TCBCast 364: The "Fun in Acapulco" Sessions & Album
Justin and Bec put on their sombreros, pour margaritas and head South of the border for an exploration of the January 1963 movie soundtrack sessions that gave us the "Fun in Acapulco" album. With its unusual genre stylings that evoked more Latin-flavored stylings, traditional Mexican songs and the whole Acapulco nightclub destination scene of the early 1960s, "Fun in Acapulco" offered Elvis Presley a chance to dabbled in the types of songs he might never have otherwise done but takes the challenge head on, such as "Guadalajara," "Marguerita" and "Vino, Dinero Y Amor." Of course, while they touch on the iconic "Bossa Nova Baby," a cover of a Leiber/Stoller-penned hit originally for The Clovers, and ponder what on earth happened to "Mexico" on the original album, the duo also briefly glimpse the extensive careers of some of the unique musicians who helped Elvis nail the tone (such as The Four Amigos), as well discuss a few ways Fun in Acapulco has popped up in pop culture. For Song of the Week, Bec takes it light and breezy with the bluesy "Hard Luck" from "Frankie and Johnny" while Justin gives a little love to Lee Hazlewood's "The Fool," originally a hit for Sanford Clark but surfacing both as a home recording by Elvis and eventually on the "Elvis Country" album. Note: We recorded this episode just before the "Sunset Boulevard" box set news dropped, before seeing Riley Keough's "In Process" short film and a few other news tidbits that cropped up, which we'll tackle all on the next episode! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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2:16:31
TCBCast Jukebox Bonus - Billboard Top 10: May 26, 1958
Justin was recovering from his madcap trip to the Hawkeye State, so we took a brief hiatus but will be returning next week with a "Fun," summery feeling sessions-and-album discussion (hint hint). Enjoy this blast from the past in two ways: Justin & Gurdip's 2021 bonus discussion of the Billboard Top 10 from May 26, 1958, which offers up iconic rock and pop tracks, from Elvis's "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" to less-well-remembered hits like The Four Preps' "Big Man". But the guys ended up going deeper when Justin start pulling in the top songs on the R&B and country charts as well, realizing that mid-1958 is a point of huge musical overlap between the major mainstream genres. Then, the guys also discuss some of the other Elvis-related items featured in this historical issue of this music industry magazine, including a contemporary review of King Creole and an incredibly fascinating story about Elvis bootlegs pressed into unconventional materials in Soviet Russia in the 1950s! For your listening convenience and pleasure, we've built a Spotify playlist of the songs featured on these charts, plus a handful of other tracks included in the discussion, at this link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PeM4TMYaXx8ToQOfS84GH?si=de7dee88f6bf4e81 For more on the X-Ray Audio Project, visit: https://x-rayaudio.squarespace.com/ If you enjoyed this kind of content, please consider consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. We have an archive of over 4 years (and growing!) of bonus discussions just like this! Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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56:43
TCBCast 363: Lilo and Stitch (2025) Discussion
Justin and Bec give their reactions to watching Disney's live action remake of the 2002 animated classic "Lilo and Stitch," which prominently featured Elvis's music. The remake does, too, so we primarily center our discussion initially around how Elvis is used; but since Bec had never seen the original before, she gave it a watch after having gone to see the reworking in theatres, and the duo compare notes on things that were different, what worked and what didn't. For Song of the Week, since the "Blue Hawaii" album is seen prominently in the new "Lilo and Stitch", both hosts decided to pick songs from the 1961 classic, with Justin first picking "Ku-U-I-Po," the ballad also written by "Can't Help Falling in Love" cowriters Peretti-Creatore-Weiss for "Blue Hawaii." Bec then dives headfirst into the multi-faceted history behind "Aloha Oe," the traditional Hawaiian song penned by the last Queen of Hawai'i, Liliʻuokalani, and its double meaning as both a simple romantic farewell as well as symbolizing the loss of indigenous sovereignty. This prompts further discussion on how the song is used in "Blue Hawaii" and in both versions of "Lilo and Stitch," bringing the whole thing together. Be warned - if you haven't made it out to see the movie, this whole episode contains numerous spoilers for both the 2002 and 2025 versions of "Lilo and Stitch." If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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1:40:39
TCBCast Bonus: "Baz Luhrmann's EPiC" Title Reveal Reactions (feat. Jamie Kelley of EAP Society)
Justin was in Iowa on a non-Elvis trip but decided to swing up to see Jamie Kelley in his natural habitat: the EAP Society set! However, the set was undergoing major changes for their upcoming Season 4, so while nothing was filmed, the duo stepped outside and recorded an off-the-cuff discussion about Baz Luhrmann's announcement of the official title for his upcoming film utilizing Elvis footage, "Baz Luhrmann's EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," the subsequent press information released by Sony after Baz's presentation at Sony Music Vision, and what it all potentially means for the fandom in the months and years to come. If you want to hear more from Jamie and John, check out their YouTube channel or visit EAPSociety.com for details on how to follow and support them. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. Patrons received an extended edit of this discussion with almost 40 more minutes of mulling over the ways different Elvis projects have approached or avoided depicting Elvis's artistic process, the state of the fandom and much more!
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31:52
TCBCast 362: Teaching Elvis
Ryan Droste returns to TCBCast, this time to guide us through his response to an intriguing listener email all about how history teachers like him may choose to discuss Elvis's place in the broader story of American history, and how he specifically teaches his teenage students about Elvis, Sun Records, race relations and the music industry of the 1950s. For Song of the Week, Ryan picks the beautifully sung ballad "Today Tomorrow and Forever" from one of his all-time favorite Elvis movies, Viva Las Vegas, both as a solo cut and as a duet with Ann-Margret. Then, Justin pieces together an unexpectedly heartbreaking story behind the cheerful Olivia Newton-John hit "Let Me Be There" that Elvis famously covered in his March 20, 1974, Memphis concert (released as an album itself) as well as resurfacing a few years later again on the Moody Blue album. This is a Song of the Week that you do not want to miss - it may change how you think of the song entirely. uge thanks goes out to David "Ghosty" Wills of "We Say Yeah" for his assistance with research materials for this Song of the Week. You can check out more of Ryan's history content at youtube.com/MrDrosteHistory as well as find him as usual discussing pro wrestling on Top Rope Nation. CONTENT WARNING: the SOTW segment starting at 1:39:15 contains discussion about suicide. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. Patrons receive early access to episodes, exclusive new bonus episodes and an extensive archive of over 4 years of bonus episodes covering a range of topics related to Elvis and early rock and roll!
About TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
"Elvis is history," Carl Perkins once said, "and anytime anyone or anything becomes history, whether it be Pearl Harbor or Elvis, it will never go away. The world will never tire of his songs."
TCBCast is an unofficial fan podcast featuring co-hosts Gurdip Ladhar and Justin Gausman, along with regular guest co-hosts Ryan Droste and Bec Wyles, plus an array of Elvis fans and experts setting out to better understand that history, and those songs. Tackling topics from throughout Elvis's lifetime and beyond, TCBCast seeks to offer thoughtful, intelligent, heartfelt and honest discourse on Presley's career, his influences, the people who made his work possible, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding his iconography.
TCBCast is not associated with or endorsed by Graceland, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group or Sony.
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