Episode notes
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why the song “Yakety Sax” is secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
LINKS FOR KATIE GOLDIN:
- Katie Goldin on Bluesky
- @ProBirdRights on Bluesky
- ‘Creature Feature’ podcast (iHeartRadio)
- When Is a Bird a ‘Birb’? An Extremely Important Guide (Audubon)
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- “Finding Lenapehoking” (YouTube / Hudson River Maritime Museum)
- Why Do They Call It Beacon? (The Highlands Current)
- Dutch & Native American Heritage In The Hudson River Valley (National Park Service)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- “Yakety Sax” by Boots Randolph (YouTube)
- “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters (YouTube)
- Why “Yakety Sax” makes anything funny and has morphed into the soundtrack of political failure (Salon.com)
- Obituary: Boots Randolph, 80; versatile musician recorded ‘Yakety Sax’ (Los Angeles Times)
- Obituary: Boots Randolph, the ‘Yakety Sax’ Man, Is Dead at 80 (The New York Times)
- Saxophonist behind Benny Hill theme Yakety Sax dies (CBC News)
- Fresh Air: “Roots of Rock: Lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller” (NPR)
- Don’t Talk Back: The Hidden Social Criticism of the Coasters and Songwriters Leiber and Stoller–Essay by David J. Lawson (The Museum Of Americana: A Literary Review)
- FindAGrave.com listing for James “Spider” Rich, 1923-2003
- “The Girl I Left Behind Me” – British Army Song (YouTube)
- Boots Randolph’s ‘Yakety Sax’ sample of Traditional Folk’s ‘The Girl I Left Behind’ (WhoSampled.com)
- Boots Randolph’s ‘Yakety Sax’ sample of Julius Fučík’s ‘Entrance of the Gladiators’ (WhoSampled.com)
- Chet Atkins (Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum)
- Kristi Noem tours Portland Ice facility with Maga influencers in tow (The Guardian)
- Musician performing outside Portland ICE facility arrested, charged with assault (Portland Tribune)
- Voices and Freedoms: A History of Jazz — “Early Jazz, New Orleans, and the Will To Survive” by Richard R. Guzman
- Encyclopedia Britannica entry for Adolphe Sax, Belgian inventor
- YouTube uploads of The Benny Hill Show: Season 1 Episode 2 and Season 8 Episode 1 — these uploads are useful for hearing the music. Some of the language is translated out of English.
- The Benny Hill Show (NostalgiaCentral.com)
- ITV’s greatest theme tune: Benny Hill or Bullseye? (The Guardian)
- Encyclopedia Britannica entry for ITV, British organization
- London 2012 beach volleyball is a maverick mix of Benny Hill and sport (The Guardian)
- Crypto group says it orchestrated sex toy tosses in WNBA games (ESPN)
- Facebook video upload of SkyNews coverage of Boris Johnson’s government ending
- ‘Yackety Sax’ becomes the soundtrack to Boris Johnson’s resignation (NPR Morning Edition)
- Why has Hugh Grant settled his phone hacking claim against the Sun? (The Guardian)
- “Dada-Dada-Da-Da-Da-Da, Dada-Dada-Da-Da-Da. Antifa!” (New York Magazine)
- Who knew ICE could be so funny? Just check out videos of their fails. (Los Angeles Times)
In this episode...
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
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@sifpod
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