Ryan H. Walsh, author of "Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968," Interview Show
In 1968 Irishman Van Morrison, ex-singer of the band Them, moved to Green Street in Cambridge, MA, and wrote his masterful and often revered first solo album "Astral Weeks" while performing regularly around the area. (Morrison considers his previous disc, "Blowin' Your Mind!," to be a compilation released without his consent.) This central event becomes the springboard for Ryan Walsh's book on Boston in 1968, primarily concerned with music-related events during that year. Among our topics of interest in this interview: Van Morrison, The Fort Hill (Roxbury) Community cult led by Mel Lyman, its follower Jim Kweskin and his jug band, Jonathan Richman, the Boston Tea Party concert hall, WBCN, and the musical phenomenon known as the "Bosstown Sound." And yes, WMBR was broadcasting in 1968 as WTBS...which we touch on as well.