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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 318 Today's Peep Shines On: Remembering the Man Who Burned for Pink Floyd, Featuring The Music of Household Objects (Washing Machines, Car Alarms, Wine Glasses & More)
Music has the power to transport us not just through melody, but through the stories behind the sounds. Today's journey takes us into the fascinating world of Pink Floyd and the unsung heroes who helped create their legendary work.
I'm paying tribute to Ronnie Rondell Jr., the brave stuntman who literally caught fire for art on Pink Floyd's iconic "Wish You Were Here" album cover. At 88, Rondell recently passed away, leaving behind a legacy captured in one of rock's most recognizable images. The shoot at Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank required 15 takes, and despite wearing fire-retardant clothing, Rondell suffered burns when a gust of wind intensified the flames. The striking visual of two businessmen shaking hands – one ablaze – perfectly captured the album's themes of absence and disillusionment with the music industry.
Did you know that ethereal, humming sound at the beginning of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" isn't a synthesizer? It's actually wine glasses filled to different levels! This technique originated from Pink Floyd's experimental EP "Household Objects" from 1974, showcasing their innovative approach to creating music. The podcast explores other creative uses of everyday items in rock music, from Judas Priest's silverware drawer percussion in "Metal Gods" to modern musicians creating entire compositions using washing machines, dryers, and car alarms.
Whether you're a Pink Floyd fanatic or simply appreciate the creative process behind great music, this episode celebrates the intersection of danger, innovation, and everyday objects in creating timeless art. Have you ever noticed unusual sounds in your favorite songs? Share your discoveries and join our ever-growing podcast family as we continue to explore the stories behind the music we love.
so happy to be here once again with you. My friends, how are you today? How are you doing? Do I ask that enough? How are you? My name is pat, it's it's my podcast, it's my, it's my pat's peeps podcast. Isn't that a clever name? Thank you so much. We're number 318 and so happy. You're a part of our ever-growing podcast family, part of our radio family, I hope as well. My name is pat walsh and I'm the host of the Pat Walsh Radio Show, as heard on KFPK Radio in Sacramento, 93.1 FM, 1530 AM, and streaming live, my friends, everywhere, on your free iHeart app and on all of your streaming platforms.
Speaker 1:You know I'm sitting here in my studio today looking out the windows into the beautiful foothills of Northern California, and it's a warm day. I'm not going to go as far as to say it's really hot, but it's a warm day and I'm finishing off my porch. By the way, I just want to say this start with this Finishing off my porch and I'm putting this sealant on there. It's this kind of sealant. I take pride in my front porch, my deck in the back and I'm using this wet finish sealant on it right now and it has this and my porch has this just a hint of mocha color in it, so it's just a maybe a light brown, I guess. And when I spray this ceiling on here, this on the under, this wet look, oh my god, it looks so good. This is my second coating on there, by the way, so it's been a process. I've been doing it this week, but it's not a big deal. It just has to be the right time. You can't do it on a really super hot day and the sun's hitting the porch, but I'm just saying, wow, the porch looks spectacular. I keep standing out there looking at it. So, wherever you are, whatever you are doing on this fine Tuesday, I'm in such a good mood. Every day this week is going to seem like a Friday.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you why Because I'm going to take a week off next week. I'm going to take a week off next week. You know I'm going to take a week off of radio. Now I only get to do that, really, when I'm traveling, maybe to Italy. We're going to go to Sicily, as I've been mentioning this fall. We're going to Sicily. By the way, you can still go with us on my trip, the Pat's Peeps Tour with Conservative Tours If you want to go check it out at conservativetourscom and look for my trip. However, I don't get a chance to just kind of take time off during the rest of the year, and so I'm going to do that next week. But here's the thing I'm going to take it off for my radio show, but whatever I'm doing, next week I am going to be doing my podcast. So, thank you. Thank you so much, appreciate that. I hope you'll follow along. So, um, that's why I'm in such a good mood.
Speaker 1:But here on pat's peeps 318, you know, I want to talk for a second, if I can, about this gentleman who passed away yesterday. I talked about it on my show last night. I kind of wanted to get a little bit more in depth onto this gentleman's past. To this gentleman, 88 years old. His name is Ronnie Rondell Jr. If you heard my show last night, by the way, monday through Friday, 7 to 10 pm on KFBK in Sacramento. But I talked about him. But he was a stunt performer and what you think. Well, a stunt performer. Okay, that's pretty awesome man.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure, if I know stunt performers, if you are a rocker and, as I pointed out on my show last night, if you're a fan of Pink Floyd, which I am a huge fan of Pink Floyd. My favorite rock album and it's hard to pick, but Dark Side of the Moon I'm always going to stick with. That is my favorite rock album. We'll have to talk about that on my show. That is such a softball question, but it's fun. What I mean by softball? Just a really easy, super easy question and everyone has an opinion on it. Some people think, oh, that's the kind of topic you go to when you have nothing else to talk about. Listen, I got a million things we could talk about, from very serious to silly. But guess what? People occasionally like a softball question. You don't have to think about it. It's like well, I know it's more instinct, anyhow, going off on a tangent.
Speaker 1:But Ronnie Rondell Jr, a stunt performer here's what he was best known for. He was best known for being the man who was set ablaze on the 1975 Pink Floyd album. Wish you Were here. You've seen the album. He's on fire. It's like two businessmen. They're shaking hands. They're at Warner Brothers Studio in the parking lot in Burbank on a sunny day. They're shaking hands. One of the men is on fire. It's Ronnie Rondell Jr. That's how I know him and again, if you're a rocker, into Floyd, or even if you're not into Floyd, if you're a rocker and you're familiar with Pink Floyd I know you've seen it and everyone knows this album. Wish you were here. Welcome to the Machine. Have a Cigar Shine On you, crazy Diamond. The title track, of course. Incredible record from 1975. Ronnie died at an assisted living facility in Assange Beach, missouri.
Speaker 1:He was born in 1937, graduated from North Hollywood High School, enlisted in the United States Navy, most notably in 1975, he appears engulfed, as I said, in flames on the cover alongside yet another stunt performer, on the cover, alongside yet another stunt performer. The photo was to give the interpretation of one music business executive getting burned by another executive in a business dealing. Isn't that awesome, pink Floyd man, so intelligent Even in their 20s, just so intelligent. This photo shoot was done at the Warner Brothers lot, like I said, in Burbank. 15 pictures were taken, total and despite wearing fire retardant underneath his business suit, on the final photo Rondell's mustache was disintegrated. His face was burned because it was a gust of wind Threw himself onto the ground. According to reports, the crew had to toss blankets around him. This is according to Aubrey Powell, who was the photographer hired for this particular shoot and he said he knew that he had a special picture. Took a long time to persuade Ronnie. He said to stand exactly as I wanted, but in the end he was very brave and it was a perfect composition. He sustained numerous injuries throughout his career Broken ribs, concussions Quoted as saying you never told anyone you were hurt because they always had another guy that could fit the clothes.
Speaker 1:As you listen to this, listen to this instrument, the sort of humming instrument. Listen to this instrument, the sort of humming instrument. Listen to this. Do you know what that is? That's David Gilmour on guitar, but what's the humming behind it? Is that a synthesizer? What is it? Anyhow, it is not a synthesizer. It is not a synthesizer. It is wine glasses. Those are wine glasses at different levels with beverages. It's Pink Floyd, so brilliant, used those in Shine On you, crazy Diamond. They're, at the beginning, wine glasses. Here they are talking about it. Here's David Gilmour and they actually. You know, after a while Floyd adopted the synth because they weren't going to do the wine glasses on stage every time. But what you're hearing in that song are wine glasses. They weren't going to do the wine glasses on stage every time, but what you're hearing in that song are wine glasses here um. They talk about David Gilmour. Has these gentlemen join them on stage during a Floyd concert and actually play the wine glass?
Speaker 2:table a tall table out there round table.
Speaker 1:He's doing the wine glasses.
Speaker 2:It was a dare, and he's gone for it. Quite loud and they're quite. If he had a mic right in the middle and held them, probably be quite good, or two mics. You can stereo it. Set Right me. It's this thing, is it? Is it marked? What's?
Speaker 1:that Is it marked. Tune it up.
Speaker 2:Let's check. Yeah, it's pretty good. I think mine's a bit sharp. We can fine tune them. Then we repeat that. So now go down to your A, to your D, d, d, a. Yeah, down to the C minor, then yeah, down to the C.
Speaker 1:So now they go on stage live and there are the wine glasses. You know, growing up I'd listen to that record all the time and I always assumed, I guess, that that was a synthesizer. But part one of Shine On you, crazy Diamond. There are no lyrics in that part and the section starts like, when I just played there, that it's a fade in of chords created with synthesizers, yes, but with wine glasses. Wright plays a synthesizer passage, but it leads, and which leads, into this guitar solo by, as I said, david Gilmour, but the wine glass chords fade into the background and are present in the background all the entire time. And this came from a album, an EP, that Pink Floyd had done years ago, well, in 1974, from an EP called Household Objects, where they actually used household objects. Here are the wine glasses in the original EP, pink Floyd 1974. You'll recognize it right away as the same, open, essentially, as Shine On your Crazy Diamond.
Speaker 2:Thank, you the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the.
Speaker 1:The, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the. That's Household Objects EP 1974. Pat's Peeps 318. So I say rest in peace to this iconic stuntman, ronnie Rondell Jr. Shine on, man.
Speaker 1:One thing about Floyd is I always love the creative flow that they have. I love a band that is creative, that introduces new things. I love the idea, for instance, household items. That's a very creative idea. I used to think about that.
Speaker 1:Believe it or not, I'm always a guy thinking about music. I remember I used to ride my Cowie 250. Every day I'd be out there riding and I would think about those things, like just thinking of random things like that I like to make music using because it made this sound on my motorcycle. I had this idea that I could use this particular sample of the sound and I was going to get a T-Act mixing board and then, like you could use drills, drills or you could use various items to create multi-tracking and try to create content. My mind always wants to create and I just remember that. So I know that david bearwall on one of his albums he, uh, he ended up doing that and it sounded really good. I remember the drill sound in there and I know there's other people that have done these kind of things.
Speaker 1:You know Judas Priest, what is that song? Metal Gods, jeez, this is so random. Metal God, metal gods. And there's a part of it where it's like this metal going back and forth and you're thinking. I never really thought about it, I just it's a really cool part of this song. They couldn't find the sound they were looking for, so someone banged I can't remember exactly how it was. They were in someone's house or kitchen and someone banged into the silverware drawer and they all looked at the silverware drawer and went, hey, that's it. And they took the silverware drawer and shook. All looked at the silverware drawer and went, hey, that's it. And they took the silverware door and shook it back and forth and that's the sound for metal gods. All right, here we go. All right, here comes the silverware drawer, check it out.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I think that's pretty clever, All right, so let's stick with that for a second, shall we? Shall we just stick with that for a second? Let's go to Household Objects to play some music. Once again. This is you know how you have a, and I have this a dryer. When they tell you they have this little tone that plays when they're done, it's just this little song. So here is a concerto with a Samsung speaker little song to tell you that your wash is done. Here we go. Household items.
Speaker 2:All right, here you go.
Speaker 1:Here's an off-balance washing machine. Let's do a little ACDC, a little Thunderstruck. Here we go. Patspeeps318. Patspeepscom, by the way.
Speaker 2:One, two, one two, three dryer door.
Speaker 1:Ha ha ha, that's awesome man. Aaron attaboy McAvoy, attaboy McAvoy, all right. Mcavoy, all right yeah.
Speaker 2:I was caught, All right.
Speaker 1:McAvoy. Hey Ow. 93.1. 1,000 subscribers for Attaboy McAvoy. All right, let's do Tony and me. 1,000 subscribers for Attaboy and McAvoy. I'm on grace and I'm down. All right, let's do here you go. Here is Attaboy doing. You recognize this one? I?
Speaker 2:won't even tell you what it is, but most of you will recognize this little encore from Aaron Attaboy McAvoy. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. The devil went down to Georgia. He was looking for a soul to steal. He was in a vibe. He was way behind. He was willing to make a deal. When he came across, this young man saw him on a fiddle in a planet hot, and the devil jumped upon him. He grew stumpy, said boy, let me tell you what I bet. You didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too and if you care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you Now. You play pretty good fiddle boys, but give the devil the devil his due. I'm in a fiddle of gold against your soul, so I think I'm better than you. The boys said my name's Johnny, and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet. You're gonna regret, cause I'm the best he's ever been. Johnny, I'm in the fiddle, I'm in the fiddle hall Household Objects.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, atta boy McAvoy. By the way, my Pats Peeps mascot Forgot.
Speaker 2:I had that.
Speaker 1:Gotta do that once in a while, pats Peeps, thank you. Thank you so much, number 318. That's right, this was from an earlier episode. This is Tony Ann. This is my Neighbor's Car Alarm. I love the symphony Ladies and gentlemen. My Neighbor's Car Alarm. I love the symphony Ladies and gentlemen. Happy Tuesday to you, wherever you may be. Thank you. It's pretty darn creative, isn't it? Tony Ann? 655,000 subscribers.
Speaker 1:I want to tell you this I'm having a big meeting today. I like to share with you even some of the behind-the-scenes things Having a big meeting today with a few businesses in Sacramento as we strive to bring more and more Pats Peeps businesses to you. Okay, I feel it's growing all the time and I feel like more people are kind of catching on to what we're trying to do and I'm grateful that you're trying and thinking about it. Pretty soon I believe you're going to go. Oh, wait a minute. Okay, I see what you're doing now. I see how we're all trying to support local business. So today on Pats Peeps, I have a big meeting set up. I'm going to tell you all about it. Then I'm going to set myself up another big meeting that's going to be you're going to love. Thank you, little people over there.
Speaker 1:So with that, based on sort of what we've been talking about, instead of pulling a record off my shelf today, I thought we'd listen to a little bit more of Shine On. Think about Ronnie Rondell. Rest in peace. You know, this is one of those albums. It's one of the only albums that I can think of where every single song on the record got played on the radio. On this album, more FM, the only other one I can think of record got played on the radio. On this album, more FM. The only other one I can think of I've said this before is Boston's first album, which was played on AM and FM every song. Rest in peace, ronnie. Thank you for listening. See you on the radio. Bye.
