In Episode 19, we are graced with another knowledgable and insightful guest. Courtney had the opportunity to interview a real-life time traveler, Alison Renner, who contacted us out of the blue to discuss some of the subject matter we’ve explored in earlier episodes. It was immediately clear that Courtney was communicating with someone with a true understanding of the Liverpool scene. Over the course of the interview Alison reveals her time bending gifts and offers to take us into the past as we continue our odyssey.
We are so grateful the Bunny gods brought us together through this modern medium of podcasting and we are excited to announce that Alison has agreed to share her time traveling gifts with us, by transporting herself into the Liverpool scene at various points in its history to give our listeners a firsthand glimpse of all the goings on.
Alison Renner is a collector of antique photographs and a lover of the Liverpool scene. As a child, she spent an unusual amount of time sitting by the radio and writing down band names for her future self to find once she had mastered the art of time bending. In one of her notes she wrote the words "THE WILD SWANS" and this band became a portal as she was shot across the Ley Lines into the the dream city of Liverpool where she seems to have taken up residence. When she speaks of this moment in history, she speaks as someone who has lived alongside the individuals who inhabit this scene. She is someone who has lovingly combed through lyrics, interviews, and the small print of liner notes many times over.
In this episode, Alison answers all Courtney's eager questions about the Liverpool scene and gives a sweeping overview of the period we are focusing on in the city's musical history. The inhabitants come to life as she situates each individual's contributions and motivations within the larger context of the scene. We try to cover it all: the genesis of bands, the burgeoning feuds, the lasting bonds, the uninvited American, the collective mourning, we touch on all of it.
You can find Alison Renner on instagram @odpeacock
If you are brave and interested in mysteries and unexplainable phenomena, listen to STRANGE FAMILIARS podcast on iTunes, Googleplay, and all the other podcasty places.
Check out their website at STRANGEFAMILIARS.COM
And check out the STRANGE FAMILIARS shop on Ebay where many of Alison's haunting antique photographs are listed.
In this episode, we play clips of the following songs--
"Charlotte Anne", by THE TEAR DROP EXPLODES (1988)
"Young Manhood", by THE WILD SWANS (1988)
"The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years", by THE WILD SWANS (2011)
"My Town", by THE WILD SWANS (2011)
"The Culture Bunker", THE TEARDROP EXPLODES (1981)
In this episode, we dive deep into the eel infested waters of the human psyche and wash up on an island shore where a single magnolia tree grows. We explore the cosmological locus of Echo & the Bunnymen via Jungian archetypal theory, psychoanalysis and astrology. As we embark on our second season, we are honored to have Shannon O'Neill, MA, LPC-S, LCAS, CCS as our very first guest on the podcast. She expertly guides us on this mythopoetic quest, penetrating mysteries, illuminating secrets, and yielding many a shining diamond of wisdom. Not to be missed!
Shannon O'Neill is a private practice psychotherapist and clinical supervisor living in Asheville, NC. She has a Master's in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is trained in the Archetypal Psychology tradition of Carl Jung and neurophysiology of Somatic Psychology. You can learn more about her practice, including classes and workshops on her website.
https://somaticpsychology.com
Join Shane and Courtney for the one year anniversary episode! The conversation gets meta as we reflect on our experiences making the first 15 episodes, and how our understandings have evolved--of the band, of the Liverpool scene, of just what it is we are doing here. We prepared interview questions for one another, such as "Who is your favorite Bunnyman?", "Who is your favorite non-Bunnyman?", "What has it been like to meet other Bunnyfans as a result of the podcast?"
The first half of this episode is a current discussion of where we are now. In the second half, we flash back to late summer 2018, sharing from the vault a previously unreleased recording of one of our first conversations about how we came to know the band's music and our hopes and dreams for this podcast.
All in all, its a casual hang session, some pause before we dive back into the rigor of our historical and analytical work, excavating the myths and music of EATB.
In Episode 11, we discuss a range of topics, from soaring falsettos to basement toilet bowls to some of the yin and the yang of the music biz. We ponder teenage Ian McCulloch's clothing choices and Courtney finally learns the true meaning of the word: kaftan. We embark on in-depth analyses of both David Bowie's and Ian McCulloch's voices and the mechanics of singing. From these vociferous heights, the conversation descends to tales of what the bathrooms in Eric's Club were like. We emerge relatively unsoiled, and enter the "cavernous grotto of the club”, flipping through the legendary jukebox, before finally introducing the first two Petes who will have an impact on the creation of the Bunnymen.
In episode 6, we step outside of the chronology we've been pursuing to tell the story of Courtney's experience meeting Ian McCulloch, lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen. She takes us on a solitary journey to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, where join forces with her kind-hearted friend. Together, they set out on a mission to deliver culinary items to a fellow EATB fan and, despite their shyness and passivity, make their way backstage. Along the way, we discuss fandom, the concert, we ponder the mysteries of setlist distribution, we speculate about things Ian McCulloch would like to do after a show other than meet Courtney, and Shane shares his never-before-disclosed secret to getting better seats at any show for no extra cost. He also shares his childhood memories of meeting Iron Maiden, Trent Reznor, and David Copperfield. Join us for this recounting of the encounter. It is a holiday tale of kindness, suspense, friendship, despair, heartache, empathy and redemption that you won't want to miss!
