Episode #259 |12.9.25
Phil Spector: Silent Night, Loaded Gun
Listen free:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart | Audacy | Pandora | Amazon Music | TuneIn | Castbox
In this episode
A gun-waving showdown with the Ramones. A death threat from the Genovese crime family. A terrorized Ronnie Spector locked inside a gilded cage. And a Christmas record crushed by one of the darkest days in American history. Listen to find out how producer Phil Spector created a joyful holiday masterpiece before fear and violence turned his quest for immortality into something far darker.
Sources
Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector, by Mick Brown
He’s a Rebel: Phil Spector – Rock & Roll’s Legendary Producer, by Mark Ribowsky
Phil Spector's 'A Christmas Gift For You' – The Shocking Story Of The Ultimate Festive Album (NME)
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector: 60 Years of Pop Revolution (Abbey Road Institute)
Legend with a Bullet (Vanity Fair)
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector (2008, dir. Vikram Jayanti)
Former 'Crystals' Lead Singer Releases Solo Album (NPR)
Grisly Scene Described in Spector Case (LA Times)
Spector Is Charged With Murder (LA Times)
When Phil Spector tried to kill the Ramones over a punk rock record (Far Out)
The furious letter Paul McCartney sent to Apple Corps and Phil Spector (Far Out)
The moment Phil Spector held a gun to Leonard Cohen's head (Far Out)
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Zeth Lundy.
Copy edited by James Sullivan.
Mixed by Matt Beaudoin.
DISGRACELAND theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie,” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak