Couverture de Professor Mikey's Old School

Professor Mikey's Old School

Professor Mikey's Old School

De : Mike Flanagan
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 The educational underground pirate radio Old School podcast with Professor Mikey featuring rarities, stories, and surprises from the last half of the 20th century. A eclectic variety of discovery for newer music lovers, a reconnection for the rest of us, present in a theme format that thinks outside the album cover. Rock, country, blues, and anything else that might have captured the 20th century imagination, updated for a newer audience while remaining a comfort to older rockers. Professor Mikey spent over 50,000 hours in various broadcast booths in 60-some markets, taking to the air at 16 a couple of months before The Beatles released Revolver. He rocked, informed, and amused his listeners in six different decades. Old School is his attempt to put it all together in a great set. He is confirmed AM-FM Positive.

professormikey.substack.comMike Flanagan Musique
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  • OS93: Mean Old World

    OS93: Mean Old World
    Mar 10 2026
    It’s been just about a year since Professor Mikey pulled out an Old School podcast entitled Brave New World. You can dial it up anytime anywhere you get your podcasts. I bring this up only because there are those who may think this particular episode is flying just a little too close to the 21st Century sunshine in tone and manner. Like Icarus singing “Here Comes the Sun” after a long cold lonely winter, this particular theme may indeed get singed wings and a quick trip down to terra firma.Enough similes and beatitudes. The theme for Old School episode 93 is MEAN OLD WORLD.Most of us need no convincing that there is a lot of meanness afoot. Not rudeness, not antipathy, just plain old rotten meanness. The kind you get from a portion of the population made up of jerks, tightwads, miscreants, lost loves, and bill collectors.So how can a set of music temper the ill effects of a Mean Old World. It ain’t easy, but this Old School lesson plan will try.Exhibit A.Humans are wired with what psychologists call negativity bias. Bad news grabs our attention faster than good news because, evolutionarily, ignoring danger could get you eaten by a tiger.So the brain remembers insults, losses, and dangers much more vividly than pleasant moments.Which leads to the famous newsroom rule: “If it bleeds, it leads.”Turn on the news from commercial radio, a source that fears for it’s FCC license. Or from public radio, an outlet that can no longer rely on government funding to supplement the truth.Media coverage amplifies that paranoid instinct we all share, focusing on disasters, war, and the price of eggs, rather than slow improvements. Over time that creates the feeling that everything is going to shit—even when many long-term indicators are improving.Then there is declinism–the belief that society is going to hell in a handbasket. For a long time now, at least ever since we began receiving instant news, we feel everything used to be better. So nostalgia and the love of old time rock and roll becomes even more important.Another weird fact. Where most people feel the world as a whole is getting worse, they feel their own lives will improve.Today we are going to spin tunes much older than that. Cautionary hits and deep cuts from more hopeful times. Are times better now than when these joints dropped. It is too heavy for me, that’s why I hide in an imaginary radio school with the curtains drawn and the volume cranked. We begin with a little show and tell from two honor students.Duane Allman plays a 1930s Dobro/Regal wooden-body resonator guitar using a Coricidin bottle for a slide. Eric Clapton accompanies him on acoustic guitar, with both playing in open G tuning.Welcome to Professor Mikey’s Old School, this is episode 93. Mean Old World.Mean Old World - Little WalterKing Heroin (Inst) - James BrownMean Old World - Duane Allman & Eric ClaptonMean Woman Blues - Roy OrbisonMama He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Ruth BrownMean and Evil - Elmore JamesMe and the Devil - Gil Scott-HeronEvil - Howlin’ WolfMean to Me - Dean MartinMean Mr. Mustard - The BeatlesKilling Floor - Electric FlagLonesome, On’ry, and Mean - Waylon JenningsWorld of Trouble - Big Joe TurnerMean When I’m Mad - Eddie CochranThe Unknown Soldier - The DoorsWar - Edwin StarrMean Old World - Sam CookeEnjoy the Silence - Depeche ModeCruel to be Kind - Nick LoweProfessor Mikey here, getting ready to put a cap on the nasty and draw the shades temporarily on Episode 93 of Old School, Mean Old World. It gets really mean out there, but the music can smooth those cosmic rough edges, especially with songs like our closer from Nick Lowe. A true cure for a world gone mean.If you are curious about the songs you just heard, you can listen to this podcast again anywhere you get your podcasts. The playlist is actually written down on the Old School newsletter which you can ready or subscribe to for free anytime at professormikey.substack.com.This episode had its share of samples and easter eggs along the way, including clips from the movie Devils Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, the instrumental background to James Brown’s “King Heroin,” Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men,” a real Coca Cola commercial with Roy Orbison, Kevin Spacey in “The Usual Suspects,” James Spader in the TV Series The Blacklist now available on Netflix, HBO’s series The Sopranos, The David Letterman Show with guest star Eminem, and US Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Any and all music heard resides within the public domain or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976.I’m Professor Mikey, join me next time on Old School. It gets really mean out there, but the music can smooth those cosmic rough edges, especially with songs like our closer from Nick Lowe. A true cure for a world gone mean.Here’s the link from our most recent world view:Thanks for reading and listening to Professor Mikey's OLD...
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    1 h et 3 min
  • OLD SCHOOL Redux 4 (Episodes 11,12,13,14)

    OLD SCHOOL Redux 4 (Episodes 11,12,13,14)
    Feb 11 2026
    About once a year when Professor Mikey gets overloaded by projects and time tripping (human flight is possible, you must focus on the negative spaces) we revisit the early sessions of Old School when each episode included around four songs and ran about 15 min. Now that I’m told by the experts that podcast attention spans run about 45 secs I should be seeing the errors of my ways. Still, I hang on to the fantasy that listeners and audio explorers alike enjoy hearing whole songs, even though every Top 40 hit or Underground classic may hit the three minute mark, or even stretch into the unknown that comes with 7-minute tunes. Remember Alan Shepard’s first space flight was just 15 minutes, 22 seconds, two minutes shorter than Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”The original texts that accompanied these early episodes are included below and you can find those shows online at professormikey.substack.com. I think you will enjoy this foursome that includes LA garage, London prog rock, Memphis soul, original blues that inspired Led Zeppelin, excursions into the unknown, and the banshee bop from a St. Patrick’s Day jukebox.That’s the long and short of Professor Mikey’s preschool in the Old School episodes Eleven through Fourteen, where the Past is a Blast!SOMETIMES GOOD GUYS DON’T WEAR WHITE The StandellsThe Standells from Los Angeles will always be remembered for taking their garage sound all the way to number 11 on the pop charts with their ode to Boston “Dirty Water.” Lead singer/drummer Dick Dodd had been a Mousketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club. Larry Tamblyn, on the keyboards, was the brother of Russ Tamblyn who had starred in West Side Story. Tony Valentino had left Italy to go to Hollywood, and Gary Leeds eventually found himself in the Walker Brothers. They are caught on film in “Get Yourself a College Girl,” and “Riot on Sunset Strip” and even appeared in the TV sitcom The Munsters. As far as bands go, they have a great gritty sound and they really capture the summer of ’66, in that precious time after the British Invasion and before psychedelics. Here’s the Standells from their first album and Some Times Good Guys Don’t Wear White…BACK STREET LUV Curved AirCurved Air emerged on the prog rock scene in London in 1969 when members of the band Sisyphus added female singer Sonja Kristina Linwood. They took their name from a Terry Riley composition, “A Rainbow in Curved Air.” The vocals were the last step in their puzzle, but a very big part of their sounds were the sonic violin antics of Darryl Way. The band lasted from 1970 to 76, but time has not been particularly kind to this band. One of the reasons could be sloppy remasters of their CDs. With that in mind, we go back to the original vinyl and hear a forgotten masterpiece.SON OF SHAFT The Bar-KaysThe Bar-Kays were a Memphis soul ensemble that began life as an instrumental group, then faced the solemn task of rebuilding after major tragedy. Four members of the original group died in the plane crash that also claimed the life of Otis Redding in December of 1967. Trumpeter Ben Cauley survived the crash, bassist James Alexander had missed the flight. The group they assembled would back Isaac Hayes on his album Hot Buttered Soul. Cauley and his new guitarist Michael Toles also played on the Shaft soundtrack, which brings us to this cut, recorded Christmas Day 1971 with singer Larry Dodson.OLD SCHOOL #12 Led Zeppelin UncoveredThe Plebs 1964, Otis Rush 1956, Muddy Waters 1962Led Zeppelin is one of the most litigated bands in history. Like The Beatles, it is a big payday for any artist when a jury of their peers finds even a snippet of a song may originated elsewhere. Forget that Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (the bassist who stole his name from a famous navy admiral), might have improved the original. Bottom line, when an artist sells nearly 300 million albums, there is a significant bottom line.The band maintains all titles were researched for proper accreditations. Memphis Minnie was listed as a songwriter for “When the Levee Breaks,” updated by Led Zep 1971, and received healthy residuals. Randy California of Spirit sued over “Stairway to Heaven,” claiming the opening notes were way to close to his instrumental composition “Taurus” from 1968. His heirs were still in court when California passed in 1997. The dispute ended in Zeppelin’s favor in 2020.For a good legal brief on Led Zeppelin in court, check out this testimonial from Rolling Stone.Today we hear three tunes from the first Zeppelin LP that were mostly controversy free. “Babe I’m Going to Leave You” came from a Joan Baez recording of a song written in the Fifties by Anne Breton. Here we get it from the pop prep rambling Plebs. Willie Dixon was correctly identified as the composer of the other two songs, as we hear pre-Zep versions of “I Can’t Quit You’ from Otis Rush and Muddy Waters on “You Shook Me....
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    1 h et 6 min
  • OS92 Psychedelic Ceremony

    OS92 Psychedelic Ceremony
    Jan 24 2026
    Professor Mikey here, going through boxes of forgotten psychedelic gems. There’s a little bit of everything: RUBIES, diamonds, sapphires.No sooner had the garage phase of rock and roll kicked in when it was joined in an electrical romance by the sounds of psychedelia. Mind bending songs of fever dreams and mutated fairy tales took up their own hallucinogenic airspace. Artists expanded their horizons with kaleidoscopic under the counter pharmaceuticals. The mind blowing effects of LSD, mescaline, magic mushrooms, and what ever else might bend reality altered normal brainwaves into fountains of color and memory. The stars became a dot to dot puzzle and the consciousness expanding less than legal substances connected the dots.Before we overdose on the introduction, self realize that this is not a history of psychedelics, its just a walk in the wobbly woods. From late 1966 until half past Woodstock, music in general got a synthetic kick in these very personal moonlight serenades.Author Michael Hicks explained :“To understand what makes music stylistically “psychedelic,” one should consider three fundamental effects of LSD: dechronicization, depersonalization, and dynamization. Dechronicization permits the drug user to move outside of conventional perceptions of time. Depersonalization allows the user to lose the self and gain an “awareness of undifferentiated unity.” Dynamization, as [Timothy] Leary wrote, makes everything from floors to lamps seem to bend, as “familiar forms dissolve into moving, dancing structures”... Music that is truly “psychedelic” mimics these three effects.pSYCHEDELIC cEREMONY pLaYLiStis everybody in? the doors with william burroughsmy crystal spider sweetwaterLSD / midnight to six man the pretty thingsNo silver bird the hooterville trolleyValleys of neptune jimi hendrixMagic colors teddy robin and the playboysMy mirage iron butterflyMatilda Mother pink floydparallelograms linda perhacsthe red telephone lovetwo heads jefferson airplanethe sounds ten years aftera thousand shadows the seedspsychedelic shack the temptationsitchycoo park small facesMusic created under the influence of LSD and other psychedelic drugs—primarily known as psychedelic rock or acid rock—is designed to replicate, enhance, and mirror the altered states of consciousness induced by these substances.Technically and stylistically, this music is described by several core characteristics:1. Sound and Studio TechniquesMusicians used cutting-edge production to mimic the sensory effects of a “trip,” such as depersonalization and dechronicization (the bending of time).Layered Audio Effects: Frequent use of extreme reverb, phasing, flanging, and echo to create swirling, disorienting soundscapes.Tape Manipulation: Use of backward tape loops and reverse recording to create surreal, dreamlike atmospheres (notably in The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”).Panning: Moving sound aggressively from one side of the stereo track to the other to create an immersive, moving “soundstage”. 2. InstrumentationPsychedelic music often incorporates non-traditional or electronic instruments to expand the listener’s sonic reality. Electric Guitar Effects: Heavy use of feedback, fuzzboxes, and wah-wah pedals.Exotic Influences: Integration of Indian classical instruments like the sitar and tabla to provide “Eastern flavors” and drone-like textures.Early Synthesis: Use of keyboard instruments like the Mellotron (an early sampler), the theremin, and electronic organs to provide haunting or “trippy” textures. 3. Compositional StructureThe music often departs from standard 3-minute pop formulas. Fluid Structures: Abandonment of traditional verse-chorus-bridge formats in favor of disjunctive or free-form arrangements.Extended Improvisation: Lengthy, “rambling” instrumental jams and solos (central to bands like the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd) that allow for musical exploration.Tempo and Key Changes: Sudden shifts in rhythm and unconventional time signatures meant to create a sense of instability or “vibrant textures”. 4. Lyrical ThemesLyrics often diverge from straightforward narratives to explore the internal landscape. Abstract and Surreal: Use of whimsical, esoteric, or dreamlike imagery that often alludes to the drug experience itself.Literary Inspiration: Many songs drew from authors like Aldous Huxley or Timothy Leary (whose The Psychedelic Experience manual heavily influenced The Beatles).Philosophical Focus: Exploration of inner consciousness, social transformation, and a sense of “unity” or “interconnectedness”I hope you’ve enjoyed this Psychedelic Ceremony on Old School. The previous hour or whatever it eventually ended up being was not intended to endorse or condemn hallucinogenic drugs, but rather to explore some of songs that were heavily influenced by this mystery trend, mostly of the late 60s. I find the edgy, weird, and a lot of fun so if you have some favorites you ...
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    1 h et 11 min
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