Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S11E23 - Bookmarks 2022

Episode Date: June 11, 2022

This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode – where we tell the great stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. Including a story about Frankenstein, one about the waffle iron that inspired Nike and a very funny story about a presidential campaign billboard that mistakenly featured the wrong candidate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. You're so king in it.

The secret of it in an instant. Your teeth look whiter than no nose. You're not you when you're hungry. You're a good hand with all the teeth. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. The novel Frankenstein was published a little over 200 years ago in 1818. It was written by Mary Shelley. Remarkably, she was only 19 years old at the time.

She and her husband were visiting a fellow writer during a very rainy summer. To alleviate the boredom, the host challenged them all to try writing a horror story. Mary Shelley came back with something she called Frankenstein, or the modern Prometheus. When the first edition was printed by a small London book company,

it was published anonymously. At that time, female authors were usually dismissed by publishers, so Shelley's husband submitted the manuscript saying it was the work of a friend. The publisher agreed to share one-third of the profits on a run of 500 books. Shelley earned 41 pounds. In 1823, a successful stage play of Frankenstein was produced.

Shelley said she enjoyed the production, but had no approval powers as she had no copyright to assert. But she did publish a revised version of her book to take advantage

of the play's success. This time, her name was added, and it was immediately panned by critics. The third edition of Frankenstein was published in 1831, when another publishing house asked Shelley to update the book with a new introduction. The reason the publisher asked for a brand-new edition

was so it could be protected with a copyright. Shelley signed that copyright over to the publisher for 30 pounds. It would be the last money she would ever see from her novel. This third version is the classic one we are most familiar with today. But copyrights are tricky things. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the monster has no name. Frankenstein, of course, refers to Victor Frankenstein, who creates the monster. Shelley describes her misunderstood creature as eight feet tall, with lustrous flowing black hair,

pearly white teeth, watery eyes, black lips, and yellow skin that stretches tight across his muscles. She calls him hideous and beautiful. He is well-mannered and learns to read and write and speaks eloquently in English, French, and German. But that's not the monster you picture when I say Frankenstein, now is it? The Frankenstein you know has a flat head, green skin, neck bolts, and isn't quite so eloquent. That Frankenstein is the one Hollywood created when Boris Karloff portrayed him in the 1931 Universal film. And here's where copyrights get interesting. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is now in the public domain.

That means you can take the story, film it, change it or build on it, with no fear of copyright infringement. But here's what you can't do. You can't show or describe Frankenstein as having a flat head, green skin, grunting with bolts sticking out of his neck. That Karloff facial image of Frankenstein is now owned by Karloff Enterprises, run by Karloff's daughter. In the 70s, a Shasta commercial starring Frankenstein had to be reshot because it violated copyright. So, Frankenstein became Igor, the neck bolts were removed, and his skin was made blue instead of green. Igor, go and get me what I crave.

The last three Frankenstein movies made by Universal Studios featured another actor named Glenn Strange. That copyright image of Frankenstein is owned by the studio. Which means you're safer to stick with Mary Shelley's original creation, a well-read, multilingual, flowing locks type of monster who has a bit of a temper. It's all there in the original book. Welcome to our annual Bookmarks episode. I read a lot of books to research under the influence, but every season there isn't enough room to include all

the great stories I find. So this episode is dedicated to those stories that didn't fit into our regular episodes. Often, a nugget found in the most unlikely book has made all the tumblers click into place for me on a given subject.

Sometimes the insights are tiny, and sometimes they're eight feet tall you're under the influence I am always fascinated by the serendipity of momentous breakthroughs. How someone sees something ordinary and suddenly it inspires something amazing. The founder of Nike, Phil Knight, wrote an excellent book titled Shoe Dog. Shoe Dog is the name given to people who dedicate their obsessive careers to the shoe business. Knight was a shoe dog who started a sneaker company. He took on a partner named Bill Bowerman.

Bowerman was Knight's track coach at college in Oregon. He was the first person to make Knight think, really think, about what people put on their feet. Bill Bowerman was a genius coach, a master motivator, a natural leader of young men, and there was one piece of gear he deemed crucial to their development.

Shoes. He was obsessed by footwear. Bowerman was always tinkering with sneakers. He would tear them apart, make a minor modification, stitch them back up, give them to his runners, and observe the results. Phil Knight was his favorite guinea pig. Knight wasn't the best runner, so any improvement would be instantly noticeable.

Bowerman was determined to find new ways to bolster the instep of a shoe, cushion the insole, and make more room for the forefoot. He always had a new plan, or a new scheme, to make sneakers better. One day, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman were discussing sneaker improvements. Knight said that while there were breakthroughs in the cushioning and nylon of a shoe's upper construction, there hadn't been a single innovation in outer soles since before the Great Depression. Bowerman, who had just been picked to be the head coach of the U.S. track team at the 1972 Munich Olympics, nodded as he listened. He scribbled a note and let that thought simmer in the back of his mind. The following Sunday, sitting over breakfast with his wife,

his gaze drifted to her waffle iron. He noted the waffle iron's gritted pattern. It lined up with a certain pattern in his mind's eye, a pattern he had been rolling around for years. He asked Mrs. Bowerman if he could borrow it. He took the waffle iron out to his garage, filled it with urethane, heated it up,

and completely ruined the waffle iron. Then he went out and bought another waffle iron, experimented with different substances, and finally figured it out. He sewed the waffle sole

to a pair of running shoes and gave it to one of his runners. He ran like a rabbit. In that moment, the discovery of a waffle sole inspired by a breakfast waffle iron, Bill Bowerman transformed the way athletes run and stop and jump to this day. That incredible story reminds me of a famous line from Sherlock Holmes.

At one point, he says to Watson, You see, but you do not observe. One of the remarkable traits of creators and entrepreneurs is the ability to truly observe what's going on around them. To make connections between seemingly unrelated things. To let the left hemisphere seek a remote association in the right hemisphere. To look at a waffle iron and see the future of athletics. When famed producer George Martin chose Jeff Emmerich to become the new sound engineer for My Beloved Beatles back in 1966, Emmerich was only 20 years old. The first album he engineered was Revolver.

The responsibility must have felt overwhelming. Emmerich wrote a book about his experience titled Here, There, and Everywhere, a title chosen after McCartney's favorite Beatle track. Emmerich had a very insightful front-line vantage point. The Beatles were a remarkable band because each member had a superpower. But even the Beatles needed a protector,

and Emmerich says John Lennon was their bouncer. While he could be harsh, Lennon's superpower was his fearlessness. As they say, no one likes a warrior

until the enemy is at the gate. When the Beatles were invited to their very first recording session with George Martin at Abbey Road in 1962, it was a huge opportunity.

Martin told them to record a song called How Do You Do It, written by Mitch Murray, one of Britain's top songwriters. Martin was convinced it would be a hit. The Beatles recorded it. When they finished, the band walked back into the control room to hear a playback. After listening to the song, Lennon looked directly at Martin and said, Look, George, I have to tell you something. Then he bluntly laid it on the line.

We really think that song is crap. Martin was clearly startled. Lennon said it just wasn't the kind of material the band wanted to do. Martin asked him what exactly it was the band wanted to do. Lennon took off his glasses, gave Martin a squinty stare and said, We want to record our own material, not some soft bit of fluff written by someone else. Now, let's put that moment in some context.

The Beatles were in their very first formal recording session, The Chance of a Lifetime, with a top producer, who gives them what he thinks is a hit song written by a top songwriter, and the Beatles, an unknown group from Liverpool with zero track record, just told George Martin that his song choice is crap. Martin looked at Lennon and said, well, when you can write a song as good as that, we'll record it. The group said, we have. It's called Love Me Do.

There was a long silence. Then George Martin said, okay, show me what you've got. So the Beatles ran back into the studio. As the door closed, Martin said, they've got some cheek. That was a seismic moment in the Beatles' fledgling career. Martin could have insisted on how do you do it. After all, he was the A&R man for the record label. He had the sole power to sign, or not sign, the Beatles.

And the Beatles could have bent to that request. But Lennon wasn't having it. That moment made George Martin re-evaluate the group and their songwriting ability. It would change everything. Every creative group needs a defender. Someone who will fight the difficult fights. Someone not afraid to clash with authority. Someone who protects their people. That someone was John Lennon. One more great story from Emmerich's book. While recording at Abbey Road

one day, George Martin and the Beatles suddenly heard animal-like screaming and doors being slammed shut over and over again in the halls. Emmerich, who was just an assistant at the time, stuck his head out the studio to see what was going on, and what he saw both startled and frightened him. Fans had breached the front doors of Abbey Road. They had overwhelmed the security guards and were running through the halls, hunting the Beatles. Emmerich saw London policemen chasing the fans.

Terrified Abbey Road staff were being pushed and hit and people pulled their hair. It was pandemonium. The doors to Studio 2, where the Beatles were standing, was barricaded. Eventually, the police managed to restore order, but everyone was on edge and nervous systems were frayed. That day, the Beatles recorded

She Loves You. Jeff Emmerich says the excitement of that day can be heard on the recording. There was a level of intensity in that performance that Emmerich had not heard from the band before

and never heard again in all his time with the Beatles. There was a level of intensity in that performance that Emmerich had not heard from the band before, and never heard again in all his time with the Beatles. Because of that madhouse day, Emmerich considered She Loves You to be one of the most exciting songs the Beatles ever recorded. Interesting little insight there. Atmosphere dictates results. Which reminds me of a story about Gordie Howe's days as a goalie. I love sports books, especially hockey books. While we all watch the game from the outside, seeing it from the inside is endlessly fascinating.

In the book Mr. Hockey by the late great Gordie Howe, he tells a story of his early days playing the game. What not many people know is that Gordy began playing hockey as a goalie. He learned where to put the puck as a forward from his time as a goalie. He understood how a goalie looked at an oncoming forward. Howe knew a goalie only watches the puck. He knew, firsthand, where the weak spots were. As a forward, he visualized the mesh, not the goalie.

How not only looked, he observed. As Gordy says in his book, first you learn to play, then you learn to win. In Wayne Gretzky's book titled 99 Stories, he tells one particularly memorable one. The Pittsburgh Penguins would hold an annual training camp in Gretzky's hometown of Brantford. One year, Gretzky scored an astounding 400 goals as a peewee. You heard right, 400.

So the team invited this tiny peewee powerhouse to visit their dressing room. Gretzky was very shy when he walked in and was instantly intimidated by all the big men in that room. But one intimidating guy came forward, shook his hand, and introduced him to the other players. That man was Glenn Sather. Gretzky never forgot that, and what a team they would make 10 years later in Edmonton. Never underestimate the value of creating a bond. One more interesting Glenn Sather tidbit. Sather was a leader who understood motivation. Whenever the Oilers were facing a crucial game,

Sather would fly Gretzky's father, Walter, into town. He did that because he knew Gretzky played better when his dad was in the arena. I read an amusing book titled, Why Is Your Name Upside Down? by an ad man named David Oakley. Back in the year 2000, he and a friend named John Boone left their cushy advertising jobs to start their own ad agency.

They called it Boone Oakley. They had office space. Now all they needed was their first client. At that time, the American presidential election was in full swing. Bush versus Gore. There were dozens of billboards for each candidate all over their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, which reminded Oakley of a story. When the Yonkers racetrack was being built back in the early 1900s, the builders were broke and didn't have enough

money to advertise the track. So they came up with an idea. The day before the first race, they put up a huge billboard facing the highway. In 10-foot-tall letters it said, Yonkers Raceway, except Raceway was spelled R-A-C-E-W-Y-A. That mistake got them front-page coverage in the New York Times and the New York Post. Thanks to all the press the intentional mistake generated,

the racetrack sold out and they were never broke again. Boone loved that story. Oakley wondered, What if there was an election billboard that said Gore for president, but showed Bush's face? Boone said that would be the kind of mistake that would get someone fired.

Hmm. That gave Oakley an idea. There was a company in town called 123 Hire dot com. It posted job openings. Oakley gave them a call There was a company in town called 123hire.com. It posted job openings. Oakley gave them a call, and three days later, the owner of 123hire.com walked into Boone Oakley's office.

They explained the following idea to him. Two weeks before the election, they would put up a billboard of Bush's face, but with Gore's logo. Then, after they got a bunch of complaints, they would fix the mistake by putting a banner across the billboard advertising a job for a proofreader on 123hire.com. The owner loved it. So, not long after, the presidential campaign billboard with the

mistake was put up on Interstate 495 in Charlotte. One hour later, the phone rang. Oakley answered it was a reporter from Fox News. He asked to speak with David Oakley. Oakley said, I'll put you through to his office. Then he waited 10 seconds, then answered it again saying, this is David. Hilarious, since they had no receptionist. The Fox reporter asked Oakley if his agency was responsible for the huge mistake on the billboard. Oakley said yes, but they were scrambling to fix it. Then Oakley said, you're not going toambling to fix it. Then Oakley said,

You're not going to do a story on this little mix-up, are you? The reporter replied, Are you kidding? This is the biggest screw-up of the presidential campaign. And hung up. Oakley could barely suppress his smile. Over the next two hours that Friday, Oakley fielded calls from CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and even the Washington Post. Online, there were over 120 stories about the billboard, with headlines that read,

Ad Agency Bungles campaign billboard. After church services on Sunday, the minister saw John Boone on the steps, put his arm around him, said he had heard about the billboard catastrophe, and said, I'm praying for you. At 7.35 a.m. that Monday, Good Morning America did a story on the billboard.

One of the hosts ended the segment by saying, I wonder what the guys who designed the billboard are doing for a living now. The other hosts had a good laugh. That was perfect. Boone Oakley then issued a press release stating the billboard would be changed at 11 a.m. that morning. At 11 a.m. sharp, an NBC News helicopter hovered as a yellow banner was posted across the billboard that read, Today's job opening? Proofreader. 123hire.com. That's when the press finally realized it was a publicity stunt for the job site. Boone Oakley's phones started ringing off the hook again.

First it was CBS, then NBC, then the Wall Street Journal. Overwhelmingly, the press called the stunt brilliant, daring, bold, and just plain funny. But the best call wasn't from a reporter. It was from the vice chairman of the Republican Party. He was furious. He called Oakley pond scum, vermin, a scuzzbucket. He said the way you used my candidate's photo on that billboard is a disgrace. Oakley said, wait a minute, he's my candidate too.

The vice chairman of the Republican party slammed on the brakes. Wait, you're a Republican? Oakley said all the Oakleys were Republicans, and there were 279 of them spread across North Carolina. The Republican's voice suddenly became as friendly as Doris Day. Really, he said. I didn't know you were one of us. I was until a minute ago, said Oakley. But I don't vote for anybody who calls me pawn scum. And I'll make sure nobody else in my family votes for Bush either. Then Oakley hung up the phone. John Boone, who had been listening to the entire conversation, looked at David Oakley and said, You're not a Republican. Oakley smiled and said,

I know. And with that, Boone Oakley was up and running. I love books. The spine of this show is built on book research. As I always say, the best books on marketing aren't about marketing. They're about human nature. When you read about how Bill Bowerman revolutionized sports after being inspired by a waffle iron, you're reminded of how the simplest observation

can build a mighty company. So interesting to know that Gordie Howe analyzed his time as a goalie to become the NHL's top goal scorer. And how a young Wayne Gretzky formed an important bond with Glenn Sather when he was just a peewee. I've always believed creativity needs a protector.

It's so easy for outsiders to crush ideas. John Lennon was that warrior. He fearlessly protected the Beatles' creativity in those critical early years. When Boone Oakley decided to run a billboard that looked like a massive, embarrassing mistake, they pushed all their chips to the center of the table, and that bet launched their company. First, you learn to play the game. Then, you learn to win. That's the key to monstrous success. When you're under the influence.

I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound Engineer, Jeff Devine. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy Terry's Bookshelf, Season 3, Episode 15 You'll find it in our archives wherever you listen to podcasts See you next week Fun fact The average person takes 274 million steps over a lifetime.

Yeah, get comfortable shoes, people.