Hey all, fans of garage and early psyche are going to feel right at home on this one. Rock orphan stars reach all level of intensity and so much emphasis focus on bank accounts. But a record, any record, is a product of blood, sweat, and fears. So much captive sound lies trapped in the grooves of storage basement dungeons where the sun refuses to shine.

But this show is hardly a bummer. Think of it as 30 miles of weird road, where anyone can have an ego and talent always come rocking through.

Blah blah about That THing you DO and one hit wonders but then dive into those that didn’t even attain that status. And it’s all okay, you know?/////😎///What a romp that was, partly because we all have favorite songs that seemed like they had immortality stamped all over them and then...time passed...other records came out...things happened...enthusiasm waned.

Welcome to a collection of songs that were, well, FamOus Somewhere. In the imagination of the artists who recorded them, and the parents of the would be rock stars who handed out copies to friends and family right and left.

So here’s some sweet spots from an endless trail of lost possibilities. They could have been contenders, great tunes that came out on the same day as , oh I don’t know, 150-200 other 60s singles released on the same day. Sure the odds were terrible, but nothing like today when we are getting about 100,000 new songs uploaded every day. The episode of Old School gives them the airtime they never received back in the day. Chunks of creative real estate that lacked a swimming pool or a third bedroom.

Here in the classroom of forgotten flip sides, they get another shot, to make it as an impossibly obscure oldie, a boat that most everyone missed, trends that stayed a mystery. For the next hour, we give them love they never received. Welcome to Episode 95 of Professor Mikey’s Old School, the killer podcast that is…

Famous Somewhere.

Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. How can you be all over Substack and not be here? Right? Thank you, and good on Summer. It’s easy to be a free or paid subscriber. Thanks so much!

I Don’t Want a Lover TEXAS (1989)

Love Trip TONY CHURCH AND THE CRUSADE (1968)

Dancing Madly Backwards CAPTAIN BEYOND (1972)🕺

So Mystifying THE SHAPES OF THINGS (1966)

Like a Tear WORLD OF OZ (1969)

I’ll Leave You Crying THE US TOO GROUP (1968)💧

Mark Time ECLECTION (1968)

Subconscious Train of Thought AARDVARKS (1968)

Mystery Man THE BLUES INVENTION ( 1967)

Pass Me By THE HELLO PEOPLE (1968)

Skillet GALLIARD (1967)

I’m Coming Home THE DEVIANTS (1966)

10,000 Words Inside a Cardboard Box THE AQUARIAN AGE (1969)

Get It While You Can THE CHECKMATES (1969)

Professor Mikey back with the usual heartfelt closing. There is no telling what draws a person into listening to music, much less deciding to create it. This episode of Old School explored some of those decisions, and failed to explain any of them. We are so lucky to have these fountains of inspiration. Many of the bands we just listened to went on to various levels of success in the music business, most of them will be freaking surprised if they just heard themselves coming out of their phones or computers. I didn’t hear a bad song in the bunch. There were no failures, no misguided investments, no door dashed dreams. Just a lot of music from people who chose to rock their own personal paths regardless of what came next. Here to take us out is a band with some real wisdom from the class of 1967 in a Cincinnati high school. It’s some true advice from The Checkmates, Get It While You Can.

I hope you join me for another episode after listening to this one, Old School Number 95, Famous Somewhere.

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“The past is a blast.”

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