• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Oldies stations & The Mamas And The Papas

Gojirob

Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
I listen to WCBS-FM 101.1 out of NYC, proudly back in Oldies for almost 3 years, after a stint as 'Jack'. I only noticed early last month, but I cannot recall the last time I heard any Mamas & Papas songs on it. I have to wonder if its a deliberate or unconscious avoidance due to what we now know about John Philips hideous abuse of daughter Mackenzie (who BTW now says that it was never a consensual relationship, which I hope is a sign of her recovery). I don't listen 24/7, but usually you catch a song if it plays at all on a station at some point. California Dreamin used to be a staple.

Just to finish, it also seems of late (even before Mackenzie spoke up) that you simply do not hear anything good about the M&P in retrospect.
 
Has her allegations ever even been proven? It's easy to make stuff up about a person after they are dead, since they can't be here to refute it. I'd not really one to lend weight to any attempt to slander a dead famous person for profit (book sales, film rights, etc...) and sympathy, without any proof.

That said I can easily see how those accusations could have led to stations to stop playing the songs. Which is a shame since you have to be able to separate the art from the artist. Just because a person is an ass in real life doesn't mean they can't create good art. Heck, a lot of famous artists (musicians, actors, directors, painters, poets, authors) were/are "deviants" or messed up in someway. It doesn't mean we should ban their books, music, paintings and movies.
 
The only thing I have for the accusations is that no one who knew him has been rushing to refute them--not that that means a damned thing in terms of proof. The guy was a real piece of work even absent this - 'I Saw Her Again' -- one of my faves - is in essence about a girl they brought on as a temp replacement then shoved aside.

Maybe when the accusations aren't so fresh, they'll play again. DJ's usually like to make snarky remarks about the song--maybe that's harder to do in the face of such a horrid accusation. It's a Catch-22 for me; being its Mackenzie Philips, I question her stability and integrity in saying this--OTOH, this could very well be the reason she's been that messed up her whole life.
 
Some oldies stations have different ideas of what an "oldie" is, or what timeframe they choose.

Early 60's vs. late 60's can be a pretty vast difference in musical style overall. Do you hear other "San Francisco" (and other California) stuff from the same era as Mamas & Papas? Any Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, like that?
 
I hear a lot of late 60's stuff, so it just seems to be M&P. CBS-FM generally has 64 as the cutoff, but on some weekends 55-63 sneaks back in.
 
Dunno if it has anything to do with the recent revelations. Although I wasn't shocked by them. Y'all realize how old Michelle was when Papa John hooked up w/her? The guy had pedo issues from way back.
 
He may have been a major creep, but he was still a great songwriter.

As far as what is being called an oldie these days, I have listened to so called oldies formats that played the Go Gos.
 
He may have been a major creep, but he was still a great songwriter.

As far as what is being called an oldie these days, I have listened to so called oldies formats that played the Go Gos.

And Simple Minds/Inxs and god help me-REM. :eek:
 
Has her allegations ever even been proven? It's easy to make stuff up about a person after they are dead, since they can't be here to refute it. I'd not really one to lend weight to any attempt to slander a dead famous person for profit (book sales, film rights, etc...) and sympathy, without any proof.

That said I can easily see how those accusations could have led to stations to stop playing the songs. Which is a shame since you have to be able to separate the art from the artist. Just because a person is an ass in real life doesn't mean they can't create good art. Heck, a lot of famous artists (musicians, actors, directors, painters, poets, authors) were/are "deviants" or messed up in someway. It doesn't mean we should ban their books, music, paintings and movies.

I wondered the same thing when the news broke. Her story, while shocking, is very one-sided.

Michelle Phillips shot her claims down. In truth it dies with he said/she said, but it's obvious which side of the story gets the most media coverage.
 
I saw The Mamas & The Papas perform when I was in high school (in the mid-'90s). I don't really remember the songs but I remember having a good time.

On the oldies station in Boston, WODS, the songs are half 1964-1969 and half 1970-1979. Sometimes they play songs that are pre-1964 or from the the 1980s but not often. The most recent I've heard was "The Power of Love", which took me by surprise.

It's going to weird me out when they start playing songs that I grew up with -- which I would consider to roughly be 1988-1997. Nine Inch Nails, INXS, New Bohemians, etc.
 
Has her allegations ever even been proven? It's easy to make stuff up about a person after they are dead, since they can't be here to refute it. I'd not really one to lend weight to any attempt to slander a dead famous person for profit (book sales, film rights, etc...) and sympathy, without any proof.

That said I can easily see how those accusations could have led to stations to stop playing the songs. Which is a shame since you have to be able to separate the art from the artist. Just because a person is an ass in real life doesn't mean they can't create good art. Heck, a lot of famous artists (musicians, actors, directors, painters, poets, authors) were/are "deviants" or messed up in someway. It doesn't mean we should ban their books, music, paintings and movies.

I wondered the same thing when the news broke. Her story, while shocking, is very one-sided.

Michelle Phillips shot her claims down. In truth it dies with he said/she said, but it's obvious which side of the story gets the most media coverage.

The only caveat I'd offer about Michelle is that she in theory would have been around when some of the alleged abuse took place, and if she is seen as having allowed it or been blind to it, this might be a reason for public denials.

Just to be clear, I haven't heard anyone say 'ban em' nor do I want that. Its just that their seeming absence caught my attention.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top