FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH with Blake Melnick

The Space [inbetween] What we're listening to; What we're Watching, and What we're Reading

July 08, 2022 Blake Melnick Season 3 Episode 22
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH with Blake Melnick
The Space [inbetween] What we're listening to; What we're Watching, and What we're Reading
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH with Blake Melnick
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Show Notes Transcript

 This week's episode of #thespaceinbetween, #ForWhatitsWorthwithBlakeMelnick,#WhatwerelisteningtoWhatwereWatchingandWhatwereReading. This is the second last episode of season three of the show. We're going to be taking a bit of a hiatus to recharge our batteries and prep for next season. But for this episode, I'm bringing back my old co-host #CameronBrown, and we're going to be talking about what we're listening to, what we're watching and what we're reading, so that you have something to do during those hot summer months. ...For What it'sWorth

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The Space- What we're listening to, Watching and Reading

[00:00:00] Blake Melnick: Well, welcome to this week's episode of the space in between I'm your host Blake Melnick. And this is the second last episode of season three of the show. We're going to be taking a bit of a hiatus to recharge our batteries and prep for next season. But for this episode, I'm bringing back my old co-host Cameron brown, and we're going to be talking about what we're listening to, what we're watching and what we're reading, so that you have something to do during those hot summer months.

[00:00:58] For what it's [00:01:00] worth.

[00:01:00] Cam. Great to have you back on the show. Great to be back. So let's begin with you. What are you listening to these days? 

[00:01:08] Cam Brown: Well, I've gotten kind of nostalgic in my old age here Blake, 50 years ago it was, you know, 1972.

[00:01:16] I got a hand me down turntable from. One of my older siblings and I started the joy, of collecting music. So I went out and, started buying records, using monies from paper, route, whatever I could scoff off my brother's, , desk, what he wasn't looking and grab, records and just started listening to records.

[00:01:36] Eventually I'd make tapes from them and make tapes for other people. but when you look back 1972, Blake was such a phenomenal year for music, Neil young released Harvest, Steely Dan released, Can’t Buy a Thrill, Little Feat came up with sailing shoes, the Eagles and Roxy Music released their first albums.

[00:01:57] Stevie wonder did Talking Book, Elton John did [00:02:00] Honky Chateau. I mean, the list is endless, so. I've been going either onto Spotify or, apple tunes and just streaming down some of this music and just really enjoying the flashback and the memories that brings. 

[00:02:14] Blake Melnick: Yeah. That was a great and seminal year for music, for sure.

[00:02:17] Anything in particular that stands out for you or stands the test of time? It's been a long time since 1972.

[00:02:25] Yeah, for sure. 

[00:02:27] Cam Brown: I would have to say that Little Feat Sailing Shoes, Joanie Mitchell's For the Roses, Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book and I'd say Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust

[00:02:36] Blake Melnick: Yeah, for sure. 

[00:02:37] Cam Brown: Even stands the test of time. Absolutely. You know, you play them for somebody who's a millennial now and they'd like them as much as we did back in 

[00:02:44] Blake Melnick: the day. Right. What was it about 1972 that, precipitated all this great music being release.

[00:02:51] Cam Brown: I think the sixties had not come and gone, but, I think a lot of the artists were not as much focused [00:03:00] on, protesting the Vietnam war. I think Watergate, Nixon was on his way out. It was a time where artists could reflect on something other than protesting songs and they got more.

[00:03:11] I know that, after seeing documentary on Elton John recently, they did Honky Chateau in this great big old place in France. The stones did Exile on Mainstreet

[00:03:20] Blake Melnick: that's right. 

Cam Brown: Same kind of thing. They [00:03:22] went into some big old place in France and, took over this mansion and just recorded, 

[00:03:27] so I think it was just a time where these bands could really, reflect and not feel they had to make some statement. Not that the protest movement was over, but it was winding down. 

[00:03:39] When you look at some of the bands that again, Roxy music and the Eagles that released their debuts, and of course they would've long, careers ahead of them.

[00:03:47] There was a band that really one of my cousins was more into, but I remember spending the summer, with a second cousin. And he was, “you gotta listen to this, you gotta listen to this. Just, put the headphones on” I said, we're in the same room.

[00:03:59] We don't [00:04:00] need headphones to listen to it  with headphones. it was Emerson, Lake, and Palmer trilogy, 

[00:04:04] Blake Melnick: right? 

[00:04:05] Cam Brown: Now back then it was pretty cool. It's one thing I don't know that it has stood the test of time. As a person who's recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I think if I pull that album down off Spotify or Apple or something like that, that probably could have saved me some money on a machine.

[00:04:24] Blake Melnick: Right. yeah. Well, you're right. I've gone back and listened to some of that Progue rock we used to listen to in the seventies and some of it stands a test of time, but a lot of it, boy, I go, why did I like that? exactly. 

[00:04:37] I think you're safe of its pink Floyd. Anything else you've gotta really just raise your eyebrow

[00:04:43] Yeah, well, we should do a show about that, but I there's some that still stand the test of time for me in that period, but one of the things, and it's funny, I was at a show this past weekend, the Arkells show out here on the island and, one of the things that strikes me about concerts these days, They're [00:05:00] kind of boring.

[00:05:01] One of the things about the pro rock era that I did love was that the concerts, the shows were spectacles. They were all encompassing experiences, visually and emotionally. And the bands always did a lot of really cool things to draw the audience in, to create that moment in time, I find shows nowadays are pretty much like playing the album.

[00:05:23] I could sit at home and listen to the record and get the same experience. I'm not seeing a lot of showmanship. I'm not seeing a lot of spectacle. There are a few exceptions, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits. But again, not a lot of visuals, not a lot of storytelling. So yeah, I do find the concert experience kind of flat, you know, thinking back on some of the old concerts of yesterday year, seeing Yes. ELP and Jethro Tull, these were spectacle shows. 

[00:05:50] Cam Brown: . Oh, they totally were. 

[00:05:51] I don't know if you remember, or you went to the, super trap concert. I did, it, that was at, the grandstand. And I remember, at one point they [00:06:00] were playing that song. Rudy's on a train of nowhere.

[00:06:03] Right. And the big screen behind them had you on a train. Yeah. And you were whipping through all the different train stations right in England, right? It was just, it was amazing for anybody that was there, it was just fantastic. So yeah, they definitely need to bring some of that back.

[00:06:18] Blake Melnick: I don't want to go to a live show and hear the record. I want to go to a live show and see the musicians’ step outside their comfort zone, improvise. Do things differently, play different songs. Stretch themselves a little bit. I like that improvisation piece.

[00:06:32] I like to be surprised at a concert. I don't want to go and hear the song verbatim from the record. So 1972, you're listening to a lot of music from that period for me, doing Pass the Jam has been fantastic in terms of exposing me to artists I'd never heard before.

[00:06:49] New music. And I've obviously been listening to the artists on the show quite extensively. Heather Gamal's new album debut album is absolutely fantastic. And Heather was a [00:07:00] finalist in the CBC talent search contest. Kudos to her for that, but I've loved this record. She's such a great player.

[00:07:07] She's got a great voice, very nuanced. Yeah. And I've really enjoyed that. It's heavily influenced by the blues, but also folk music and I think she's a very talented songwriter. So I've enjoyed her record. Douglas Cameron, my recent guest on past the jam and his album Riverdale, which was released a number of years ago.

[00:07:25] I've really enjoyed this sort of old time music. I really like it. It's very evocative of feelings and emotions for me from my own childhood -  fantastic musicianship, great variety. Having all these guests on the show, they've also talked about their own influences and that has opened my eyes to some music I hadn't heard.

[00:07:44] Before and one band in particular is Larkin Poe. Rebecca and Megan Lovel are the two main players in the band singer, songwriters, multi instrumentalists, creating their own brand of roots, rock and roll it's gritty. It's soulful.[00:08:00] It's flavored by their Southern heritage.

[00:08:03] They're originally from Atlanta and are living in Nashville and their descendants of. Edgar Allan Poe. Oh, amazing. Yeah. So pretty cool. I must 

[00:08:11] Cam Brown: say I'm a, I'm a big fan of theirs as well

[00:08:12] Blake Melnick:. Yeah. just a fantastic band. They've kind of done it their way. They're not played on the radio a lot, but I would highly recommend people that love good rock and roll blues with country influences to check 'em out. I have two records that I've downloaded both of which I really like the first one is called Peach, which was recorded in 2017.

[00:08:34] And the second called Self-Made Man recorded in 2020. I think they have a new record coming out as well. So I would highly recommend, people listen to Larkin Poe. And then the other one for me of course is Little Feat.

[00:08:47] You mentioned Sailing Shoes, great album, Little Feat, is having their 45th anniversary summer tour of Waiting for Columbus. I think perhaps one of the best live [00:09:00] albums ever done, originally recorded in 1978. So 45 years, that's a long time. And they're touring this show across North America.

[00:09:08] I have tickets to see the show in Seattle on August 6th, and I'm really excited about that. They've gone through quite a change in personnel. Unfortunately, a number of the members have passed away. the great drummer Richie Hayward, and Paul Barrare who just passed away during COVID.

[00:09:22] I hadn't realized he died. But they've managed to backfill with some pretty impressive people. They have, Scott Sherrard now on guitar and vocals replacing Paul. He was previously the guitarist and Musical Arranger/Director for the Greg Allman Band and they have Tony Leon playing drums and mandolin, he worked closely with Levon Helm, Amy Helm, band, Phil Lesh, of The Grateful Dead

[00:09:46] They've had some live simulcasts on Facebook. It sounds amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing them and they're, re-releasing Waiting, for Columbus, as part of their tour. So that's exciting for me. I [00:10:00] love Little Feat, my favorite band.

[00:10:02] So check out Little Feat 

[00:10:03] Cam Brown: Yeah, one of mine as well. And the thing great about Little Feat is, someone like, Lowell George dies and they're able to continue and they've got this sort of ensemble, feel about them. So when you're seeing Little Feat, you know that if someone's passed on, they're gonna replace them with somebody.

[00:10:22] Amazing. Right. There's probably a lineup at the door. As soon as the obit is published, you get every musician in, from New York to LA. calling their manager saying, can you get me on tour with Little Feat? 

[00:10:32] Blake Melnick: They've had a reputation of being the band that everybody wants to play.

[00:10:36] Yeah. 

[00:10:37] Cam Brown: And correct me, if I'm wrong, weren't they, the backup band for Robert Palmer on one of his first albums, Sneaking Sally Through the Alley. 

[00:10:44] Blake Melnick: Yeah. A couple of them were for sure. They've always had a very strong career as session musicians playing on everybody else's albums.

[00:10:50] And of course, Bill Payne plays with the Doobie Brothers, phenomenal keyboard player, like one of the best I've ever heard. They've played with lots of people, Taj Mahal. They backed up, [00:11:00] his record Dancing, the Blues, another one of my favorites. 

[00:11:03] Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Raitt. Yep. Lowell George was, Bonnie Raitt's mentor, basically taught her how to play slide guitar. They have that ability because they're such good musicians. And they've managed over the years, many people thought, well, once little George passed away, that was the end of the band, but they reinvented themselves.

[00:11:21] And brought in other people, Shaun Murphy, who sang, vocals for them for a long period of time. I thought she was terrific. So yeah, they've just managed to, recreate themselves and continue to advance their sound and their music. I'm super stoked about going to see that show, and the other band, in connection with that is the opening band for Little Feat is Hot Tuna.

[00:11:42] I wasn't all that familiar with Hot Tuna, although. I was very familiar with Jorma Kaukinen who was one of the founders of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship and so having them accompanying the Feat and I would imagine they'll probably play with them as well. And there may be a few other special guests.

[00:11:59] [00:12:00] So, I'm really looking forward to this show. I just think it's going to be fantastic. 

[00:12:05] Cam Brown: that'll be the highlight of your summer. I'm sure. 

[00:12:07] Blake Melnick: Yeah, I think so. And I've ordered the new record. That's going to be re-released from the tour. They're playing the entire Waiting for Columbus record.

[00:12:16] If you haven't heard Little Feat go pick up the album Waiting for Columbus. 

[00:12:20] Cam Brown: Definitely. Now you say you're seeing them in Seattle . Are there any plans or have you heard anything about whether they're going to do a Canadian tour. 

Blake Melnick: I have not heard any plans about that and I suspect not. , but as I say, I'm really looking forward to this show, because Little Feat is a band that does not, stick to the script, when they play live for sure. And I like that 

[00:12:39] they combine so many different kinds of music.

[00:12:41] Blake Melnick: You're absolutely right. 

[00:12:43] Cam Brown: Very eclectic band. 

[00:12:44] Blake Melnick: It's what makes them unique. You really can't pin them down. There's elements of that California rock scene, funk, folk, jazz country rockabilly, New Orleans jazz, all stirred into this rich gumbo of music it's it really makes them quite unique[00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Let's shift over now, to what you're watching. What are you watching these days? 

[00:13:05] I've, been watching, this fantastic series. the second season actually just started it's on the Disney channel here in Canada.

[00:13:13] It's called Only Murders in the Building. Yes. And it was created by Steve Martin, a great comic writer, and, a friend of his John Hoffman who also did a series called Grace and Frankie, which I haven't seen, but I hear is it's very good with Jane Fonda. It's kind of a dramedy - it's a comedy drama.

[00:13:33] Cam Brown: It's a thriller, these are three neighbors, who all have a love of true crime. And when a mysterious death occurs in the building, these neighbors played by Steve Martin, Martin short and Selena Gomez decide to get together. and solve the crime, right. There's this mysterious death and it leads them into doing a podcast about it.

[00:13:57] And it's absolutely [00:14:00] hilarious. It's suspense. It's clever. Martin short, I enjoyed on SCTV. I thought he was great. But he tops himself here. And for people that aren't a fan of Martin short, you're going to be swayed. when you watch this Selena Gomez. I just remember my nieces liking her as a singer.

[00:14:18] I didn't really realize she could act -  I had no idea, she's great in it. And then the series also has a number of cameos and supporting players. Nathan Lane's in there. Tina Fay, right. Sting. Does a great self parody. He's in a couple episodes as himself.

[00:14:32] Yes he is Yeah. So, Anybody out there want something really entertaining and very clever. I would recommend Only Murders, in the [00:14:42] Building. 

[00:14:43] I read something that said it was loosely based on a true story. Is that, your understanding? 

[00:14:48] I've heard that, but I haven't had a chance to really fully investigate it.

[00:14:52] And, the thing I love about it. It's set in a building in the upper west side of New York and the building, reminds me of the [00:15:00] Dakota, the big building, which John Lennon lived. Right. And so you’ve got a lot of that  New York feel to it. And, I think it's great.

[00:15:06] If you want to get into a series, you can sink your teeth into, I definitely say Only Murders in the Building.

[00:15:12] On crave TV, there's a limited series called Julia. And it's all about Julia Child. 

[00:15:18] Yeah. I've heard that's very good. 

[00:15:20] it is quite good. And. it's still on and I'm enjoying following that. 

[00:15:25] What have you been watching? 

Blake Melnick: [00:15:26] Well, I also have been watching Only Murders in the Building.

[00:15:29] I'm almost through the first season and like you, I really enjoyed, I was not a huge Martin Short fan, but I think when you pair him with Steve Martin, it works beautifully. And Steve Martin is to me, just a genius, the subtlety of his humor. I found him, quite hilarious.

[00:15:44] I'm looking forward to watching the rest of that. For me, something I watched recently just came out, it's called, We Own This City. It's an American mini-series, based on the nonfiction book, by the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter.

[00:15:57] Justin Fenton. And [00:16:00] it was developed and written by George Pelecanos and David Simon. David Simon was the writer and producer of The Wire, who many, including myself, consider the best written television series of all time. So if you like The Wire, you're gonna love this one. It's only a six episode series.

[00:16:18] And it details the rise in fall of the Baltimore police department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. So it's true story. And it centers on, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, one of the eight officers who were convicted on various corruption charges in 2018 and 2019. And it follows kind of a non-linear.[00:16:38] Narrative with lots of flashbacks. But again, if you liked The Wire, you're gonna love this. The writing is exceptional. It stars, John Bernthal if you remember him, from The Walking Dead and he played The Punisher. He's a great actor. Jamie Hector, who played Marlow Stanfield from The Wire, Josh Charles, who was in the Good [00:17:00] Wife, and he was Knox Charles from the Dead Poet’s Society. If you remember, Wow.

[00:17:05] So what I love about David Simon is that he brings back a lot of the same characters that were in the wire in different roles in, we own this city, but he also keeps a couple of them in play and has them further along in their careers. So it's really neat to see some of these guys back again. And of course the wire launched the careers of so many great actors Idris Alba, and others. This is really a great series. If you like that kind of thing, the writing is exceptional, highly recommend it. 

The other one I really enjoyed is called Taboo. It's a BBC television drama, produced by Scott free London and Hardy Son and Baker.

[00:17:48] It stars Tom Hardy, and his father who is also a journalist and a screenwriter helps contribute to the writing of this. An eight episode series set in 1814, and [00:18:00] centers on, England And the United States after the war of 1812. Tom Hardy plays the character of James Delaney returning to England after a number of years in Africa, with 14 stolen diamonds. His father has left him his business, a merchant Marine company, a supply company. And he's also left in the deed to a piece of land, which happens to be Vancouver island 

[00:18:24] oh, wow.The gateway to the east. The East Indian Company wants this land, the Americans want this land, and he uses this as a negotiation, to get what he wants. It's pretty dark. It's almost has a Jack the Ripper-like vibe to it. It's fairly mystical and magical with a lot of Hoo Doo the African version of Voodoo, going on. Hardy is such a great actor.

[00:18:49] Anyone that's seen the Marvel series knows that he played Venom. He made his debut in Ridley Scott's Blackhawk Down. He's played in Batman, a number of Christopher Nolan films. [00:19:00] He's a great actor. those are you that have been, watching Peaky Blinders knows that he plays the character of Alfie Solomons

[00:19:06] Jonathan Price is in it. Who you might remember from the film Brazil? The villain in Tomorrow Never Dies and Pirates of the Caribbean. Glen Gary, Glen Ross. He's a stage actor. Tom Hollander, another English actor. Absolutely fantastic. He was in Bohemian Rhapsody in Pirates of the Caribbean Pride and Prejudice and Gosford Park.

[00:19:27] So great cast, great acting and a really neat story. I'm looking forward to season two, the voyage to the new world, so well worth the watch. 

[00:19:37] And then the third one I have is called the Outer Range.It's kind of a combination of Westworld and Yellowstone If you like, Kevin Costner's, Yellowstone, If you like Westworld you'll probably like this.

[00:19:48] Starring Jos Brolin, he's played in the Goonies. Grindhouse, No Country for Old Men, American gangster, Deadpool two, and of course he played Thanos in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[00:19:59] , [00:20:00] it also stars, Imogen Poots, an English actor. She played Tammy in the film 28 Weeks Later, Linda, Keith, in the Jimmy Hendricks biopic. Great cast, really interesting. I don't know whether I love it yet, but it certainly got my attention. 

[00:20:16] Blake Melnick: The story centers around a rancher and his family, the Abbots, who own a large ranch in Wyoming. One day Royal Abbot played by Brolin discovers a big hole that mysteriously appears in a remote pasture on his ranch. The hole connects his time to a time in the past, but for Abbot and his adjacent neighbor and antagonist Wayne Tillerson played by the great actor Will Patton, coincidentally, Jamie Dutton's biological father in Yellowstone.

[00:20:42] And I don't want to give too much away here, but this is not the first time the hole has appeared to both men. I really liked season one, it's a mystery. it's a modern Western, and I'm really interested to see where it goes in season two.

[00:20:56] So those are my picks for what to watch over the [00:21:00] summer. Let's shift over to what we're reading. What are you reading? 

[00:21:04] well, I just finished a really fascinating book.

[00:21:08] It's by the drummer of the talking heads. His name is Chris France, not like the country. It's, F R A NT Z. It's not just, about the start of the punk music, alternative music scene in New York that, brought us, the Ramones and, Patty Smith. It's also about that time and how a lot of artists from the sixties evolved.

[00:21:38] Into who they were because of this era the sort of mid to late seventies in New York, people like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and then later, Blondie would come of it. But the interesting thing too, about this book, Blake is, Frantz met his wife, Tina Waymouth, who is the bass player in the band.

[00:21:56] And they fell in love and are still together [00:22:00] 45 years later. Wow. Yeah, it's amazing. So it's their relationship. It's the drama that can happen with any band, that we like, the politics and stuff of it. And when it looked at one point that, David Byrne, the lead singer songwriter was gonna maybe start a solo career.

[00:22:16] They decided to do something solo and they worked, on a band called the Tom Tom. Which had a big song called Genius of Love. And it's like a love story. It's also a great, look at a time in New York where, people like Lou Reed got their second start or second breath of life.

[00:22:33] And, also they went and toured Europe with the Ramones. And I gotta tell ya, I think if anybody plays the Ramones, it would have to be all the sons, of the Monte Python performers. cause these guys are just, when you read this book, it becomes like, does Lauren Michaels know this exists?

[00:22:52] There's a movie in here somewhere, it was a really great read and really opened my eyes to. How much, we all have [00:23:00] drama in our families and different drama at work. rocker roll bands don't have any less, 

[00:23:05] If not, they have more, probably more.

[00:23:06] Yep. Yeah, 

[00:23:07] Cam Brown: exactly. So it was a great read. 

[00:23:09] Blake Melnick: May get you listening to some Talking Heads too, right? yeah. 

[00:23:16] Cam Brown: They're, a band I always liked, they get lobbed in with, with the punk movement, but they were never really pumped.

[00:23:22] They were, no, they weren't. That's why I said they're alternative they're that they combine different genres. They would bring in, African music and they would bring in folk and put it in with jazz. It's not just burning down the house. There's a lot of great stuff 

[00:23:35] Blake Melnick: there.

[00:23:35] Oh yeah. I didn't love them when they. First broke the scene, but I have grown to really appreciate them and I do remember seeing them, I think it was the CNE. They might have been opening for the police, years ago. And, they stole the show as far as I was concerned. They were really great. Yeah. Yep. 

[00:23:52] So for me, I've been reading as you have too, as Tom Locke's new book Moments in Time, which I've loved.

[00:23:58] I'm loving that too. Gotta do a plug for [00:24:00] this on the show. If you want a copy of it, there's a link on our Facebook, site, For What it's Worth the Podcast Series, and in the show notes for last week's episode. And I'll put 'em again in this week's episode, but this is a great book.

[00:24:12] It's a really easy read. As I mentioned in last week's episode, probably one of the best bathroom books of all time, how many bathroom books can you open it anywhere in the book? Read a couple of pages and then listen to some music, really gets things going in the morning. 

[00:24:27] Cam Brown: That's what I love about it.

[00:24:28] It's great. We both, we both love our music. You grew up together. We both like to turn each other on to music and that happens with friends and family. This book is amazing in the way that you open up a page, you read a couple pages about a song and you're like, oh, that sounds great.

[00:24:45] You don't need to go and Google, or for Spotify, you certainly take the code that's in the book, put it to your phone or in my case, my iPad. And you listen to the song. Yeah. And it, it turns you on to only great music, but whatever that song of that artist was. [00:25:00] Maybe they wrote more, maybe there's other stuff in it.

[00:25:02] It's a fantastic 

[00:25:03] Blake Melnick: book. Yeah. Yeah. it was a really innovative approach. I gave a copy to my friend, Jack Ross. Who's a well known Canadian agent and, he loved it as well. He said, boy, that is really great. Hearing the history of the music then listening to the song. As he said to me, I read a book and then I go, geez, I should go.

[00:25:20] And, find those songs and I'm go and search online. Or he’d go search through his, music catalog to try to find the songs And he said, this is great. It's immediate feedback. He loved it as well. So that's the one book I have read and the one I'm reading now, and  I've started to read this book.

[00:25:36] probably three or four times that I'm finally gonna finish it this summer. And it's the book New York by Edward Rutherford. a book that Chronicles the birth and growth of New York City, a place I love, from the arrival of the first Dutch and other European Colonists in the 17th century to the summer of 2009.

[00:25:54] And he builds his novel on the histories of fictional families who live in New York and in Manhattan,[00:26:00] these families represent the successive  waves of immigrants who have made the city such a multicultural mosaic. It's a big book, but I love historical fictions. all of the places that I know in New York and finding the roots of how they've developed and who was involved , and, characters like Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam.

[00:26:21] And I have a lot of family history tied to that period as well. So it's a fascinating read. I'm looking forward to finishing the book. 

[00:26:27] Cam Brown: and is this a book that anybody can find? 

[00:26:30] Blake Melnick: Oh yeah. It was a bestseller if you like things like Pillars of the Earth, which I loved, you'll love this.

[00:26:35] It's a great history on the beginnings of New York, and the immigrant experience - that's my, recommendation for what to read this summer.

[00:26:45] So I think we've covered a lot of ground here. We've given our listeners a lot to do during those hot summer months when they're not outside and need a little downtime, lots of good things to watch, read, and to listen to. And we'll put all of these in the transcripts for the [00:27:00] show. So you can go back and check 'em out, at your leisure.

[00:27:03] So this concludes this week's episode of the space in between. What we're listening to what we're watching and what we're reading. I'll be back again next week with the final episode of season three, a retrospective on what went on during this season and what you can expect in season four of the show for what it's worth.

[00:00:00] Blake Melnick: Well, welcome to this week's episode of the space in between I'm your host Blake Melnick. And this is the second last episode of season three of the show. We're going to be taking a bit of a hiatus to recharge our batteries and prep for next season. But for this episode, I'm bringing back my old co-host Cameron brown, and we're going to be talking about what we're listening to, what we're watching and what we're reading, so that you have something to do during those hot summer months.

[00:00:58] For what it's [00:01:00] worth.

[00:01:00] Cam. Great to have you back on the show. Great to be back. So let's begin with you. What are you listening to these days? 

[00:01:08] Cam Brown: Well, I've gotten kind of nostalgic in my old age here Blake, 50 years ago it was, you know, 1972.

[00:01:16] I got a hand me down turntable from. One of my older siblings and I started the joy, of collecting music. So I went out and, started buying records, using monies from paper, route, whatever I could scoff off my brother's, , desk, what he wasn't looking and grab, records and just started listening to records.

[00:01:36] Eventually I'd make tapes from them and make tapes for other people. but when you look back 1972, Blake was such a phenomenal year for music, Neil young released Harvest, Steely Dan released, Can’t Buy a Thrill, Little Feat came up with sailing shoes, the Eagles and Roxy Music released their first albums.

[00:01:57] Stevie wonder did Talking Book, Elton John did [00:02:00] Honky Chateau. I mean, the list is endless, so. I've been going either onto Spotify or, apple tunes and just streaming down some of this music and just really enjoying the flashback and the memories that brings. 

[00:02:14] Blake Melnick: Yeah. That was a great and seminal year for music, for sure.

[00:02:17] Anything in particular that stands out for you or stands the test of time? It's been a long time since 1972.

[00:02:25] Yeah, for sure. 

[00:02:27] Cam Brown: I would have to say that Little Feat Sailing Shoes, Joanie Mitchell's For the Roses, Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book and I'd say Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust

[00:02:36] Blake Melnick: Yeah, for sure. 

[00:02:37] Cam Brown: Even stands the test of time. Absolutely. You know, you play them for somebody who's a millennial now and they'd like them as much as we did back in 

[00:02:44] Blake Melnick: the day. Right. What was it about 1972 that, precipitated all this great music being release.

[00:02:51] Cam Brown: I think the sixties had not come and gone, but, I think a lot of the artists were not as much focused [00:03:00] on, protesting the Vietnam war. I think Watergate, Nixon was on his way out. It was a time where artists could reflect on something other than protesting songs and they got more.

[00:03:11] I know that, after seeing documentary on Elton John recently, they did Honky Chateau in this great big old place in France. The stones did Exile on Mainstreet

[00:03:20] Blake Melnick: that's right. 

Cam Brown: Same kind of thing. They [00:03:22] went into some big old place in France and, took over this mansion and just recorded, 

[00:03:27] so I think it was just a time where these bands could really, reflect and not feel they had to make some statement. Not that the protest movement was over, but it was winding down. 

[00:03:39] When you look at some of the bands that again, Roxy music and the Eagles that released their debuts, and of course they would've long, careers ahead of them.

[00:03:47] There was a band that really one of my cousins was more into, but I remember spending the summer, with a second cousin. And he was, “you gotta listen to this, you gotta listen to this. Just, put the headphones on” I said, we're in the same room.

[00:03:59] We don't [00:04:00] need headphones to listen to it  with headphones. it was Emerson, Lake, and Palmer trilogy, 

[00:04:04] Blake Melnick: right? 

[00:04:05] Cam Brown: Now back then it was pretty cool. It's one thing I don't know that it has stood the test of time. As a person who's recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I think if I pull that album down off Spotify or Apple or something like that, that probably could have saved me some money on a machine.

[00:04:24] Blake Melnick: Right. yeah. Well, you're right. I've gone back and listened to some of that Progue rock we used to listen to in the seventies and some of it stands a test of time, but a lot of it, boy, I go, why did I like that? exactly. 

[00:04:37] I think you're safe of its pink Floyd. Anything else you've gotta really just raise your eyebrow

[00:04:43] Yeah, well, we should do a show about that, but I there's some that still stand the test of time for me in that period, but one of the things, and it's funny, I was at a show this past weekend, the Arkells show out here on the island and, one of the things that strikes me about concerts these days, They're [00:05:00] kind of boring.

[00:05:01] One of the things about the pro rock era that I did love was that the concerts, the shows were spectacles. They were all encompassing experiences, visually and emotionally. And the bands always did a lot of really cool things to draw the audience in, to create that moment in time, I find shows nowadays are pretty much like playing the album.

[00:05:23] I could sit at home and listen to the record and get the same experience. I'm not seeing a lot of showmanship. I'm not seeing a lot of spectacle. There are a few exceptions, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits. But again, not a lot of visuals, not a lot of storytelling. So yeah, I do find the concert experience kind of flat, you know, thinking back on some of the old concerts of yesterday year, seeing Yes. ELP and Jethro Tull, these were spectacle shows. 

[00:05:50] Cam Brown: . Oh, they totally were. 

[00:05:51] I don't know if you remember, or you went to the, super trap concert. I did, it, that was at, the grandstand. And I remember, at one point they [00:06:00] were playing that song. Rudy's on a train of nowhere.

[00:06:03] Right. And the big screen behind them had you on a train. Yeah. And you were whipping through all the different train stations right in England, right? It was just, it was amazing for anybody that was there, it was just fantastic. So yeah, they definitely need to bring some of that back.

[00:06:18] Blake Melnick: I don't want to go to a live show and hear the record. I want to go to a live show and see the musicians’ step outside their comfort zone, improvise. Do things differently, play different songs. Stretch themselves a little bit. I like that improvisation piece.

[00:06:32] I like to be surprised at a concert. I don't want to go and hear the song verbatim from the record. So 1972, you're listening to a lot of music from that period for me, doing Pass the Jam has been fantastic in terms of exposing me to artists I'd never heard before.

[00:06:49] New music. And I've obviously been listening to the artists on the show quite extensively. Heather Gamal's new album debut album is absolutely fantastic. And Heather was a [00:07:00] finalist in the CBC talent search contest. Kudos to her for that, but I've loved this record. She's such a great player.

[00:07:07] She's got a great voice, very nuanced. Yeah. And I've really enjoyed that. It's heavily influenced by the blues, but also folk music and I think she's a very talented songwriter. So I've enjoyed her record. Douglas Cameron, my recent guest on past the jam and his album Riverdale, which was released a number of years ago.

[00:07:25] I've really enjoyed this sort of old time music. I really like it. It's very evocative of feelings and emotions for me from my own childhood -  fantastic musicianship, great variety. Having all these guests on the show, they've also talked about their own influences and that has opened my eyes to some music I hadn't heard.

[00:07:44] Before and one band in particular is Larkin Poe. Rebecca and Megan Lovel are the two main players in the band singer, songwriters, multi instrumentalists, creating their own brand of roots, rock and roll it's gritty. It's soulful.[00:08:00] It's flavored by their Southern heritage.

[00:08:03] They're originally from Atlanta and are living in Nashville and their descendants of. Edgar Allan Poe. Oh, amazing. Yeah. So pretty cool. I must 

[00:08:11] Cam Brown: say I'm a, I'm a big fan of theirs as well

[00:08:12] Blake Melnick:. Yeah. just a fantastic band. They've kind of done it their way. They're not played on the radio a lot, but I would highly recommend people that love good rock and roll blues with country influences to check 'em out. I have two records that I've downloaded both of which I really like the first one is called Peach, which was recorded in 2017.

[00:08:34] And the second called Self-Made Man recorded in 2020. I think they have a new record coming out as well. So I would highly recommend, people listen to Larkin Poe. And then the other one for me of course is Little Feat.

[00:08:47] You mentioned Sailing Shoes, great album, Little Feat, is having their 45th anniversary summer tour of Waiting for Columbus. I think perhaps one of the best live [00:09:00] albums ever done, originally recorded in 1978. So 45 years, that's a long time. And they're touring this show across North America.

[00:09:08] I have tickets to see the show in Seattle on August 6th, and I'm really excited about that. They've gone through quite a change in personnel. Unfortunately, a number of the members have passed away. the great drummer Richie Hayward, and Paul Barrare who just passed away during COVID.

[00:09:22] I hadn't realized he died. But they've managed to backfill with some pretty impressive people. They have, Scott Sherrard now on guitar and vocals replacing Paul. He was previously the guitarist and Musical Arranger/Director for the Greg Allman Band and they have Tony Leon playing drums and mandolin, he worked closely with Levon Helm, Amy Helm, band, Phil Lesh, of The Grateful Dead

[00:09:46] They've had some live simulcasts on Facebook. It sounds amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing them and they're, re-releasing Waiting, for Columbus, as part of their tour. So that's exciting for me. I [00:10:00] love Little Feat, my favorite band.

[00:10:02] So check out Little Feat 

[00:10:03] Cam Brown: Yeah, one of mine as well. And the thing great about Little Feat is, someone like, Lowell George dies and they're able to continue and they've got this sort of ensemble, feel about them. So when you're seeing Little Feat, you know that if someone's passed on, they're gonna replace them with somebody.

[00:10:22] Amazing. Right. There's probably a lineup at the door. As soon as the obit is published, you get every musician in, from New York to LA. calling their manager saying, can you get me on tour with Little Feat? 

[00:10:32] Blake Melnick: They've had a reputation of being the band that everybody wants to play.

[00:10:36] Yeah. 

[00:10:37] Cam Brown: And correct me, if I'm wrong, weren't they, the backup band for Robert Palmer on one of his first albums, Sneaking Sally Through the Alley. 

[00:10:44] Blake Melnick: Yeah. A couple of them were for sure. They've always had a very strong career as session musicians playing on everybody else's albums.

[00:10:50] And of course, Bill Payne plays with the Doobie Brothers, phenomenal keyboard player, like one of the best I've ever heard. They've played with lots of people, Taj Mahal. They backed up, [00:11:00] his record Dancing, the Blues, another one of my favorites. 

[00:11:03] Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Raitt. Yep. Lowell George was, Bonnie Raitt's mentor, basically taught her how to play slide guitar. They have that ability because they're such good musicians. And they've managed over the years, many people thought, well, once little George passed away, that was the end of the band, but they reinvented themselves.

[00:11:21] And brought in other people, Shaun Murphy, who sang, vocals for them for a long period of time. I thought she was terrific. So yeah, they've just managed to, recreate themselves and continue to advance their sound and their music. I'm super stoked about going to see that show, and the other band, in connection with that is the opening band for Little Feat is Hot Tuna.

[00:11:42] I wasn't all that familiar with Hot Tuna, although. I was very familiar with Jorma Kaukinen who was one of the founders of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship and so having them accompanying the Feat and I would imagine they'll probably play with them as well. And there may be a few other special guests.

[00:11:59] [00:12:00] So, I'm really looking forward to this show. I just think it's going to be fantastic. 

[00:12:05] Cam Brown: that'll be the highlight of your summer. I'm sure. 

[00:12:07] Blake Melnick: Yeah, I think so. And I've ordered the new record. That's going to be re-released from the tour. They're playing the entire Waiting for Columbus record.

[00:12:16] If you haven't heard Little Feat go pick up the album Waiting for Columbus. 

[00:12:20] Cam Brown: Definitely. Now you say you're seeing them in Seattle . Are there any plans or have you heard anything about whether they're going to do a Canadian tour. 

Blake Melnick: I have not heard any plans about that and I suspect not. , but as I say, I'm really looking forward to this show, because Little Feat is a band that does not, stick to the script, when they play live for sure. And I like that 

[00:12:39] they combine so many different kinds of music.

[00:12:41] Blake Melnick: You're absolutely right. 

[00:12:43] Cam Brown: Very eclectic band. 

[00:12:44] Blake Melnick: It's what makes them unique. You really can't pin them down. There's elements of that California rock scene, funk, folk, jazz country rockabilly, New Orleans jazz, all stirred into this rich gumbo of music it's it really makes them quite unique[00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Let's shift over now, to what you're watching. What are you watching these days? 

[00:13:05] I've, been watching, this fantastic series. the second season actually just started it's on the Disney channel here in Canada.

[00:13:13] It's called Only Murders in the Building. Yes. And it was created by Steve Martin, a great comic writer, and, a friend of his John Hoffman who also did a series called Grace and Frankie, which I haven't seen, but I hear is it's very good with Jane Fonda. It's kind of a dramedy - it's a comedy drama.

[00:13:33] Cam Brown: It's a thriller, these are three neighbors, who all have a love of true crime. And when a mysterious death occurs in the building, these neighbors played by Steve Martin, Martin short and Selena Gomez decide to get together. and solve the crime, right. There's this mysterious death and it leads them into doing a podcast about it.

[00:13:57] And it's absolutely [00:14:00] hilarious. It's suspense. It's clever. Martin short, I enjoyed on SCTV. I thought he was great. But he tops himself here. And for people that aren't a fan of Martin short, you're going to be swayed. when you watch this Selena Gomez. I just remember my nieces liking her as a singer.

[00:14:18] I didn't really realize she could act -  I had no idea, she's great in it. And then the series also has a number of cameos and supporting players. Nathan Lane's in there. Tina Fay, right. Sting. Does a great self parody. He's in a couple episodes as himself.

[00:14:32] Yes he is Yeah. So, Anybody out there want something really entertaining and very clever. I would recommend Only Murders, in the [00:14:42] Building. 

[00:14:43] I read something that said it was loosely based on a true story. Is that, your understanding? 

[00:14:48] I've heard that, but I haven't had a chance to really fully investigate it.

[00:14:52] And, the thing I love about it. It's set in a building in the upper west side of New York and the building, reminds me of the [00:15:00] Dakota, the big building, which John Lennon lived. Right. And so you’ve got a lot of that  New York feel to it. And, I think it's great.

[00:15:06] If you want to get into a series, you can sink your teeth into, I definitely say Only Murders in the Building.

[00:15:12] On crave TV, there's a limited series called Julia. And it's all about Julia Child. 

[00:15:18] Yeah. I've heard that's very good. 

[00:15:20] it is quite good. And. it's still on and I'm enjoying following that. 

[00:15:25] What have you been watching? 

Blake Melnick: [00:15:26] Well, I also have been watching Only Murders in the Building.

[00:15:29] I'm almost through the first season and like you, I really enjoyed, I was not a huge Martin Short fan, but I think when you pair him with Steve Martin, it works beautifully. And Steve Martin is to me, just a genius, the subtlety of his humor. I found him, quite hilarious.

[00:15:44] I'm looking forward to watching the rest of that. For me, something I watched recently just came out, it's called, We Own This City. It's an American mini-series, based on the nonfiction book, by the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter.

[00:15:57] Justin Fenton. And [00:16:00] it was developed and written by George Pelecanos and David Simon. David Simon was the writer and producer of The Wire, who many, including myself, consider the best written television series of all time. So if you like The Wire, you're gonna love this one. It's only a six episode series.

[00:16:18] And it details the rise in fall of the Baltimore police department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. So it's true story. And it centers on, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, one of the eight officers who were convicted on various corruption charges in 2018 and 2019. And it follows kind of a non-linear.[00:16:38] Narrative with lots of flashbacks. But again, if you liked The Wire, you're gonna love this. The writing is exceptional. It stars, John Bernthal if you remember him, from The Walking Dead and he played The Punisher. He's a great actor. Jamie Hector, who played Marlow Stanfield from The Wire, Josh Charles, who was in the Good [00:17:00] Wife, and he was Knox Charles from the Dead Poet’s Society. If you remember, Wow.

[00:17:05] So what I love about David Simon is that he brings back a lot of the same characters that were in the wire in different roles in, we own this city, but he also keeps a couple of them in play and has them further along in their careers. So it's really neat to see some of these guys back again. And of course the wire launched the careers of so many great actors Idris Alba, and others. This is really a great series. If you like that kind of thing, the writing is exceptional, highly recommend it. 

The other one I really enjoyed is called Taboo. It's a BBC television drama, produced by Scott free London and Hardy Son and Baker.

[00:17:48] It stars Tom Hardy, and his father who is also a journalist and a screenwriter helps contribute to the writing of this. An eight episode series set in 1814, and [00:18:00] centers on, England And the United States after the war of 1812. Tom Hardy plays the character of James Delaney returning to England after a number of years in Africa, with 14 stolen diamonds. His father has left him his business, a merchant Marine company, a supply company. And he's also left in the deed to a piece of land, which happens to be Vancouver island 

[00:18:24] oh, wow.The gateway to the east. The East Indian Company wants this land, the Americans want this land, and he uses this as a negotiation, to get what he wants. It's pretty dark. It's almost has a Jack the Ripper-like vibe to it. It's fairly mystical and magical with a lot of Hoo Doo the African version of Voodoo, going on. Hardy is such a great actor.

[00:18:49] Anyone that's seen the Marvel series knows that he played Venom. He made his debut in Ridley Scott's Blackhawk Down. He's played in Batman, a number of Christopher Nolan films. [00:19:00] He's a great actor. those are you that have been, watching Peaky Blinders knows that he plays the character of Alfie Solomons

[00:19:06] Jonathan Price is in it. Who you might remember from the film Brazil? The villain in Tomorrow Never Dies and Pirates of the Caribbean. Glen Gary, Glen Ross. He's a stage actor. Tom Hollander, another English actor. Absolutely fantastic. He was in Bohemian Rhapsody in Pirates of the Caribbean Pride and Prejudice and Gosford Park.

[00:19:27] So great cast, great acting and a really neat story. I'm looking forward to season two, the voyage to the new world, so well worth the watch. 

[00:19:37] And then the third one I have is called the Outer Range.It's kind of a combination of Westworld and Yellowstone If you like, Kevin Costner's, Yellowstone, If you like Westworld you'll probably like this.

[00:19:48] Starring Jos Brolin, he's played in the Goonies. Grindhouse, No Country for Old Men, American gangster, Deadpool two, and of course he played Thanos in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[00:19:59] , [00:20:00] it also stars, Imogen Poots, an English actor. She played Tammy in the film 28 Weeks Later, Linda, Keith, in the Jimmy Hendricks biopic. Great cast, really interesting. I don't know whether I love it yet, but it certainly got my attention. 

[00:20:16] Blake Melnick: The story centers around a rancher and his family, the Abbots, who own a large ranch in Wyoming. One day Royal Abbot played by Brolin discovers a big hole that mysteriously appears in a remote pasture on his ranch. The hole connects his time to a time in the past, but for Abbot and his adjacent neighbor and antagonist Wayne Tillerson played by the great actor Will Patton, coincidentally, Jamie Dutton's biological father in Yellowstone.

[00:20:42] And I don't want to give too much away here, but this is not the first time the hole has appeared to both men. I really liked season one, it's a mystery. it's a modern Western, and I'm really interested to see where it goes in season two.

[00:20:56] So those are my picks for what to watch over the [00:21:00] summer. Let's shift over to what we're reading. What are you reading? 

[00:21:04] well, I just finished a really fascinating book.

[00:21:08] It's by the drummer of the talking heads. His name is Chris France, not like the country. It's, F R A NT Z. It's not just, about the start of the punk music, alternative music scene in New York that, brought us, the Ramones and, Patty Smith. It's also about that time and how a lot of artists from the sixties evolved.

[00:21:38] Into who they were because of this era the sort of mid to late seventies in New York, people like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and then later, Blondie would come of it. But the interesting thing too, about this book, Blake is, Frantz met his wife, Tina Waymouth, who is the bass player in the band.

[00:21:56] And they fell in love and are still together [00:22:00] 45 years later. Wow. Yeah, it's amazing. So it's their relationship. It's the drama that can happen with any band, that we like, the politics and stuff of it. And when it looked at one point that, David Byrne, the lead singer songwriter was gonna maybe start a solo career.

[00:22:16] They decided to do something solo and they worked, on a band called the Tom Tom. Which had a big song called Genius of Love. And it's like a love story. It's also a great, look at a time in New York where, people like Lou Reed got their second start or second breath of life.

[00:22:33] And, also they went and toured Europe with the Ramones. And I gotta tell ya, I think if anybody plays the Ramones, it would have to be all the sons, of the Monte Python performers. cause these guys are just, when you read this book, it becomes like, does Lauren Michaels know this exists?

[00:22:52] There's a movie in here somewhere, it was a really great read and really opened my eyes to. How much, we all have [00:23:00] drama in our families and different drama at work. rocker roll bands don't have any less, 

[00:23:05] If not, they have more, probably more.

[00:23:06] Yep. Yeah, 

[00:23:07] Cam Brown: exactly. So it was a great read. 

[00:23:09] Blake Melnick: May get you listening to some Talking Heads too, right? yeah. 

[00:23:16] Cam Brown: They're, a band I always liked, they get lobbed in with, with the punk movement, but they were never really pumped.

[00:23:22] They were, no, they weren't. That's why I said they're alternative they're that they combine different genres. They would bring in, African music and they would bring in folk and put it in with jazz. It's not just burning down the house. There's a lot of great stuff 

[00:23:35] Blake Melnick: there.

[00:23:35] Oh yeah. I didn't love them when they. First broke the scene, but I have grown to really appreciate them and I do remember seeing them, I think it was the CNE. They might have been opening for the police, years ago. And, they stole the show as far as I was concerned. They were really great. Yeah. Yep. 

[00:23:52] So for me, I've been reading as you have too, as Tom Locke's new book Moments in Time, which I've loved.

[00:23:58] I'm loving that too. Gotta do a plug for [00:24:00] this on the show. If you want a copy of it, there's a link on our Facebook, site, For What it's Worth the Podcast Series, and in the show notes for last week's episode. And I'll put 'em again in this week's episode, but this is a great book.

[00:24:12] It's a really easy read. As I mentioned in last week's episode, probably one of the best bathroom books of all time, how many bathroom books can you open it anywhere in the book? Read a couple of pages and then listen to some music, really gets things going in the morning. 

[00:24:27] Cam Brown: That's what I love about it.

[00:24:28] It's great. We both, we both love our music. You grew up together. We both like to turn each other on to music and that happens with friends and family. This book is amazing in the way that you open up a page, you read a couple pages about a song and you're like, oh, that sounds great.

[00:24:45] You don't need to go and Google, or for Spotify, you certainly take the code that's in the book, put it to your phone or in my case, my iPad. And you listen to the song. Yeah. And it, it turns you on to only great music, but whatever that song of that artist was. [00:25:00] Maybe they wrote more, maybe there's other stuff in it.

[00:25:02] It's a fantastic 

[00:25:03] Blake Melnick: book. Yeah. Yeah. it was a really innovative approach. I gave a copy to my friend, Jack Ross. Who's a well known Canadian agent and, he loved it as well. He said, boy, that is really great. Hearing the history of the music then listening to the song. As he said to me, I read a book and then I go, geez, I should go.

[00:25:20] And, find those songs and I'm go and search online. Or he’d go search through his, music catalog to try to find the songs And he said, this is great. It's immediate feedback. He loved it as well. So that's the one book I have read and the one I'm reading now, and  I've started to read this book.

[00:25:36] probably three or four times that I'm finally gonna finish it this summer. And it's the book New York by Edward Rutherford. a book that Chronicles the birth and growth of New York City, a place I love, from the arrival of the first Dutch and other European Colonists in the 17th century to the summer of 2009.

[00:25:54] And he builds his novel on the histories of fictional families who live in New York and in Manhattan,[00:26:00] these families represent the successive  waves of immigrants who have made the city such a multicultural mosaic. It's a big book, but I love historical fictions. all of the places that I know in New York and finding the roots of how they've developed and who was involved , and, characters like Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam.

[00:26:21] And I have a lot of family history tied to that period as well. So it's a fascinating read. I'm looking forward to finishing the book. 

[00:26:27] Cam Brown: and is this a book that anybody can find? 

[00:26:30] Blake Melnick: Oh yeah. It was a bestseller if you like things like Pillars of the Earth, which I loved, you'll love this.

[00:26:35] It's a great history on the beginnings of New York, and the immigrant experience - that's my, recommendation for what to read this summer.

[00:26:45] So I think we've covered a lot of ground here. We've given our listeners a lot to do during those hot summer months when they're not outside and need a little downtime, lots of good things to watch, read, and to listen to. And we'll put all of these in the transcripts for the [00:27:00] show. So you can go back and check 'em out, at your leisure.

[00:27:03] So this concludes this week's episode of the space in between. What we're listening to what we're watching and what we're reading. I'll be back again next week with the final episode of season three, a retrospective on what went on during this season and what you can expect in season four of the show for what it's worth.