factor.
But just her. I didn't have to say a word.
You could tell from what she said.
If you listen to the lyrics, youcould tell what's going on.
(53:00):
She's telling you, right. All right, we're going to have
to move on now. This one, this is what we saw
together. The next one?
Hades Town. Yeah, way down in Hades Town.
Very. I like this show a lot.
It was very New Orleans jazz. Good.
Interesting story, very great. Just like we come from away the
(53:23):
band and it's a band that's likea fiddle player and it's it's
very upbeat. They're sitting on the stage.
And the same thing was with Hades Town.
They're sitting on the stage, they're dancing, they're coming
around. Those those folks were talented.
Not only were they dancing, but they were playing in a trombone
or whatever. I thought it was very
interesting. This is all I've ever known and
(53:46):
I know you're going to hate thissong because this is one of the
emotional ones in there. There's plenty of other good
ones in this show, this is not one of them.
I love it. All I've ever known from 80s
town. Let's take a listen.
I was lone so long I didn't evenknow that I was lonely out in
the cold. So long I didn't even know that
(54:09):
I was cold. Just how dark and cold it gets.
All I've ever known is how to hold my own.
All I've ever known is that songis pretty good.
And I do. I remember when we saw it, I
(54:31):
remember thinking, I like the little piano part of the
beginning where she's like, likethat.
She was what? OK, you know.
Norah Jones is No, she sounds like Norah Jones to me.
OK, I don't want to say a jazzy soft piano player who sings and
(54:53):
sounds like that to me. I think I'll still give it AB
plus OK, which is higher than I bet you expected, but it does
it. It's not I.
I enjoy the multiple instrumentsas well.
I think that helps add to the spectacle of it all, as it were,
(55:14):
instead of just someone standingon stage.
Black light. But you know Dang well if if you
had not seen that show and I played you that song, you would
have given AB minus, you know? I don't know what you're
talking. About what grade do you give the
show? I think the show is is NA minus
I think there is there is a lot of hidden gems in the show but
(55:39):
it's it's not the my most favorite show I've ever seen of
all time. It was different.
Yeah. It was different, but I liked
you had gods, you had muses, youhad humans, you had it was just
an interesting story and it was it's Greek mythology that the
lady kind of and the interestingthing about it, it was a folk
(55:59):
singer wrote it as a performancepiece type thing.
And then they she had some friends sing with her and then
someone saw it and said, oh, let's turn it into a Broadway
show. So it and then they worked on
it. So it's kind of a weird way it
became about, but still very good. 1A Tony for Best Picture,
(56:20):
Best Musical. Very good, but I would recommend
for sure. Yeah, the last one, I'm trying
to do something upbeat. This is 6.
It's about Henry the Eighth's six wives, and it's starts off
like a con. It's like a concert.
(56:40):
So each one comes out and sings and then they tell the audience,
you know, they're kind of bit bickering it with like, well, I
had it bad because I was beheaded and I had it bad
because whatever. And so they were going to
everybody's going to tell their story and then they're going to
ask the audience to vote. It's very audience.
It's very Mama me ish. Everybody.
They wanted you to be up dancing.
(57:00):
A lot of fun. Anyway.
This this one, though, is talking about they're
introducing themselves to the crowd.
The six wives. The six wives ex wives.
Well. They're all ex wives.
That's why it's called ex wives.Yeah, and some of them are ex
alive, right? Well, they're all dead at this
(57:23):
point, but yeah. No, all right.
Ex Wives, A musical called Six. I've never even heard of this
one. So this is, yeah, it's a good
one. This is interesting.
Let's take a listen. Listen up.
Let me tell you a story, A storythat you think you've heard.
(57:57):
This is like a futuristic like big bass, fun musical sounding,
not like I have pictured it. Well, granted, if someone told
me you're going to see a musicalabout one of America's founding
fathers, Alexander Hamilton, I would say you're crazy.
(58:18):
That's just good though. It was just fun.
I mean, it's fun. And you've seen the show.
Yeah, one of them actually Karenthat I watched on PBS, they had
like a little miniseries about his ex wives and one of them was
a German royalty and he wanted to know what she looked like
(58:42):
because he was trying to find out another.
And so he had somebody come paint a picture of her and
brought it back. Well, he said, OK, well, I'll
bring her over here. I'll marry her.
We'll he she got here. He didn't like the way she
looked, so they got married. But in the song or the song she
sings, she's got a German accentand it's very techno.
And then news flash, she ends updivorcing him and keeping like a
(59:10):
like a big property in England. So she was rich when it was all
said and done. Like some of them he cut their
heads off or. Yeah, how does that?
Die Well, one was having an affair.
One, the one he in theory loved,he had a child with.
She died in childbirth. That's a really Heart of Stone
is the song she sings. It's very slow when I would have
(59:31):
played that one, but I know you would have not liked it.
Yeah, that's what it would have been.
But listen to the soundtrack because that's a good one,
because you'll you'll, you'll beable to hear from each one of
the singers which their little story, it's pretty funny.
I'd give that that one an A minus.
OK, I think. And I'd give it an A the show
(59:51):
itself. The show itself.
Karen liked it too. Yeah.
All right. Well, it was.
It was. We got through Logan.
We got through it. I said let's do Broadway, and
you're like, OK. And then as I was doing, I'm
like, I don't know about this, but I think.
It's hard, like I said, but every one of these shows I've
really like and I like the soundtracks to them all, so.
(01:00:15):
This is an eclectic show. This is an eclectic genre of
music. And I think overall for the
songs chosen today, I think, I think we got to go a minus
still, even though there was there was some that I wasn't a
fan of. But as you said, I think because
(01:00:38):
I haven't seen the show, I can'tappreciate them as much as I
should be able to so. And, you know, if you can, if
it's chronological, so you can see how it changed.
The theater sounds change over time.
Now we've got techno beats and all this kind of stuff or live
bands that are moving around with the stage and that used to
(01:00:59):
they were down in the pit and you never saw them.
It's just so different now. Yeah.
So it's evolved, but yeah, I hope, I hope people like it.
My grade then for me. I will give you an A because I
thought it was going to get something.
I thought it was going to be terrible.
No, you I told you I like Broadway music.
I feel like your heart has slightly grown.
Not quite 3 sizes. Then no, it's no, I don't think
(01:01:21):
it's going to happen to you, butall right, Well, thanks, Logan.
It was a lot of. Fun.
Thank you for bringing this great playlist.
Thank you for listening, those of you, whether you're in the
car, you know you're in the bathroom, wherever you're at, we
appreciate you listening. Be sure to follow us on social
media, Instagram, Facebook, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and
(01:01:46):
all sorts of other podcast platforms because I think we're
on them all now, which is great.And give us your feedback in the
social media, on our social media pages.
Yeah, we, we want to make this show as best as we can, and we
want to hear what you think of it, whether it's good, bad or
ugly. I know most of it's good because
I'm on it. I'm on the show.
It's OK. Yikes.
(01:02:07):
All right. Well, thanks, Jim.
We'll catch you all on the next one.
Bye.
Every record tells a story. Independent labels.
I think a lot of interesting songs came out of that.
And every generation has a soundtrack.
The only hip you have in your body is made of titanium.
This is the final curriculum with Logan.
Apparently I don't know very much about anything.
Somebody calls her Tay Tay. Welcome back to another episode
(00:26):
of The Vinyl Curriculum. This is episode 1615. 15.
Man, we've got so many episodes.I'm losing track here, Jim, how
we doing? I'm.
Great. Are you?
Yeah, but you know, you're really in that intro.
You're really yelling. I'm excited.
I'm excited to be here every week and I'm trying to pass on
(00:47):
that enthusiasm to the listeningaudience and try and get you a
little bit more amped up. We're recording this on a
Monday, You know, I feel like you got a little bit of case in
the Monday Blues. No, I don't had a great weekend.
I went to my son was turned 25, went to an Oktoberfest event in
the city. It was so much fun.
Oh well, I went to a wedding so we had equally as fun weekends.
(01:10):
Not as fun as this weekend's going to be because it's my
birthday, but anyway. 2627. 27 that's yeah, that's how old I am
a. Mere child.
I am. I'm a I'm a little baby.
Logan, this is I'm I'm very worried about this week, this of
all the weeks, 15 weeks into this, I'm terrified because this
(01:31):
is Broadway. Broadway.
I don't know you like some Broadway.
You and I went and saw a show. We did.
Earlier this year, which is in this, but I don't know if you
have the emotional capacity to appreciate some of these older
Broadway shows. I think I do.
(01:52):
I listen to the playlist as I did last week.
Did you really? I really did.
I listened to it in the car. Scout's honor.
Scout's honor. OK, I don't know.
I don't know. I wasn't a scout.
No, I don't know what that means.
So that. So you just.
Lied. I just lied through my teeth.
But I did listen to the playlistand I made some comments to you
on the way up here, which I'm sure we'll talk about throughout
(02:15):
the course of the show today. But I think we just go right
into the first song here, which is.
This is from A Chorus Line, which was the first show I ever
saw. Like the first Broadway show.
This is what is the name A chorus line.
A Chorus Line. From 1975, I think I saw it
around 19801980, something like that in Memphis 'cause I was
(02:36):
living in Mississippi and we went to Memphis with my friend
Nancy Lee. Shout out to Nancy Lee, 'cause
she listens sometimes and fell in love with it.
OK, so let's listen. This is just a silly song.
There's some other songs that are, you know, I think when
people think of A Chorus Line, they might think of other songs.
I just thought this was a funny song and I remember it well.
(02:59):
OK first song. Song called Sing.
Sing from a chorus line. All right, let's take a listen
here on the vinyl curriculum. I really couldn't sing.
I could never really sing. What I couldn't do was sing.
It goes all around my It's a terrifying.
I'm terrific at us guys are coming in there.
(03:25):
You want to talk about yelling? There's a little bit of yelling
there. Yes, she's trying to sing.
She Can't Sing. Sounds like me if I was trying
to sing is what? Sounds like we've heard that.
Do you know what A Chorus Line was even about?
I have no idea. So it was a true like they
interviewed all these people whowere on Broadway, typically in
(03:49):
the chorus, you know, dancers and stuff.
Kind of what tell us about your life story.
And then they they took those stories and made them into this
show with the people who were writing the story.
So it's pretty fascinating. So this was a brother and
sister. She was a great dancer, but she
couldn't sing. Wow.
(04:10):
And so and then there's other ones where, you know, a guy was
gay, but he his sister used to take dance lessons.
She didn't like it. And he went one day and grabbed
her tap shoes and started going to dance classes and fell in
love. And just, there's love stories,
all that kind of stuff. But anyway, it's kind of
interesting. And then it's the fact that it
(04:31):
was so successful and then thosepeople got residual payments
from it because it was their story.
And it went on for years and years and years.
When when did it make its debut?This was in 75.
Did it win a Tony? I think it did, yeah.
But remember back then, like I was going to put hair in here,
(04:52):
but I never. I'm trying to do songs that I
saw. Hair was like in the midst the
late 60s and when you look at hair, which was like, you know,
they were nude, it was rock. It was compared to what was out
at the time. It was like My Fair Lady and
Funny Girl and like totally different.
And I can see the attraction. I think the same thing with
(05:13):
this. This was so different from what
people were used to seeing. Well, I think we saw the similar
thing was when Hamilton came along, where it's like once in a
while, all of a sudden a musicalcome out that totally just
breaks the mold that is totally different than everything that's
available. And I, I've never heard of this
musical, but it sounds like fromwhat you're saying, that's kind
(05:36):
of what happened with this one. So it's like I said, they were
all in the chorus, right, Right,right.
So at the end they all line up and they're wearing gold outfits
and they're doing the one singular succession and they're,
I don't know if you ever heard that song, but and they're doing
almost like the Rockettes and they got the hats and it's just
very typical A Chorus Line. I think they made a movie about
(05:58):
it like in the 80s. I don't even think I saw it
because I didn't want this. I didn't want to because I think
they kind of, you know, how sometimes when they make movies,
they'll make, they'll add songs,take songs away, and I didn't.
Know yeah, they dramatized it for movie.
So I, I don't, I don't know whatit was like, but I love, I love
that show. It was about set.
There were 17 dancers and they were all like in theory
(06:20):
auditioning for the show. And then they would say tell us
about and then so a lot of a lotof personal experience.
So did you choose these songs bait like to represent the whole
show for me or what? I struggle because what one it's
like you're telling someone you got to see this movie.
(06:43):
What one clip are you going to play that's going to make?
And so I didn't want to necessarily put the stuff that
everybody knew. I mean, obviously you didn't
know this, but you're a child, but you know, everybody would
know the one course long horse line song.
There's a lot of like I don't know, at the ballet was another
one of my favorite ones. There's one called Dance 10
(07:07):
Looks 3 and she's singing about how she's a great dancer, but
she was not very attractive. So she went to the doctor and
got breast rid of breast enlargements and now she's
getting all the parts So and it and it's the chorus of that has
some explicit words in it. So, but I remember at 15
(07:32):
thinking, Oh my goodness, they're saying, you know, and
everybody was laughing. I'm like, Oh my goodness, is
this what adults do? Well, hilarious that was.
Yeah. That was back in the old days
when, you know, Carson would, you know, Yeah.
Anyway, first on though, I you know the the screaming is a
little alarming. What she's telling us, she's
(07:54):
trying to explain to you how shecannot.
Right, but it's it's hard for meto visualize that when I have no
idea what the body even is the story.
That's true. That's why I said I'm very
nervous about this. You know.
Being honest with, granted. Granted, there is some big
moments in that song, you know, And I part of what I like about
(08:14):
Broadway musical and a Broadway song is the grandiose nature of
it. And it's big show, it's a big
ensemble, it's a big orchestra sound, and this has a little bit
of it, but then it goes into thescreaming in the distance.
Well, it ends though you cut it off.
It ends with them all coming in singing for her.
I did hear that. I heard it.
(08:34):
I heard it. That's why I think we got to
start off with just AB and it's not going to be any lower than
AB and. That was the gracious.
But I like Broadway musicals though, so this is a much like
90s dance. This, I think, will be a pretty,
maybe fairly graded episode, we'll say.
(08:55):
That being said, song #2. So what do you know about Evita?
I don't know much about Evita you.
Didn't even see the one that themovie with Madonna.
I have not she. Actually did a nice job I
thought. OK.
Evita was, it took place, it wasAva Peron.
She kind of slept her way to. She was a nobody and she kind of
slept her way to the top. She ended up marrying the
(09:19):
president and then they there was a lot of controversy about
were they stealing money? Everybody either loved her or
hated her. And this song is, is the guy
from Mandy Padinka or something like that.
He was in, in like 1 of the shows.
Yeah, he's been, he was in Yentl.
(09:41):
He was in, he's been in a coupleof these Broadway shows from
this one, very popular. He became an actor.
Mandy somebody. Anyway, he's singing kinda
Mandy. Pandinka, I think, was a person.
I don't know. I'll look it up.
But anyway, he's kind of summarizing her rise to the top.
OK, OK. And then what is the name of the
(10:02):
song? I flying adored.
I flying adored. Yeah, and it starts off a little
weird. So if you listen to the podcast,
you know how they'll they'll continue from one song to the
other. We're going to the the playlist
is going to have it. We'll cut that part out, but
you'll hear it's a little weird.And then he goes into the song.
All right, let's take a listen here on the vinyl curriculum.
(10:24):
High flying so young. Instant queen.
A rich beautiful thing. You'll be drained of all the
young ladies. That has given me a Phantom of
(10:47):
the Opera vibes. Yeah, and you said that's not
the guy who played fan of the Opera.
Michael Crawford. OK.
And his name is. This guy's name is Manny.
Patinkin, I think. Patinkin.
Patinkin. That's what it says on Google.
Anyway, like he was, I forgot what the TV show he was on
Chicago Hope or something like that.
Oh, as an actor. But he's done all kinds of
(11:08):
stuff. He was a Princess Bride.
He was in that, too. Yeah, so was Andre the Giant.
Yeah, but anyway. Yeah, I think this is back to
Here's one person on stage singing a song.
That's Evita singing. Now that's Pei Lupone.
Yeah. It's an interesting you need to
(11:32):
watch the movie because the Madonna did.
I had read that she really wanted that part so bad.
Madonna. Madonna and she did a really
nice job. I thought some people hated it,
but I thought. You did nice.
Well, I think I mean every musical made movie someone's
going to hate unless it's just arecording of the show.
Like Hamilton, I think is comingout with like a movie theater
(11:55):
version of it that came out on Disney Plus where they like did
the original cast Broadway recording, but.
And that was great because I could do the closed captioning.
Yeah, help with the rap. Yeah, this one though, Flying
high. Adored, I think we got to go B
minus. It's just not not my cup of tea
for even though like it towards the end there it it starts to
(12:15):
become more grandiose and and less I'm just going to stand on
stage and sing. Reminds me of like American Idol
or something where it's just like the whole stage is dark and
it's just a spotlight on one person.
This is amazing. Well those are usually the show
stoppers. Well, you, you have the two type
of show stoppers, like the curtain calls, like the end of
(12:36):
act one or something where everybody's out there and they
wow you. And we have a few of those in
the air. But then there's also the ones
where someone just gets up thereand they're telling you their
story and you're feeling for them and then they they blow you
away at the end. They get standing ovations.
So there's both kinds. I love to be, you know, you
know, don't cry for me. Argentina, right?
(12:58):
That was from here. I think so.
I probably would if I I'm sometimes bad with recognizing
names of songs, but that one sounds vaguely familiar so.
And then all right, so the next one I did not see.
I've seen all of these, but I did not I I have seen all of
these, but I have not seen Dreamgirls.
I saw the movie, but it I was, Iguess, I don't know.
(13:21):
I don't know if it came through or what, but Jennifer Holiday
was the one who sings this song and dissed it and win the Tony.
But I think she got a Tony as a performance.
I see OK, and this is a song called and I am telling you you
I'm not going. And I'm telling you, I'm not
going and I'm putting this in there because of the her, the
(13:43):
way she sings. This is just mind blowing and
this was a standing ovation. I'm sure every night she sang it
so. Yeah.
And what, when is this from? Is this race?
Is 80 no 82? These are kind of chronological.
I see. All right, he's.
Still older, I was still in highschool.
All right, let's take a listen to Jennifer Holiday here on the
final curriculum. Wow, that was grand there at the
(14:37):
end, starting off kind of similar to some of the other
ones, but that the intro, I guess you could call it intro,
right? The beginning part of that tune
was kind of quintessential 80s sound, 80s musical sounding.
I don't know what that sound is,but that just that's.
What I thought the beginning or the ending?
The. Beginning the ending was was
(14:57):
more showy. I guess it's the word.
Yeah, right, Showy. That Dream Girls.
So that was a movie with Beyoncé.
It had Eddie Murphy, it had Jamie Foxx, and it had instead
of Jennifer Holiday, it was Jennifer Hudson.
You know, she was a American Idol and she was from Chicago.
(15:18):
She played this part and she didjust a nice of a job on that.
But it was kind of loosely basedon The Supremes kind of.
And she's one of the big singersin the this girl group, and
they're kind of kicking her out.And she's like, no, I'm not
going. Yeah, again, it's it's hard for
me to visualize, you know, the the whole vibe of the show and
(15:42):
just to pick out one song is tough.
But I mean again, I am a Broadway fan, so I think going
with a fair grade of AB on that one is fair from my point of
view. I'm sure if you were at the show
and you saw this person singing this song and then everybody.
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
(16:03):
And I you know. And I didn't, I didn't see this
one, but I, I just just listening in the car and I turn
it up and I'm singing along and.I think that's the case with any
show though, because even when we went to see Hades Town, which
we'll hear a song from in a little bit, I listened to some
of the album like this is not mycup of tea at all.
But now it's like it's consistently on repeat.
(16:26):
Just because I saw the show. I'm like, wow, you know, this is
this is really good. The.
Connection in the lore. Yeah, so the.
Connection in lore. This is the other one I didn't
see Big River. It's based on Huckleberry Finn
and I again, I'm doing it because the guy who's singing
Jim just has the best voice ever.
(16:47):
The guy who does Huckleberry Finn kind of sounds nasally and
he kind of gets on my nerves, but this other guy is worth
listening to. This guy's Daniel Jenkins is
who's who's singing this song? I don't know who would that is.
I know Rodger Miller is the guy who wrote Big Big River and he's
was like a comedian, a singer, used to be on the, you know,
(17:10):
very family friendly, popular inthe 60s.
And I guess toward the end of his career he wrote this musical
and it was pretty big. I remember when I went to New
York City with my cousin, we were, we went downtown and I
remember Big River was up. Phantom of the Opera was, you
(17:31):
know, all these different. Well, maybe Phantom wasn't up.
Yet I think Phantom was in the 80s.
Yeah, Cats was up, but I remember taking a picture of my
roommate and I really like this musical.
I took a picture of the Big River marquee.
Yeah, yeah, this says Daniel Jenkins.
It was the artist listed and normally Apple Music is pretty
good about picking who you know sang the song.
(17:54):
But there's two guys. There's the the guy who's
playing gym and the guy who's doing.
Huckleberry fan. Oh, all right.
Well, while you look at that, let's take a listen Muddy Water
here on a vinyl curriculum. And I got a knee.
(18:30):
Little Muddy water action? Is that the name of another
album? Feel like it was Muddy Waters.
There's the name of a Blues singer, yeah.
This one sounds like it was recorded live.
I don't know. I know like some of the newer
ones, they all kind of I think go into the studio and do it
like for the recording. This one just has.
(18:53):
I don't know if it's more reverbor something or if I'm just
like. I don't crazy.
I think they always did did in studio.
I don't know if they did it. Live this one, there's a lot
more reverb here so I don't know, it sounds like they're in
a bigger space, but. Either white void.
Well, no, not, not just a white void, but you know, in a
(19:17):
probably Broadway theatre. I know, I don't think.
Yeah, they release it ahead of time.
See, they they always release the music, the music ahead of
time before the thing. So people get an idea.
By the way, the guy singing was Ron Richardson.
The other guy, this Daniel Jenkins at Spotify, that's just
the the white guy who has that nasally voice that kind of
(19:39):
ruined it. But anyway, it's good.
It's got like gospel music in it.
It's very Americana. It's a good story.
I don't know, I haven't, I haven't seen the show but love
the musical. I think the music, I think we'll
go B plus that's that's a littlebit more my speed for as far as
(20:01):
musicals are concerned. This next 1 is different.
It's a little slower, but I still like it.
One Day More by Les Mis. I've never seen it.
Or from Les Mis, I should say. I've never seen the show.
I've seen bits and pieces of themovie, but I've never seen the
full movie. But I also know that from what I
(20:23):
understand, the movie was not asgood.
I hated the movie. I've heard that from multiple
people. Hugh Jackman, I mean, he's a
nice guy and he was good and thegreatest showman, but oh, it was
painful. Les Mis was my favorite musical
for years and years and years. I've probably seen it, I don't
know, 3 or 4 times. Love it.
The stage with the rote. It was the first thing I ever
(20:44):
show I ever saw. They had a rotating stage.
It was a barricade. And next thing you know it
lifted up and it it was the citystreetscape of, you know, in
France. And they had to go back down to
be a barricade and you'd see who's on each side and then a
guy jumps off a bridge and it sweeps them away.
It's just the theatrics of it were amazing.
(21:05):
This song, though, is kind of like you're talking about.
This is the ensemble. And if I'm not mistaken, this is
the end of the first act. So everybody, all the
storylines, you hear all the storylines are happening in this
song. Getting ready for the finale
after you go get your popcorn and take a potty break.
This was 87. So I was in college and I had
(21:27):
the soundtrack. I remember when I graduated
college, I was working. I'd listen to it but I didn't
see it for probably 3 or 4 years.
Did you see it on Broadway or did you see it off Broadway?
I saw almost everything in Memphis.
Oh, until, you know, till I moved to Illinois.
But the only thing I saw in Memphis was in Broadway was
(21:48):
Phantom of the Opera. And we saw Blood Brothers.
I think we talked about that with Petulia Clark, your little
friend. From the 60s.
Yeah. All right.
Well, one day More by this is Cindy Benson and Jesse Cordy.
I have. No idea.
That's what it says. It's.
(22:08):
A bunch of and ensemble everybody.
Else, obviously we can't trust that based on the last song.
So let's take a listen here on the vinyl curriculum and some
impartial grading as usual. One day more, another day,
another Destiny. The Snuggle, Randy.
Road to Calvary My place is hereI fight with.
(22:32):
You one day more. One day more.
That's a great song and it's this is what I was talking about
(22:52):
with classic kind of big ensemblee song.
And, and I can't imagine it's a surprise to you that I like this
vibe if I like the grandiose. Right, but I didn't want a whole
playlist of that. Right.
I'm trying to mix it up. I'm trying to be eclectic.
And you wouldn't. Eclectic and I want.
(23:13):
You to that says that. This so you're attracted to like
the spectacle of it all. I'm trying to remember how we
you got the little bit baby, little wrench heart and we're
trying to grow him. I want you to get some of the
emotion of some of the other songs because although that was
great because Les Mis is very complicated.
(23:34):
You've got all these different storylines going on and love
interests and people die and people adopt their children and
then the police are looking for people.
It's just, you know, it's a really thick book by Hugo.
Or who was it? Hugo, Victor Hugo.
(23:54):
Yeah, old book. But anyway, they took this made
into musical and it's so it's sointeresting and the music is
great. There's slow songs.
There's a slow song called Castle on the Cloud.
I used to sing to Grace, to put her to sleep, you know, and so.
Yeah, I mean, I it's not necessarily just a spectacle,
but I like when multiple people are included.
(24:14):
There's like, you know, even with for like Haiti's Town, for
example, first song is just kindof introducing people and that
isn't necessarily the biggest spectacle of the show, but it
includes a lot of the ensemble, which I think is is part of what
I like. This one though from Les Mis, I
(24:37):
think, I think we got to go a minus for Les Mis.
We got to, we got to bust up into that a category that.
Should have been an A Logan because that's very powerful.
If you had been there, you wouldhave.
It would have. Been.
I'm sure I'm sure it would have been, but I want to.
I want. To add 1/2 of a grade to every
one of yours because if you you haven't seen any of them except
for Hades down. And I saw Hamilton too, and Lion
(24:58):
King and Wicked OK. So I've seen later.
OK, good. Yeah.
There's there's still plenty to go here.
One more where I'll be adding and then we won't be adding
anymore. Yeah.
This one hold on by Daisy Egan and Allison Frazier.
I don't know. We don't know who these people
are, but this is from what show.It's called The Secret Garden
(25:20):
and it was kind of a quaint little we saw it in Champagne,
like in a very small venue and Ilove the music.
And so I've been listening to the soundtrack again.
One, one of the guys on the soundtrack has a really deep,
powerful voice, but it takes, I don't know if it's Scotland or
Ireland. So they have this Scottish
(25:41):
accents, you know. So the one now is like the maid
is the maid is talking to the garden to the daughter, the
daughter of the man who's not very his, his the girl's dad
died. The the girl's mom died and the
dad is kind of removed himself because he's depressed and so
(26:02):
she's kind of raising him. She's the maid.
I'm not comprehending anything you're saying.
Just so you know, you're saying so many directions that I, I
just cannot keep up with what you're saying.
A man's wife died. OK, he's depressed.
He's kind of ignoring his child.All right, all right, the.
Maid is raising the child and she's singing to this kid.
(26:22):
Hold on. OK, thank you.
Thank you for the simplified my tiny little welcome P brain
can't keep up with. Your tiny little heart.
Yeah. All right, hold on.
I'm going to hold on and see what my grade will be here on
the final curriculum. What?
You've got to do is finish. I don't know, just.
(26:44):
It's not all until you've won when you see the.
Storm is coming. That is grand and I know it just
(27:07):
kills you that I have to talk over that.
I know I could see it in your face.
But it's not everybody in the ensemble singing with her, so
I'm expecting AB minus out of this for me.
No, I think it it's it has a little bit more energy than some
of the other songs, which is is part of it for me too.
As we've established with every other episode of this show,
(27:27):
you've got to have good energy. Obviously none of these songs
are get up and dance songs, so this should show to you that I
can show some diversity with my grading and what I like, and not
every song that I like has to besomething that I'm dancing to.
This is a good thing. This is a good thing.
So you're giving it an A plus. No, I'd give it AB plus though.
All right, B plus for effort. OK, for sure.
(27:51):
Yeah, it's a good. I mean, though, I don't, I just
don't know. I love the music and I I was
captivated. I didn't know it when I saw the
show and I was captivated by it.So it made me want to listen.
So now, so you said, you know the next one, Lion King?
Yep. Now this is 1.
You know, it started off as a movie.
Right. And then they made the show.
By the way, The Secret Garden was 91.
(28:11):
This is 97 The Lion King. This is one of the songs I
believe they added to the musical that was not in the
movie, I think. Yeah, I guess I should have
checked that. Out.
I think so too. We I was good friends or not
good friends, but I was friends with one of the people who
played Simba on Broadway and I think now he travels around.
(28:34):
He's in the touring version. So go see the touring version of
Lion King. That's what I usually see.
Yeah, but They Live in You by The Lion King Ensemble and
Samuel E Wright. So I don't know if that's do we
know what character he plays? I'm.
(28:54):
Going to be very honest to you, I don't care.
I don't care who sings these songs.
I don't care. They're Broadway people.
All right, Broadway people, let's take a listen here on the
vinyl curriculum, some Lion King.
Briar. And the spirit of life.
(29:28):
Yeah, that's a little bit more grand.
It took a while to get there, but here we are.
I can't even think. I was trying to think about
where like what was happening while this song was going on in
the show, like what part of the show this was from.
I couldn't do it. It's been, it's been so long
since I've seen Lion King. MUFAS is teaching Simba about
(29:51):
past generations and remember like the stars were like
showing. And Oh yeah, I remember.
That that movie, that show, though, when it first, when it
first opened up and those puppets came out, you know the
yeah, the people dressed up as saying it just was like, I was
in awe. Yeah, it is awe inspiring.
(30:14):
That was like, I want to say, I mean, I guess I have a new cue.
Did I have any cue come out before that?
I don't know. I don't know.
But like one of the first Major League Broadway shows to utilize
puppets and they have some pretty incredible technology.
I don't know if how much you know about the puppets in that
(30:34):
show, but they are. I mean have a lot of hidden
technology in that. No, I don't know much.
I just what I saw, you know gazelles, they would be like
multiple on each arm and legs and.
The giraffe with the big tall neck like dance with that on is
impressive to say the least. The Lion King We got to give The
(30:55):
Lion King at least an A minus. You're just crucial.
You're just. There's so many other saw like
so many other. Did you eat?
Did you eat lunch before you didthis?
Yeah, no, but I also, I told, I told you I I'm feeling the side
effect of the flu shot and the COVID shot.
So you know what? So not only are the ones before
(31:16):
Lion King, we're going to add 1/2 of a grade, we're going to
add another half a grade becauseyou didn't eat and you're
feeling sorry for yourself because you had a COVID shot.
Yeah, the next one though, IdinaManzel all.
Right, I know you're going to gripe and complain about the
song choice on this, but this isone of my favorite songs on this
this soundtrack. Was this included in the first
movie? Did you see the first Wicked
(31:37):
movie? Yeah, I think it was.
I think it was too. I think it's the first I.
Think it's the first half like you know.
Yeah, the first act. Yeah, I think she's singing in
the. She's in the woods.
Yeah. And then he's.
Coming by or whatever. I'm Not That Girl by Idina
Menzel Quality, quality early work of Idina Menzel, right?
(32:00):
Not to be confused with her frozen appearance.
That's true. This is the first time I ever
heard of her and Kristin Chenowitz.
But since then she's done a lot of stuff that I've, you know,
she was in some TV shows and, and, and they've done other
things just like, I don't know if you know this, but Linwell
Miranda. Lin, Manuel Miranda.
(32:21):
Did instead of doing Hamilton hedid into the Heights before
that? Which one of Tony?
Yeah. Don't like it at all?
I haven't seen the end of the heights, but I don't.
Like the music, I've tried to listen to it, I just don't.
We can't do it. I'm Not That Girl by Idina
Menzel. That's what we're listening to
now on the vinyl curriculum. Then some thoughts.
Hands touch. Eyes meet.
(32:44):
Sudden silence, sudden heat. I wasn't born before the Rose
and the Perl. And Dina Manzel.
She's not that girl. No, no, it's no, she's not.
I don't know. It's just not not my favorite
(33:07):
from this show. There's so much other.
I'm not asking you is this? Your favorite?
I know that but. But can you not appreciate?
It I can appreciate it, but it'sjust not, it's not something
that I enjoy and that's allowed.You know why?
Because it's emotional and you're not.
I'm not. No, it's one girl pouring her
(33:27):
heart out to you, telling, telling you how miserable she is
because she wants this guy, but she's green and she can't.
Yes. Spoiler alert.
Spoiler alert. I mean, it's not my cup of tea,
but it is wicked. But I think we're going to we're
(33:51):
going to go solid B. You got to judge the song, you
cannot do the music. But that's that's the you're,
you're too far removed from thatnow because that it's part of
it. Now that I'm now that I'm
familiar with these musicals, I've seen, I've seen wicked all.
Right, let's change things up a little.
All right, What would you give Lion King the musical itself?
The Musical an A. OK, that's we'll just do that
(34:15):
and that's the only dank I'm wayI'm going to get an A out of
you. What would you give the musical
a Wicked? I'd give that an A too.
OK, that's good. Now but but but big big big old
butt. This next song, I already know
what the great is going to be. OK, so and you haven't seen the
show? I have not seen this show, but I
(34:36):
already know what the song this great is going to be.
So let's take a listen. We're not even going to say what
it is. All right.
And I think you'll enjoy it. Hello, My name is Elder Price
and I would like to share with you the most amazing book.
(34:58):
Now, now we're talking, Jim. That's the kind of musicals that
I like. That's from the Book of Mormon,
though I have never seen the show.
That is a solid A OK. That's a very it's written by
the people who did South Park, so it's very irreverent but very
(35:19):
touching actually. It's interesting.
I I really want to see it next time it comes to Chicago.
I think this is at. It's coming.
Probably they're advertising it.The top of the list for musicals
that I want to see now. You need to look because they're
advertising it. I know.
It's very good, very good. And I think that that was
another frozen guy. That was, yeah, the snowman
(35:43):
Olaf. What the heck is Josh?
Josh. Josh.
He. Was in Beauty and the Beast the
movie? Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
He was. He's a good guest on Little Guy.
He's a. Good.
He reminds me of Jack. Jack Black, kind of crazy,
chubby. The comic element, you know,
(36:08):
comedic element, but I'll that'sI love that show.
It was. Josh Gad, That's who it is.
Josh Gad was a. Good funny show.
And I, I kind of felt, I don't know, it, it wasn't just bashing
the Mormons. It was, it had a nice ending to
(36:28):
it and in fact in the Playbill there was an ad for the Mormon
church and it showed the Book ofMormon and it said read the book
is even better. Yeah, that's funny.
That was clever marketing right there.
This next show, though, needs nomarketing because of what it is,
a show called Hamilton, and thatwas probably one of Oh no, Yeah,
(36:54):
Hamilton's next, right? Yeah.
OK, Hamilton was this was probably the most that anyone in
this country has learned about history in a long, long time.
You know, it it it opened our eyes a little bit to the
wonderful history of the founderof the Treasury.
(37:15):
You were paying attention. I was, I was.
I've done a lot of, I've watcheda lot of things about this show,
so I know probably more than most people, but Schuyler
sisters. And this is there's an internal
fight going on right now betweenJim and Logan because this is
probably one of my favorite songs on here, except for Burn,
(37:36):
which I knew I couldn't play because it's just one person
singing with pouring her heart out.
And I knew he wasn't going to like that.
That's at the bottom of my list on him.
I'll listen to this, the track I'll list.
This is one of the few albums onApple Music I'll listen straight
through and I will skip over that song.
Stop it. I will hit the skip.
(37:57):
Button there are other ones I skip over.
No, the rap. Some of the just the rap is the
best. Are you kidding me?
No, this is where you and I justdisagree.
But we're going to have to agreewith.
This we are focusing on the Skyler sisters right now with a
very unique spelling of Skyler. But this is where we kind of
meet them. Yeah, in the show.
And you learn, you, and I love it because you learn a lot about
(38:17):
what's going on just from this little song.
Yeah, well, fun fact, after the song, I guess you heard the
Hamilton mixtape. We'll talk about that.
I don't know, here on the vinyl curriculum.
(38:37):
Angelica. I know it just kills you that I
have to talk over it, but I knowit.
The Schuyler sisters. And you said you haven't heard
the Hamilton mixtape? No.
(38:59):
From Weird Al Yankovic. Oh, but there's a there's a part
in there where they're talking about the, the sisters and it's
like, it's like polka, right? Yeah.
But they go, they say the sisters, and then they go,
Peggy. Yeah, 'cause she poor thing.
(39:19):
She's just kind of forgotten about all all throughout this
show. Yeah, this, this show is just
absolutely wonderful. What do you think about that
song, though? That particular song?
That's that's above burn for sure.
I think I got to still give it an A minus, OK, because it it
(39:41):
does utilize an ensemble, which I can appreciate.
I know you you don't like the gentleman at the beginning.
Who? Well, it's not that I don't like
him, but I don't. I didn't want you to.
We're limited on the podcast, right?
Right. Yeah, a minus for the Skylar
sisters. You know, I wanted to put in the
one where there's the two, one where how they how he meets and
(40:05):
they get married and then it's helpless.
Yeah. And then it's the other. 1.
Where she goes back and she no, the first one is how they marry
and then helpless is where she'slike she's telling her story,
her side of it, how she had to give.
No, helpless is where they're getting.
Married What's the Rewind 1? The rewind 1.
(40:27):
Yeah, I look at it. I.
Can't. I don't know what you're talking
about, but there's the I. Don't think you know?
You're not talking about after the like the Reynolds pamphlet,
right? And then then where they're
singing and and her sister comesand talks to you're not, that's
not what you're talking. About and then she's telling the
(40:48):
story about how she was she wanted him, but then her sister
came up and she's like, I got a she's I got to let her do it
because. You married an Icarus, right?
She's the oldest son. You can't do it because she's
supposed to marry for money and he doesn't have money.
Even though she liked him. She.
Yeah. Yeah.
Anyway, I'm assuming you gave the show an A.
(41:09):
Oh yeah. Absolutely.
Not an A+ though. That's about as darn close to an
A plus. I know we try not to give out A
pluses. We don't see Vanilla Ice, but
that was a fluke. No, that that was about as close
to an A+ as you can get for a show.
So it was wicked though. So I I really, really liked
wicked too. We didn't we had we sat in like
(41:30):
the literally the for all of these.
We've actually not had great seats.
We sat for The Lion King. We literally sat in the last row
of the balcony and it was fantastic.
And Hamilton, we were a lot closer, but we were, I was like
all the way on the left. So I missed part of the state,
like the, you know, Yeah. But it was it was still
(41:52):
fantastic for sure. By the way, the next one is the
Dear Evan Hansen one. You got that?
OK. This was, I wanted to see this
one really, really, really bad. And so I was waiting and waiting
and waiting. We finally, when they was coming
to Chicago, we got season tickets to, I think Trey was
just graduating high school and we were now going to be empty
(42:14):
net weight. No, that's too long ago.
Yeah, maybe by the time it came,maybe it was because it came out
in 2016, but it takes a while for it to come around, Brian.
Anyway. And so I Karen's like what you
want for your anniversary. I said let's just get these
Broadway in Chicago season tickets.
So it was a couple of years we did that.
It was so much fun, but I loved it and she didn't love it at
(42:37):
all. Yeah, it's, it's kind of a
different. It is sad.
It's a sad story, and I think that was the problem that she
couldn't get past. But the music of it just blew me
away. And then Ben plays the guy who
sings on the show. But when we saw in Chicago,
whoever that guy was just. Killed it some guy.
Yeah, he killed it. I've only seen the movie, so and
(42:59):
then the movie just kind of movies are always just weird
because like it it they're like act, but then it like just goes
spontaneously. The song, which I get that's
what happens on stage, but it's like it's just different.
I'm stop. Watching it because it was, I
think it's the same thing. I like the musical so much I
started watching. I'm like, I don't think I'm all
like this. And Ben Platt's like 29 and he's
(43:20):
trying to be a high schooler at this point.
And it's like, but this is you will be found.
And this is kind of the it's another just to refresh your
memory. He, he, he does the speech at
high school. He's, he's acting like he was
friends with this guy. He really wasn't, but he's
(43:40):
lonely and these circumstances happen.
So he's does this speech, which is from his heart and it kind of
catches on and it goes viral andit then things get out of hand
because now everybody thinks he they're buying into the story.
That's not real. Yeah, All right, well, let's
take a listen to Dear Evan Hansen here on the vinyl
(44:01):
curriculum. Have you ever felt like nobody
was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in
the middle of nowhere? That's kind of a cool effect
(44:25):
there, right towards where we just came in at with the the
telephone like affect people calling.
It's been probably 10-12 years since I've seen the movies so I
not super clear on what the plotwas, but this is a grandiose
(44:45):
song. They had a lot of like video
screens and like, it was very social media, so all these
screens would always show because it's like how it caught
up online. So it was very digitally and
technologically interesting to watch the show.
Like almost like you're watchingblue mangrove.
Have you seen Blue Mangrove? Well, when I did it, though, it
(45:07):
wasn't that. It's been a while.
And back then they just spit stuff in each other's mouth, you
know? How they have screens and?
Stuff. But back then, well, they're not
even more They're out of Chicago.
Yeah, well, still in Vegas, though.
I think, Dear and Evan Hansen, that you will be found here on
the final curriculum. I think.
I think we'll go a minus. I think again, if I see the show
(45:35):
and I saw it in person and I could hear the music and really
feel it, then I get that. I get like all hot and bothered
by this music, you know what I mean?
You don't ever have to say that again.
Well, but even I guess some of the other this some of the shows
on this list that I'll just get into like the Wicked mode and
I'll just listen to a bunch of Wicked songs, you know, or
(45:58):
Hamilton or. But you're only doing The thing
is, you're only doing songs you've heard, you've seen.
In my day, because I wanted to hear the music and we I couldn't
see them because they really didn't come to Chicago.
I wouldn't live in Chicago. So I would listen to the album
first. I listen to Hamilton probably 20
times before I saw it and I had an idea.
(46:18):
But then you don't really, because you're like, well, who
is this guy? And you're like, oh, that's
somebody totally different, you know, so, right.
But I at least that I like to goin knowing.
I did the same thing with Haiti's town.
I wanted to go in knowing a little bit so I wasn't
completely, you know, out of it.I like to be pleasantly
surprised. I think that's the best way for
me to, to live react and, and really be like, wow, this is
(46:42):
instead of have the picture in my head.
You know, much like when you people who have listened to like
the, for example, my radio show when I was in college, they'd be
like, wow, you sound a lot different than you look.
I always took that as a little bit of an insult.
I definitely have a face for radio, but that's neither here
(47:04):
nor there. And so I didn't want to have an
idea in my head about what this show, what any of these shows
are before going to see it. This, I'll tell you, Dear Evan
Hansen, though, it's there's a song called Requiem.
And it's the the kid who dies atthe very beginning is his
parents and his sister and everybody's making a big deal
(47:27):
out of him for because of what'sgoing on.
And the sister is like, he was acrappy person.
Let's be honest, he was not goodto me.
Why are we making this big deal out of this?
And the dad's like, I tried so hard and he never had anything
to do with me. And the mother is like just
(47:48):
lost. And so that song just tears me
up. There's a song called so big, so
small that she sings Evan Hansen's mother sings to him
toward the end about when his father moved out and just tears
you up, makes you want to cry. But then there's some the funny
ones. There's there's they have a a
funny character in this, his best friend who's his mother and
(48:11):
and hit the two moms are friends.
And so they're like you need to hang out with Evan.
So he forces to. But he's kind of a funny, funny
release and you know, because you need you need some breaks.
But anyway, I loved your I gave.I would give Dear Evan Hansen an
A or an A+ in my book. Yeah.
The next one, though, come from.Away A plus for real and it's
(48:34):
probably my favorite or one of my favorite shows and it's my
wife's favorite and it's we're going to see it next month in
Aurora about 911 the day after when all the planes were in the
sky they shut down the airspace.All the planes that were coming
from Europe had to land somewhere so they land in Gander
NL, which is about as Far East as you can get.
(48:55):
It is used to be a huge airport there and all before jets, all
the planes coming from America would have to stop their refuel
so they get over. So they had this kind of unused
airport and they were like, I think it's like 7000 people live
in that town and about the same amount of people landed and had
to stay there for like 3 days. And so it's true stories of how
(49:15):
people managed. It's emotional so I know you're
not going to like it. The song I'm singing where I'm
playing here though, you're. Singing for us now I'm.
Going to sing this one because Ithink I'd do a better job than
her name is Q Smith. But this is, they're just landed
and they're, they, they bring out all these phones to try to
(49:36):
get people to call because they got to tell people, hey, we're
stuck in Newfoundland. And she's trying to reach her
son, who was a fireman in New York City.
Oh. And this is this is her quick
story. It's a very short, very
emotional though. Let's take a listen here on the
Vinyl Curriculum I. Am pure.
I am here on an island. Hello.
(50:01):
Hello. It's me again.
Yeah, my son. He's with rescue too.
And he knows I'm home. Mom, I should be there for my
son. But instead I am here.
I am here. She leaves message after message
for her son. Yeah, that is pretty powerful,
(50:24):
even for no hearty Grinch boy over here.
Yeah, you know. I'm not going to tell you how it
ends. You got to go see it.
I know great if you have listen though, if you have Apple TV,
just like you know how Hamilton is on Disney Plus, Disney Plus,
they did the same thing with on Apple TV right toward the end of
(50:46):
COVID. They went and filmed the
original Broadway cast of this. So it's just, it's not a movie,
you know, and it's just amazing.So Apple TV's try to watch it.
If you can't, go see it. The song though, I am here.
Did your heart grow a little bit?
(51:06):
That really, maybe I mean it. It fluttered.
It fluttered a little bit, I think.
Crickets. All right, what are you giving?
It yeah, but this falls back into one person standing alone
(51:30):
on on stage singing. I think it is pretty powerful
and and she does a very good job.
So I think for that we'll give it just a straight.
BI am going to I want to like why are you so opposed to a
single person singing? Does that mean no, that you are
you can't connect. You can't you can't emotionally
(51:55):
connect with a person. Poor fiance.
I need to talk to her because you're.
It's like you can't connect. No, I I can't.
Well, it's not even just that. I'm of Broadway and why I said
this at the start of the show. I like the show business aspect
of it, right? This is I like the lights, the
(52:18):
big marquee, big show. And when one person comes out
and just starts singing, that just does not do it for me.
Even though it's just, it's like, so it's like saying it,
we've talked about this. It's like you.
It's like saying, I don't like dramas, I only want comedies.
Well, after a while you need don't you get tired of it?
(52:40):
You want to? I'm moved by something.
I think it's important to remember though that the story
on a song like this from your prior criteria is a non factor.
But just her. I didn't have to say a word.
You could tell from what she said.
If you listen to the lyrics, youcould tell what's going on.
(53:00):
She's telling you, right. All right, we're going to have
to move on now. This one, this is what we saw
together. The next one?
Hades Town. Yeah, way down in Hades Town.
Very. I like this show a lot.
It was very New Orleans jazz. Good.
Interesting story, very great. Just like we come from away the
(53:23):
band and it's a band that's likea fiddle player and it's it's
very upbeat. They're sitting on the stage.
And the same thing was with Hades Town.
They're sitting on the stage, they're dancing, they're coming
around. Those those folks were talented.
Not only were they dancing, but they were playing in a trombone
or whatever. I thought it was very
interesting. This is all I've ever known and
(53:46):
I know you're going to hate thissong because this is one of the
emotional ones in there. There's plenty of other good
ones in this show, this is not one of them.
I love it. All I've ever known from 80s
town. Let's take a listen.
I was lone so long I didn't evenknow that I was lonely out in
the cold. So long I didn't even know that
(54:09):
I was cold. Just how dark and cold it gets.
All I've ever known is how to hold my own.
All I've ever known is that songis pretty good.
And I do. I remember when we saw it, I
(54:31):
remember thinking, I like the little piano part of the
beginning where she's like, likethat.
She was what? OK, you know.
Norah Jones is No, she sounds like Norah Jones to me.
OK, I don't want to say a jazzy soft piano player who sings and
(54:53):
sounds like that to me. I think I'll still give it AB
plus OK, which is higher than I bet you expected, but it does
it. It's not I.
I enjoy the multiple instrumentsas well.
I think that helps add to the spectacle of it all, as it were,
(55:14):
instead of just someone standingon stage.
Black light. But you know Dang well if if you
had not seen that show and I played you that song, you would
have given AB minus, you know? I don't know what you're
talking. About what grade do you give the
show? I think the show is is NA minus
I think there is there is a lot of hidden gems in the show but
(55:39):
it's it's not the my most favorite show I've ever seen of
all time. It was different.
Yeah. It was different, but I liked
you had gods, you had muses, youhad humans, you had it was just
an interesting story and it was it's Greek mythology that the
lady kind of and the interestingthing about it, it was a folk
(55:59):
singer wrote it as a performancepiece type thing.
And then they she had some friends sing with her and then
someone saw it and said, oh, let's turn it into a Broadway
show. So it and then they worked on
it. So it's kind of a weird way it
became about, but still very good. 1A Tony for Best Picture,
(56:20):
Best Musical. Very good, but I would recommend
for sure. Yeah, the last one, I'm trying
to do something upbeat. This is 6.
It's about Henry the Eighth's six wives, and it's starts off
like a con. It's like a concert.
(56:40):
So each one comes out and sings and then they tell the audience,
you know, they're kind of bit bickering it with like, well, I
had it bad because I was beheaded and I had it bad
because whatever. And so they were going to
everybody's going to tell their story and then they're going to
ask the audience to vote. It's very audience.
It's very Mama me ish. Everybody.
They wanted you to be up dancing.
(57:00):
A lot of fun. Anyway.
This this one, though, is talking about they're
introducing themselves to the crowd.
The six wives. The six wives ex wives.
Well. They're all ex wives.
That's why it's called ex wives.Yeah, and some of them are ex
alive, right? Well, they're all dead at this
(57:23):
point, but yeah. No, all right.
Ex Wives, A musical called Six. I've never even heard of this
one. So this is, yeah, it's a good
one. This is interesting.
Let's take a listen. Listen up.
Let me tell you a story, A storythat you think you've heard.
(57:57):
This is like a futuristic like big bass, fun musical sounding,
not like I have pictured it. Well, granted, if someone told
me you're going to see a musicalabout one of America's founding
fathers, Alexander Hamilton, I would say you're crazy.
(58:18):
That's just good though. It was just fun.
I mean, it's fun. And you've seen the show.
Yeah, one of them actually Karenthat I watched on PBS, they had
like a little miniseries about his ex wives and one of them was
a German royalty and he wanted to know what she looked like
(58:42):
because he was trying to find out another.
And so he had somebody come paint a picture of her and
brought it back. Well, he said, OK, well, I'll
bring her over here. I'll marry her.
We'll he she got here. He didn't like the way she
looked, so they got married. But in the song or the song she
sings, she's got a German accentand it's very techno.
And then news flash, she ends updivorcing him and keeping like a
(59:10):
like a big property in England. So she was rich when it was all
said and done. Like some of them he cut their
heads off or. Yeah, how does that?
Die Well, one was having an affair.
One, the one he in theory loved,he had a child with.
She died in childbirth. That's a really Heart of Stone
is the song she sings. It's very slow when I would have
(59:31):
played that one, but I know you would have not liked it.
Yeah, that's what it would have been.
But listen to the soundtrack because that's a good one,
because you'll you'll, you'll beable to hear from each one of
the singers which their little story, it's pretty funny.
I'd give that that one an A minus.
OK, I think. And I'd give it an A the show
(59:51):
itself. The show itself.
Karen liked it too. Yeah.
All right. Well, it was.
It was. We got through Logan.
We got through it. I said let's do Broadway, and
you're like, OK. And then as I was doing, I'm
like, I don't know about this, but I think.
It's hard, like I said, but every one of these shows I've
really like and I like the soundtracks to them all, so.
(01:00:15):
This is an eclectic show. This is an eclectic genre of
music. And I think overall for the
songs chosen today, I think, I think we got to go a minus
still, even though there was there was some that I wasn't a
fan of. But as you said, I think because
(01:00:38):
I haven't seen the show, I can'tappreciate them as much as I
should be able to so. And, you know, if you can, if
it's chronological, so you can see how it changed.
The theater sounds change over time.
Now we've got techno beats and all this kind of stuff or live
bands that are moving around with the stage and that used to
(01:00:59):
they were down in the pit and you never saw them.
It's just so different now. Yeah.
So it's evolved, but yeah, I hope, I hope people like it.
My grade then for me. I will give you an A because I
thought it was going to get something.
I thought it was going to be terrible.
No, you I told you I like Broadway music.
I feel like your heart has slightly grown.
Not quite 3 sizes. Then no, it's no, I don't think
(01:01:21):
it's going to happen to you, butall right, Well, thanks, Logan.
It was a lot of. Fun.
Thank you for bringing this great playlist.
Thank you for listening, those of you, whether you're in the
car, you know you're in the bathroom, wherever you're at, we
appreciate you listening. Be sure to follow us on social
media, Instagram, Facebook, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and
(01:01:46):
all sorts of other podcast platforms because I think we're
on them all now, which is great.And give us your feedback in the
social media, on our social media pages.
Yeah, we, we want to make this show as best as we can, and we
want to hear what you think of it, whether it's good, bad or
ugly. I know most of it's good because
I'm on it. I'm on the show.
It's OK. Yikes.
(01:02:07):
All right. Well, thanks, Jim.
We'll catch you all on the next one.
Bye.
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