So... Alright - Forgotten Firsts

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

This week Geoff can't remember shit, so he invents a game about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Nespresso. Elevate your morning coffee ritual. From the first sip of coffee in the morning to the on-the-go cup. Make every morning unforgettable with Nespresso. Discover a world of possibilities, with or without milk. Visit nespresso.ca to learn more or an espresso boutique near you. And, chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga

chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugg listening to a band, just this morning actually, called The Feminine Complex. It's a garage rock band, all girl garage band from, I don't know, the 60s or the 70s. And I was listening to a song I like a lot

called Hide and Seek. Really good band, by the way. I think their most popular song was called Are You Alone, Someone Like Me. That's pretty good. They also have one I like called Love, Love, Love. Anyway, as I was riding my bike and listening to them, I was thinking, oh yeah, these these ladies were the first.

They were the first. What were they the first of? I remember reading about him, how I found out about him as I was reading an article somewhere. And I want to say they were the first. All female garage band, maybe, or the first all female rock band. And I realized I had forgotten what they were first at. all female garage band maybe, or the first all female rock band. And I realized I had forgotten what they were first at. And that made me think,

I bet there's a lot of forgotten firsts. People who did a thing first, and then nobody remembers it for whatever reason. And so I thought today would be fun to look into forgotten firsts. The very first thing I did was try to figure out what the fuck The feminine complex was the first at and I don't I can't find the article I read I thought it was maybe Maybe they are

Nowhere do I see it listed as they are the first anything. They're a very very early all-girl rock band They are a very, very early all-girl rock band. They are very early, definitely one of the first all-girl garage rock bands. I can't find the article that I know I read that told me they were the first at something. So I don't know what the Feminine Complex are the first. They're the first forgotten first of this episode. Anyway, whether they were the first anything or not,

it was a really good band. I really liked them. They actually formed in high school in the 60s at Maplewood High School in Tennessee, and I guess that's in Nashville. Only put out one album, it's called Live and Love, came out in 69. According to the internet,

it has since developed a minor cult following. It's pretty good. it's pretty fucking good. I really enjoy it. Like I said, I've been listening to a lot of their stuff. As I was reading about them and trying to figure out what they were the first at, I did keep seeing a band named Fanny mentioned, F-A-N-N-Y, who I've also never heard of.

And they are often referred to as the first female rock band, but then that seems to be in some level of dispute as well. I've never heard Fanny before, although they were active in the early to mid 70s. Okay, they were one of the first all female rock groups to achieve critical and commercial success, including two hot, Billboard Hot 100, Top 40 singles.

Well, I don't know what those were. So sisters June and Jean Millington move with their family from the Philippines to Sacramento in 61 began to play music together on ukuleles, which helped them gain friends. What a time the 60s must have been when a ukulele was the icebreaker. In high school, they are a lot of high school bands in high school. They formed an all female band called the Svelts With June on guitar gene on bass Addie Lee on guitar and Brie Brandt on drums Brandt left to get married and was later

Replaced by Alice DeBure Brandt has a link on Wikipedia. So that means she continued on let's see So that means she continued on. Let's see. She has recorded with such artists as Carole King, Ringo Starr, ELO, Keith Moon, The Temptations, Jimmy Buffett. The list goes on.

Martin Mull. She toured with Martin Mull, Bruce Willis, Robert Palmer, Jimmy Buffett. Jeez Louise. So yeah, she was in Fanny and then she was in a band called American Girls, an all female band based in California. I've never heard of American Girls. All right, we're getting we're getting get ourselves some homework here. That's what we're going to do between now and next episode.

I'm going to listen to these bands, Fanny, American Girls. I'm assuming there's going to be others. American Girls released one album in 1986 titled American girls. I'm assuming there's going to be others. American girls released one album in 1986 titled American girls. Huh? Boxing Gandhi's. She and her husband, Dave Darling, are the founders of boxing. Gandhi's. All right. I'm going to have to. Oh, she she recorded a full length album in 2019

with Sherry Curry from the Runaways. That's interesting. Man, she has worked with a lot of people. Good Lord. Back to Fanny. So then Addie Lee, the guitarist and the and Alice DeBure, the one who replaced Brie Brandt later went on to form another all female band called Wild Honey. I've also not heard of Wild Honey.

There's another one we got to listen to. Those sisters later joined. OK, so they left to join Wild Honey and then June and Jean, the sisters, they, I guess, were the only ones left in the Svelts. So they just left their own band to join Wild Honey, who played Motown covers and eventually moved to Los Angeles. They were frustrated by lack of success or respect in a male dominated rock scene. I can only imagine they decided to disband after one final open mic appearance.

However, that night they were spotted. It was at a gig at the Troubadour. They were spotted by the secretary of producer Richard Perry, who had been searching for an all-female rock band to mentor. So he convinced Warner Brothers to sign the band to Reprise Records. Interesting. The group won the contract without the label even hearing them play on the grounds of being a novelty act, despite their genuine musical talent.

I guess it was a novel that women could do the same job musically as men. What a time, huh? Warner Brothers installed the band in a rented mansion formerly owned by Hedy Lamarr. Wow, near Sunset Boulevard. That's pretty cool though. The band was then renamed Fanny, not with a sexual connotation,

but to denote the all female spirit. OK, so then they became Fanny in 1970. Does that make them the first female band? Oh, man, I'm going to guess not because there's this other band I see referenced here called Goldie and the Gingerbreads, which is another band we need to do research on by listening to. Goldie and the Gingerbreads was an all-female American rock band from 1962 to 1967. They've gotta be the first. They were the first all-female rock band signed to a major label.

There you go, that's something. Whereas most female bands were ignored by big labels and their live performances rarely attracted more than gimmick seeking, Jesus Christ, gimmick seeking crowds. I'm so glad to live in 2024. The quartet, I mean, it's not perfect. It is not perfect, but God damn it, it's not this.

The quartet consisted of three musicians and a singer, Ginger, Margot, and Carol, and Genia, Genia Goldie Zalkiewicz, later Genia Raven. They were among the first to break into a domain dominated by men. They were signed to Deca Records in 1963. Was Deca Records where David McWilliams was signed or that other band that sang the song?

I've got, what is that that the first episode we did? Yeah, I can remember back that far, huh? Regardless, we definitely need to listen to Goldie and the Gingerbreads. Also in 1964, the Pleasure Seekers with Suzy Quatra, the Pleasure Seekers was a 1960s era all female rock band from Detroit. OK, there you go. They morphed into Cradle changing directions musically. OK, so I need to listen to we need to listen to Cradle.

We need to listen to the Pleasure Seekers. And then now Susie Quatro, I remember her as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days. I know she also had was a successful musician as well throughout the 70s and the 80s. And I think even into the 90s probably, but growing up, I just knew her as a very, very fucking cool leather Tuscanero in Happy Days.

Also, I think she is related somehow to Sherilyn Finn, the actress from Twin Peaks. Hold on a second, let's look into that. I feel like I remember reading that. Yeah, here we go. Her sister, Arlene, is the mother of actress Sherrilyn Finn. So she's her aunt. And so, oh, and her sister, Patty, was in Fanny.

I didn't realize that. So her sister was in Fanny and then she was in the Pleasure Seekers. Wild how it all connects. Take back your free time with PC Express online grocery delivery and pickup. Score in-store promos, PC optimum points, and more free time and still get groceries. Shop now at pcexpress.ca.

So then the feminine complex was signed in the late 60s. So I don't know who was formed first, but at least from a linear standpoint in signing the labels, it looks like Goldie and the Gingerbreads to the Pleasure Seekers, to Feminine Complex to Fanny is how it's worked out. Also, the Liverbirds from 1962 to 1967 were an English all-female rock band from Liverpool.

They were one of very few female bands on the Mersey Beat scene, as well as the first all-female rock and one of the first all-female rock and roll bands in the world. They took their name from the fictional liver bird, which is the symbol of the native Liverpool. That's funny. I didn't know that. They were mostly a cover band, except for three of their songs being written by Pamela Burch. Well, I have to look them up now to the Liverbirds. I want to hear their original music. And then Ace of Cups, which I think is a great fucking name, 1967,

the Ace of Cups, an American rock band formed in San Francisco during the summer of love, described as once again, one of the first all female rock bands. I must have never heard of them either. There we go. Okay, so we've got a lot of homework around forgotten first all female rock and roll bands, we're going to listen to all of this music. And we're going to let's all pick a song from each band that we like the most. And we'll we'll talk about it next week. We'll put it all together in the next episode and have our little like forgotten first playlist for all these groundbreaking and awesome all female rock and roll bands that deserve to be remembered

and still enjoyed. That was a fascinating little forgotten first off-ramp that I'm very excited about revisiting next week. However, who remembers the first person to mix peanut butter and chocolate? Maybe this isn't a forgotten first. Maybe you know this off the top of your head. It's been a meme for years and years. You got chocolate on my peanut butter.

You got peanut butter in my chocolate was a thing when I was a kid. However, who's the first person to actually do it? There is an answer. You like I said, you might already know this may not be forgotten at all. It's news to me, though. It was probably the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. H.B. Reese, who was an employee of Milton S. Hershey, invented the candy in 1928 when he combined chocolate and peanut butter, creating a popular treat that has since become iconic. Whether he was the first actually or not he appears to be credited as the

first. I don't know if that counts as a forgotten first or just Jeff never knew it first but there you go. Who was the first person to die in space? I bet nobody off the top of their head can name the first person to die in space so let's look it up and see. All right that was can name the first person to die in space. So let's look it up and see. All right, that was easy. The first person to die in space was Vladimir Komarov on 24 April 1967, when the parachute on the landing capsule of the Soyuz one mission failed to open. It was the first crewed flight of the Soyuz spacecraft

that is still used to send people to the International Space Station today. He was the first person to die during a space mission. I guess that counts. There have been three deaths that have occurred in space. How? Oh, okay. No, this is exactly what we want. Yeah.

Well, he was the first. He's the forgotten first. But check this out. There have been three deaths that have occurred in space, which is defined as having occurred above the Karman line at the edges, which is 62 miles up. That's the edge of space. In 1971, Georgi Dobrolovsky and Victor Patsaev and Vladislav Volkov were killed as the Soyuz 11 undocked from the space station, Selyet 1.

A malfunction caused a valve to open on the Soyuz as it separated leading to the cosmonauts Dying from exposure to the vacuum and lack of oxygen their bodies were not lost to space However, and were recovered from the Soyuz after it had landed. Oh, that's so sad Well, there you go First people to first cosmonaut to die and then the first people to die above or in space as it were. What's a less depressing forgotten first? Do you know who the first franchise is? I know I used to know. I remember reading about it.

I think I might have had to cover it in high school for some reason. But I don't remember for the life of me who it is. So let's look it up. Oh, I was thinking food, but this will work. The Singer Sewing Machine Company is the first commercial franchisor dating franchising to 1851. How about food, though? In 1932, Howard Dearing Johnson established the first modern restaurant

franchise, what? Jesus Christ, Jeff, in 1932, Howard Dearing Johnson established the first modern restaurant franchise, what? Jesus Christ, Jeff. In 1932, Howard Dearing Johnson established the first modern restaurant franchise based on his successful Quincy, Massachusetts Howard Johnson's restaurant founded in the late 1920s. So there you go, 1932 Hojo was franchise. The idea was to let independent operators

use the same name, food, supplies, logo, and even building design in exchange for a fee. That is the definition of franchising. So the Singer Selling Machine Company was the very first franchise business and Hojo was the first franchise restaurant business. Wow, Hojo not still around, is Howard Johnson still around?

Yeah, I guess Howard Johnson is still around. Howard Johnson by Wyndham. So I guess it's still referred to Is Howard Johnson still around? Yeah, I guess Howard Johnson is still around. Howard Johnson by Wyndham. So I guess it's still referred to as Howard Johnson is an American hotel brand with more than 200 hotels in 15 countries, was also formerly a restaurant chain. It was a large, oh my Lord. At one time it was the largest in the US with more than a thousand locations.

Interesting. So since 2006, all hotels, company trademarks, including those of the defunct restaurant chain, have been owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. So it is a brand under Wyndham now, but technically Hojo is still around, as is Singer Sewing Machines. Going strong, they are, I believe. Here's a good forgotten first. What is the first dog breed? While many believe the Akita Inu is the oldest breed of dog, some scientific studies suggest that the Basenji emerged first. Prehistoric cave paintings dating back as far as 6000 BC show images of the Basenji.

Oh, interesting. Oh, but then these are far more modern than the Akita remains discovered in the Kamakuri Oa rock shelter. So there's some contention over who was the oldest, but it looks like it's either the Akita Inu, which adorable dog, or the Basenji. Now the Basenji. Have you ever seen a Basenji before? What a pretty dog. I wonder if there's a Basenji breeder.

Like do people still breed these dogs? Are they still around around? Oh, Central Texas Basenjis. Interesting, okay. So if you've got a Basenji, which I'd never heard of, or an Akita Inu, you have one of the two disputed oldest dog breeds in the world. Let's do one more.

Who was the first tightrope walker? Let's see, Charles Blondin. That was very fast to find. Charles Blondin, born 28 February 1824, died in 1897, was a French tightrope walker and acrobat. He toured the United States and was known for crossing the 1,100 foot Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. Oh my Lord.

During an event in Dublin in 1860, the rope on which he was walking broke and two workers were killed, although he was not injured. How is that possible? He married three times and had eight children. His name became synonymous with tightrope walking. Maybe, maybe he's not forgotten amongst those in the know. But this guy was so synonymous with tightrope

walking, which I guess he invented, although I can't seem to find out when he invented it, that they referred to each other's as blondens in the sport. For example, there were at least five people working with variations of the name in Sydney in the 1880s, the most famous of whom was Henry Lestrange, the Australian blonden. So popular had tightrope walking become that one Sydney resident wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald to complain of the blonden business,

blonden business, what is wrong with me, of the blonden business that saw people walking on high wires wherever the opportunity arose This was like planking back in the day, but way more dangerous. Everybody just wanted to walk a fucking tightrope Man, it's amazing. What was entertaining to people back in the olden times, huh? When did he? When did he invent it though? You know, I suspect that this guy wasn't actually the first one to do it. I think he might've just been the first one to do it for fame and glory and to such success

because I find it hard to believe that thousands of years ago people were walking across a rope. I'm gonna imagine that that probably happened. That's probably good though for Forgotten First. What if we went and transitioned into a song of the day? I think today we're going to go with Keith Frank and the Solio Zydeco band Live at Slim's Waikiki. And the song is A then a double plus sign O-fa.

I guess maybe Et two-fey Anyway Really good zydeco. I got really into zydeco It was one of the one of the things that I really liked about living in Louisiana Is that on the weekends on AM radio? There were just tons of zydeco music playing and I never really heard it anywhere else I've lived but it was always on and for the of years that I lived there, I really enjoyed it. I think part of why I ended up getting into ska music later in life was because it reminded me so much of Zydeco, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

So check out Keith Frank's Solio Zydeco bands live at Slins. Why Kiki? I think that'll that'll be a rap on Forgotten Firsts. I'll be back next week to tell you what I thought about some of those all-female rock and roll bands we need to listen to. And hope you have a good week. All right. This is the end of the show.