Pat's Peeps Podcast
Join our Pat's Peeps family today and be a part of the exciting journey as renowned national talk show host Pat Walsh connects with Friends and Aquaintances. Together, they delve deeper into the captivating world of Pat Walsh's nightly national talk show, all while championing local businesses.
Whether you are a business owner, a devoted listener, or both, we extend a warm invitation for you to become a valued member of our ever-growing community. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to join us ASAP!
Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 217 Remembering Gene Hackman: A Legacy of Films and the Mystery Surrounding his Death, Celebrating Neil Schon's Birthday with Journey Music Pre and Post Steve Perry
Gene Hackman's passing has left a significant hole in the film industry, stirring emotions and sparking a multitude of questions regarding the circumstances of his death. The episode dives deep into these topics while celebrating his everlasting legacy.
• Reflection on the beauty of the day and the mood of the podcast
• An overview of Gene Hackman's sudden death and circumstances
• Discussion about the investigation into Hackman's cause of death
• Highlights of Hackman's illustrious film career and iconic performances
* Celebrating Journey and Santana guitarist Neil Schon's 71st birthday
here we are again with another peep. It is the 217th peep, the Pat's Peeps podcast, to be precise. How are you Happy? Thursday, looking out the studio windows into the beautiful foothills of Northern California, gold country. It's a beautiful day. Beautiful day to nice temperatures. Out, sun is shining. I see a little thin layer of clouds out there, but nonetheless, all the doors are open. The air, it's just beautiful. The air, fresh air, blowing through my home, my studio. How are you? Hope you're having a great day, wherever you are, wherever you are listening to my podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you, my name is Pat Walsh, by the way, proud to bring you the 217th of our podcast, pat's peeps podcast. As we just keep rolling along, I'm also the host of the pat walsh show at kfpk radio in sacramento and that's at 93.1 fm 15 30 am and streaming live everywhere on your free iheart app and on all your streaming platforms. Just like this very podcast. And please, I've been really, uh, promoting the fact that we have a great bunch of businesses and you get to save money, so just go to patspeepscom please, if you. That'd be so kind of you. Yeah, hey, this Pat guy keeps telling us what's he got. Going on there is he got a little store. Is he adding? Is he adding business? Yes, dear, okay, all right, look it up then. Clickety click. That's peepscom. We are so proud to serve local business. Hey, um, lots, lots.
Speaker 1:I want to get to here, and today may be one of those days where the things I'm going to talk about may also well, it will end up on my radio show. Pardon me, I had a little cough there. Hold on, how rude of me. Anyhow, where was I? Yeah, I try not to cross over my podcast into my radio show and vice versa. Keep them both fresh, keep them both different, but today is one of those days where it's going to cross over.
Speaker 1:One of those reasons is I always pay attention to someone who we lose, who people liked. A lot of people loved this guy and just a very tragic thing that I saw in the news the fact that Gene Hackman passed away. And, if you know me, if you listen to my radio show or my podcast, and if you have for some time, even though I am right now watching and getting caught up on movies, which I never do, because I just don't sit and watch movies. I would like to make movies, but to sit and watch movies is a different thing, but I am doing that. But my point being I don't see a ton of movies, but of the movies I've seen, there are ones that really stand out. And in talking about this gentleman, gene Hackman, a lot of his movies stood out to me. What a tragedy His wife, gene and his wife both die.
Speaker 1:And now they're saying some outlets, some media, quote media outlets, various reports say that, for instance, gene Hackman wife's cause of death police call seen suspicious but don't suspect foul play. That one's from USA Today, but if you go through you'll see all kinds of different headlines from various resources, various outlets. But Gene Hackman, they found him dead alongside with his wife, pianist Betsy Arcawa, and their dog. This is in their New Mexico home. Deputies found he was 95. Arcawa and Gene Hackman deceased. This was 1.45 pm yesterday. This is according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, who released a statement, the office saying that it does not suspect foul play. However, an exact cause of death has not been determined and they had a warrant that was released today and police describing Hackman and Arakawa's deaths as suspicious. The New Mexico officials have yet to determine the cause of their dog's death, of their death. They don't know what happened. So the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator saying that in its autopsy, toxicology and post-mortem exam reports, which includes the cause of death, they could take anywhere from four to six weeks, they say that foul play is not suspected. So I'm a little confused to see it's not, but now it's suspicious, but maybe no foul play. Hmm, it's not suspected as a factor in the deaths. According to the spokesperson and the sheriff's office that is investigating and the sheriff's office that is investigating Authorities, they do not again, according to this report anyhow suspect carbon monoxide poisoning in Gene Hackman and his wife.
Speaker 1:They do not suspect that. They said there were no signs of forced entry into their home. Front door was open upon their arrival and they are now working. The Santa Fe City Fire Department, working with a New Mexico gas company, did not find any evidence of carbon monoxide leak or any kind of poisoning. Evidence of carbon monoxide leak or any kind of poisoning. They were found in separate rooms.
Speaker 1:The actor found in a mudroom near his cane, appearing to have fallen. His wife was found in an open bathroom near a space heater with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered, I guess, near the countertops. One of the couple's German shepherds was also found dead less than 15 feet from a closet. Anyhow, a couple of other dogs were found alive. But that if they're not finding carbon monoxide poisoning, no foul play. I mean, how do you perish in that situation? And the dog? But they say there's no. I mean that sounds like it would be something like carbon monoxide poisoning, but again, I don't know. It's fairly confusing.
Speaker 1:The investigators say the scene was suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and an investigation, obviously After several things were found at the scene, including the front door open and unlocked, a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog, as I mentioned before, found near Arakawa and the dead poor dog. You know this poor dog. You feel terrible for the dog. For these folks there are families. Dog in the space heater found near the actor's wife. They also cited an open pill bottle and the scattered prescription pills next to Arakawa, as well as no obvious signs of a gas leak. So Hackman being in a different room than his wife. Very strange, pardon me, but open pill bottles strange. You don't know what to read into that. I certainly don't. And what did they give the dog? One of the pills? We're just going to have to wait to find out. But either way, you know, it's just a terrible, tragic story, obviously.
Speaker 1:And Gene Hackman, he was sort of out of the spotlight for a long time, last couple of decades actually, if you think about it. He underwent an angioplasty procedure that was way back 1990. It's hard to believe that was way back, way back in the old days, in 1990. And a spell of angina, but that's the chest pain that occurs when blood flow to the heart is restricted. But it's a tragedy.
Speaker 1:And, as I said, not being a big movie buff per se, some of the movies that stand out to me have always. Gene Hackman has been in many of these movies. One that comes to mind right away is the Poseidon Adventure. Shelley Winters was in that, gene Hackman, ernest Borgnine, red Buttons Wasn't Red Buttons in that? I think he was. I'm pretty sure it's been a long time since I've seen that, but I think Red Buttons. You know who was in it. I don't want to get it wrong when I say this Was it Marine McGovern, right? Was it Maureen McGovern? She did the song. There's got to be a morning after I have it right. Right, I need to find that. Hold on a second, remember that song that was a top 40 song. Bear with me momentarily. Maureen mcgovern her. She was on the ship with her brother. That's movie scared me. That's one of the reasons I do not go on cruises to this day and this is like from the early 70s. Remember this song. Oh yeah, there's got to be a morning after.
Speaker 3:If we can hold on through the night, we have a chance to find the sunshine. Let's keep on looking for the light.
Speaker 1:You know, this movie came out like in 1972, I believe I was a little kid man, I've been around a while now and this song became a hit on the radio based off of this movie. And Gene Hackman was in this movie. And you know, I think, if I'm not mistaken, I do believe that that song came out about the same time as Jaws. Remember Jaws the original? I think that was in 1972. And everyone was so afraid after Jaws, no one wanted to go to the beach. Yeah, whatever, I'm not a big beach goer anyhow. But what got me, what was even worse to me, was Poseidon adventure. More than Jaws, that was it. I was not going on a ship. I gotta hear about that Lusitania and the Titanic. And now there's this whole Poseidon adventure thing. Remember, back then it was like the. They had all these disaster movies, airport, remember that? And they had, um, was it like airport 77? Oh, what did they have? The, uh, oh, uh, the other disaster, the towering inferno. See, now I'm going off on a tangent, but I just remember a period of time they had these adventure movies, drama or whatever you want to call it. And would that be suspense? Maybe that's more like suspense, but this, the Poseidon adventure was one of them. Yeah, red Buttons was in that. Ernest Borgnine, gene Hackman, shelly went. Jack Albertson, that's right, he wouldn't eat Chico and a man. So this is the Poseidon adventure.
Speaker 1:It's this, this ship. It's an aging luxury liner. It's on its final voyage from New York City to Athens before it's going to get scrapped. But on New Year's Day it is overturned by a tsunami. Passengers and crew, they're trapped inside, as you remember. Oh, remember another movie they had back then Earthquake. Remember that Earthquake, all these disaster movies. And then you had the preacher. He attempts to lead this small group of survivors to say follow me to safety. It scared the heck out of me, man, I was not going on a ship. And what about that? Ernest Borgnine, so selfish? Yeah, I just remember all of those disaster movies. At that time, like early 70s, it was released December 72. It was the highest grossing film of 73. So I remember it very well. Gene Hackman was fantastic in this.
Speaker 2:We're not going to fight for us, but damn it, don't fight against us, leave us alone. How many more sacrifices, how much more blood, how many more lives.
Speaker 1:He's hanging on for that wasn't enough For dear life. Eight years wasn't Trying to close a valve. Now this girl he's hanging on for dear life.
Speaker 2:Trying to close a valve. You want another life? Then take me.
Speaker 1:Hanging from the valve trying to close it, water pouring in, everyone standing there and watching him. Yeah I, even if I didn't get seasickness, yeah I. Even if I didn't get seasickness, even just by going out on a little boat on a lake, I would have not gone on a cruise. Oh, look at him.
Speaker 2:You can make it. Keep going, rogo, get them through.
Speaker 1:There's, he's talking to Ernest Borgnine who did nothing. Coward Coward, wasn't he the commander of a PT boat? Uh-oh, there he goes. There, he goes, there he goes, ernest Borgnine, so selfish. Another movie I watched 1971, so I'm just a little kid like 10 years old, I ain't so selfish. Another movie I watched 1971. So I'm just a little kid, like 10 years old.
Speaker 1:He was in the French Connection Great movie, a thriller, and it starred Gene Hackman, roy Schneider, and he was a great. He's a great actor as well. Roy Scheider, wasn't Roy Scheider also, I think I said Schneider, roy Scheider, wasn't he the? Wasn't he in? Wasn't he in Jaws Again, see, don't get me talking about movies too much. I don't want to go out of my realm too much, but anyhow, this is a. It's a very gritty movie. What a great car chase, one of the all-time best car chases. In a movie Tells the story of their fictional counterparts New York Police Department detective Jimmy Popeye Doyle, buddy Cloudy Russo, pursuing a wealthy French heroin smuggler. Now here it is a great scene where they're headed into a bar. Gene Hackman, to clear the scene. They're going to clear the bar, clean it up.
Speaker 2:All right, Popeye's here.
Speaker 3:Get your hands on your heads.
Speaker 2:Get off the bar and get on the wall. Come on, move, move. Come on, sweetheart, move. Come on, move out. All right, come on, face the window, move, face the wall.
Speaker 3:Turn around there.
Speaker 2:Turn around, move, come on, move Hands out of your pocket, turn around.
Speaker 3:Turn around.
Speaker 2:Come on, turn around, get on the wall. Get on the wall, turn around. Hey, you drop that. Pick it up. Hold those hands up. Pick it up. Come on, move. What are you looking at? All right, bring it here. Get your hands out of your pockets. What's my name? Doyle? What, mr Doyle? Come here, you pick your feet, get over there, get your hands on your head, hold them up. We told you people were coming back. We're gonna keep coming back here until you clean this bar up. Keep your eye on your neighbor. He dropped something that belongs to you. What is this? A fucking hospital here? Huh, turn around there, fella. What do we got here? Huh, this belong to you. Huh, stand up there, naughty. Get your hands on your fucking head, get in there. You want to take a ride there? Fat man, bullshit. Huh, hey, thank you, we're gonna ask questions later. Turn around, all right, shut up. Shut up. Anybody want a milkshake? Anybody want a milkshake? All right, come over here, you and you, hey, whiskers, come over here. Move ass when I call you you.
Speaker 1:Ah, gene Hackman Great, that's a great movie, the French Connection. But he was very versatile as well. Many people forget that he played a great part in Young Frankenstein. Remember when he played the blind man in Young Frankenstein? Speaking of blind man, nick the Blind Guy called me today Honest to God, maybe it it was yesterday left a message pat, nick the blind guy.
Speaker 1:And nick is the. Uh, he's the guy that put up the window coverings in my home, which are absolutely beautiful, which I'm looking at right now. They're beautiful, 100 made america. And he goes, uh, and he left me a message and he says hey, uh, I'd really like to. Uh, I got a couple of things. I want to help with your blinds. I got a couple of tricks. I want to show you here A couple of little screws I want to put in there and I want to talk to you about your Pat's Peeps. I want to be a Pat's Peep. So he's coming up Monday at 11. I just threw that in there because this is the blind guy. This is Gene Hackman and Young Frankenstein, with Peter Boyle's Frankenstein Sitting down to the table enjoying a beverage with a candle.
Speaker 2:Good, good, yes sir, wait A toast. A toast to yes. Long friendship, how hungry you must have been Now.
Speaker 1:Now, now for the surprise. Broke his glass For a special occasion I've been saving.
Speaker 3:Cigars, take one.
Speaker 1:He's trying to light a cigar with the candle. Fire is good.
Speaker 2:Fire is good. Yes, fire is our friend.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'll show you, I'll show you.
Speaker 2:You see, you see, yeah, do you have your cigar Let?
Speaker 1:me see, let me see All right, all right, now, now now.
Speaker 2:Just hold it right there. Now Don't inhale until the tip blows.
Speaker 1:Don't ever inhale, not a cigar.
Speaker 2:I did ever inhale, not a cigar I did not inhale, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:Let his thumb on fire instead. Wait, wait, wait. Alright, that's a classic. It's Pat's Peeps 217. You know? Another thing going on today happy birthday. I always do my birthday board on my radio show.
Speaker 1:Happy birthday to Neil Joseph Sean Born, february 27th, 54. He's 71 today. Of course, he's a great American musician, a great songwriter. He is the co-founder and the lead guitarist for Journey. For Journey, he's the last original member to remain throughout the group's history, and they have a long history. He was also a member of Santana before forming Journey. He was also a member of Bad English. Remember Bad English, john Waite? Right, wasn't John Waite the singer of that? I think he was, but I haven't thought about Bad English in a while. I have to play some of that on my show. But yeah, so it's his birthday today, 71 years old.
Speaker 1:And every time I think about Neil Shone I always think now you want to talk about an underrated guitarist. In my mind, neil Shone is an underrated guitarist, this guy of German, italian ancestry. His father, by the way father, by the way was a big band musician. He was a big band arranger and a composer. He taught all reed instruments. He played jazz, tenor, saxophone. His mother was a big band singer, but Neil learned at a young age how to play and he was good, 17 years old in 1971, he was asked by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominoes he's 17, man, so he joins. But he joined Santana instead. He performed on the album Santana 3, which is a great album, which is a great album, and the Caravan album. He played in the band Azteca as well. I wanted to mention that.
Speaker 1:But then at 73, greg Raleigh and their manager, herbie Herbert, co-founded Golden Gate Rhythm Section, later became, was renamed to Journey after a suggestion by a roadie by the name of John Villanueva, and Sean's guitar style was influenced by, according to him, guitarists like BB King, albert King, robert Johnson, muddy Waters, a lot of the blues greats, john Lee Hooker one of my favorites, then one of my all-time favorites Jeff Beck, eric Clapton, carlos Santana, of course, jimmy Page, jimmy Green Boy. That's a good list. Yeah, he, what else was he in? I think he did, oh, he did stuff with Jan Hammer. I did, oh, he did, uh, stuff with Jan Hammer. I remember that he did stuff with Sammy Hagar like I said, bad English. Paul Rogers, anyhow, the babies. The list goes on and on and on. So let's go to Journey and let me and I just always want to say this about Neil Shone is that when you listen to Journey, most people, when they think of Journey, they remember the hits, great hits, which I do not have the license for, just educating, just exposing, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:Don't sue me, steve Perry singer they had so many hits loving, touching, squeezing, you know wheel in the sky just so many hits, faithfully. Now this was Journey when Steve Perry joined Journey and that turned the band Journey into something completely different and commercial. I'll wait and run into the midnight sun. Heels go round and round on my Great music. You know, this is the kind of music you wave your arms in the air at the concert. Everyone's swaying back and forth, except me, I hate that I don't do it.
Speaker 1:So embarrassing. My brother and I will never do that Like look at everyone's waving their arms, but it's very commercial. It's nice, really nice, seen him in concert time after time.
Speaker 3:Right down the line. It's really you and me. Love and a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. Oh girl, you stay by me. I'm forever yours.
Speaker 1:I'm forever. You used to play this Wherever you're, Faithfully. I used to play this. This was on disc 212 on the music station I used to be a Light 95 FM KPAY. Here's Journey Faithfully. It's the Pat Walsh show.
Speaker 3:Circus life.
Speaker 1:You know, and that was all nice, that stuff. But see, that's not where Journey started. Journey started with their initial album, journey. They look into the future, which is one of my favorite records. It is one of my favorite records. It's pre-Steve Perry. It's with Greg Raleigh singing. It's pre-Steve Perry. It's with Greg Raleigh singing, who, in my opinion, is the most underrated rock singer of all. I just love he never gets credit. I love his voice.
Speaker 1:But on Neil Sean's birthday I wanted to play go back to their 19,. I believe this is 1976, their album Journey Next. Now this would be, as I recall, their last album. I believe this was their last album before Steve Perry joined the band and again they went so much more commercial. So Journey, in these days they were like we're going to do a song. It could be six and a half, seven minutes long, but it's going to be supremely cool. We're going to go and do stuff like other people are doing at the time Early Pink Floyd and just a lot of other bands, moody Blues, there was a lot of bands doing some trippy, cool music and that's what Journey was doing.
Speaker 1:Critics didn't give them a chance. Well, they're wandering off aimlessly. But for those of us who. I'll tell you. Give their first two albums a listen. Well, why don't you play it, pat? All right, hold on, I'm just going to play I don't know look into the future, just to give you an idea. But I already had some pulled up. But hold on a second. I just want to give you an idea of their pre-Steve Perry sound. Now, this is one of my favorite songs. Title track from look into the future journey. Where will it be?
Speaker 3:The space between the lines. Whatever will I see. Yeah, how long will I wonder before I really know what I'm here to do and where I have to go and where I have to go. Yes, I'm coming home. Yes, you know I'm coming home someday. You know I'm coming home. I'm coming home someday.
Speaker 1:Pre-Steve Perry Journey Pats Peeps 217. I love this keyboard. Right here, greg Raleigh on the keyboard and singing Right here, ooh, neil Shone on the guitar too. Oh, maybe I missed the mark on the keyboard. It's in there. I'm just mesmerized. It's in there. It's not the only way, anyhow. So so that's Journey. Pre-steve Perry Journey. Now let's go to 1976. At this time they're like you know what? Hey, I think we're probably going to have to get a new lead singer and maybe go a little commercial. But before we do, we're just gonna tear it up real quick. We're just gonna let Neil Schoen go off the heck with that spacey stuff like that. We are just gonna let him go off. Now. This first one's a little spacey. So I just want to let you, I just want you to check out a little bit of Neil Shone's intense guitar work on the 1976 album. Next by Journey. This one is in the middle. I'll put it in the middle of the song. This is a song called People, but listen to his guitar in this.
Speaker 3:The voice of God. They think that's got to be Evil. Simply just another you and me. Evil, evil, evil, keep on, keep on, keep on.
Speaker 1:Hey, guitar solo. Okay, so that is just one. If you go through this album, he just shreds.
Speaker 3:This is Hustler Crazy with passion. Oh, never be tired. Money's not good to me, cause loving's my game. Don't need no trouble and show you no pain.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now just say all right, neil, go ahead and shred birthday boy. Come on, birthday boy. So now you go through another little verse. All right, here you go. I'll just let it loose for a second. Talk about underrated. Thank you, wow, wow. So if you're looking for some journey of a different type, you want to hear Neil Sean play Karma. You've got to get it all on the early journey. One last little tidbit here, just a song called Karma guitar solo. Happy birthday to the great Neil Sean, 71 years old. I'm going to leave it at that. Thank you for listening. Does that have any Hendrix sound to it right there, or is it just me? 217 Podcast. Thank you for being a part of it. Have a beautiful day. We'll see you on the radio.
Speaker 3:Well, how long will it last? I'm already lost. Oh baby, you stole my lonely heart for you. Oh baby, baby, baby. I wanna tell you what you've been through.
