A little backstory:
The first part of this podcast was taped at the Fest, in August, in Chicago. (My first ever Fest, incidentally: thanks to everyone I got to talk with and meet in person; you were all lovely). Unfortunately, there’s a decent amount of background noise. For some curious, never-explained reason, the designated podcast room was approximately 10 feet away from the Apple Jam stage. (You have not lived until you’ve heard “Yesterday” as a polka). SATB did their best to minimize the ambient sound of the bands in the background, but it’s still audible.
The second part of the discussion was taped a few weeks later, and there were, thankfully, no polka bands around in my backyard as Robert and I finished our discussion. Please enjoy listening, and let us know what you think in comments and questions.
Much appreciated,
Erin
The Historian and The Beatles 
Good episode of SATB, but anytime I get to have your insights in any format means it will be worthwhile.
Frankie Yankovic in the hall next door notwithstanding😳
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As someone who doesn’t possess an ounce of musical ability myself, I want to make it clear that I have nothing but admiration for those who can play any instrument with any degree of proficiency. (And hey, I’m a Weird Al Fan. I would have happily geeked out if he was there). It was more the, ahem, curious choice of having the podcast recording room (and it wasn’t just us: that was the room used they used all weekend, for all the podcasts) which, one would logically assume, would benefit from a quieter environment, be 10 feet away from the musical stage.
Glad you liked the episode: let me know if you have any further questions and/or comments, and/or tips on how to play the accordion.
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Hi Erin,
I listened to the first part and yes, the background noise is quite distracting unfortunately. I hope that the organisers learn from this and position the podcast studio more appropriately at the next Fest.
Have you considered contacting Peter Jackson? Word is that he has some software that could help…😂
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I was very interested to hear the origin of the MAL technology Jackson used; how it originated in law enforcement. I, shockingly, do not have Peter Jackson’s contact information: I would imagine that his editing technique is … not cheap.
There are numerous things I would love to discuss with Jackson, but I admit, MAL’ing this conversation would be fairly low on my list.
It is frustrating that so much noise bled through. It was distracting enough while we were recording. I didn’t want to bellow like some Beatles Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker, so I hope our conversation was understandable.
One would hope that the lesson was learned, as you said. Given this was my first Fest, I don’t know whether this was a one-off, or the common pattern for where they place the stage in relation to the podcast recording room. I can only say I wasn’t the only one who found it a curious choice.
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This is an excerpt from an interview with Kenneth Womack, author of the new Mal Evans biography. He calls Evans the Beatles’ first historian.
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I’m looking forward to reading the new Mal book. I need to request it from my library. Ken’s the first to really go in depth on some of the less studied figures in Beatles history — George Martin, obviously, and now Mal — and I’m interested to see what he has to say. The reviews I’ve read have discussed how Mal’s proximity to fame, and its destructive impact, is part of the story and, if so, it’s an interesting element. The impact of fame, overall, on the Beatles story, and how it impacted them as individuals psychologically and in their group dynamic has been underexplored, in my opinion. Let alone how fame impacted those around them: the Mals, the Neil’s, etc.
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