Fingal's Cave Podcast Ep.20 - The Legend of Mick the Hat

[Skinny12]

Hi All!

On this, our 20th episode, we speak with a person who has chosen to go by the pseudonym of "Mick the Hat", and when you listen you'll certainly understand why. One of our favorite things to do on this podcast is to interview people who have knowledge that no one else in the world possesses, and who can shed light on some of the most legendary events in the history of Pink Floyd. Mick the Hat is one of those people. For anyone interested in the saga of Pink Floyd live recordings and vinyl bootlegs, you won't want to miss a minute of Mick the Hat's recollections, as elicited by podcast producer and interviewer Ian Priston. His tales of BFI busts gone wrong, of taping some of the most beloved shows in Pink Floyd history, and of dealing with some of the quirkiest characters out there, are one of a kind revelations that you won't hear anywhere else.






Part 1:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:54 Where does Pink Floyd start for you?
00:04:17 Rainbow 1972 (and 1973)
00:08:22 The collection
00:12:35 Early shows and films
00:18:02 Front row at Earls Court 1973
00:22:51 Trentham Gardens and the "biggest bootlegger in Britain"
00:32:55 How the 1974 shows improved
00:35:00 These tapes are personal!
00:37:10 Knebworth 1975
00:40:16 1977 shows (and soundchecks)
00:43:24 Contacts with remarkable tapes
00:51:03 Soundboards, 1975-77, and the phantom Toronto 1973
00:54:51 Ian Sippen's famous Rainbow 1972 recording
00:56:31 Back to 1977 and missing the last Axe

Part 2:
01:00:00 The first pig
01:01:17 1980: going to L.A. for The Wall
01:07:57 "Where's my ticket?!"
01:13:27 Joining the road crew
01:16:34 Back to Europe, 1980-81
01:18:00 "I saw every night!" and 8mm films
01:19:39 The last night in Dortmund 1981
01:21:01 Tape recorders and Canadian tapers
01:23:54 The great guy in Japan
01:28:19 The origins of Giant Barn Dance/30 KW PA
01:29:49 That time the BPI made its own Bowie bootleg
01:33:48 Counterfeits, copyright dumps, and Stockholm 1967
01:37:37 The Nitz brothers and the Pink Fan
01:43:59 Pictures of Pink Floyd and Richard Branson
01:46:43 Some names from the past
01:49:51 Dave in San Jose and Household Objects
01:52:42 Back in England with Nick and Steve
01:54:29 Croydon 1970 and the Let's Roll Another One rehearsal
01:59:11 Remembering Bernard White
02:08:43 The homecoming of Bernard's scrapbook
02:11:40 Le Livre du Pink Floyd
02:16:07 Wrapping up (and the man in Kent)


Homepage: https://fingalscavepodcast.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZtT-dtmye0
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcas...e/id1686352696
Amazon: https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/ef8...ink-floyd-fans
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5l7sw8X4YkSNpvxkYOzF2z

[neonknight]

Many insights into our area of interest 😎

[Journey Man]

Fantastic; the chapter titles alone look mouth-wateringly awesome. Can’t wait to give this a listen. For a split second my eyes read Mick the Hat whilst my brain heard Roger the Hat..! Massive thanks guys

[buffalofloyd]

Brilliant stuff guys. Watching these podcasts has been the highlight of year for me as far as R&D goes. I only wish we would have done these things years ago, back on Y, before we lost some very important members. Not that they would have necessarily agreed to be interviewed but I would have loved to hear some stories about the trading scene and gossip around those times from somebody like Marbal (MB), Lordsnooty, littlesheep, or Grolsch, some people like that. Could have been really interesting stuff. Hindsight is a bastard but what you guys have been doing now is very commendable and interesting, at least to me. So again, thank you for all the efforts, it does not go unappreciated and I know it's a lot of work, but I can't think of better people to take on these tasks.

Cheers

[Skinny12]

Thank you very much! Much appreciated! And you are right, we feel the same…time is running (out) as i just realized again a few days back.

//Nils

[vince666]

listened to only a few parts here and there at now, but this podcast/interview is pure gold!
can't wait to restart and listen to the whole thing!

thanks a lot for this, my friends.

[YYZ]

Brilliant!
So many talking points here to make the mouth water.
Hopefully there will be more unreleased material to come?
Well done Ian.

[Pottel]

Brilliant stuff guys. Watching these podcasts has been the highlight of year for me as far as R&D goes. I only wish we would have done these things years ago, back on Y, before we lost some very important members. Not that they would have necessarily agreed to be interviewed but I would have loved to hear some stories about the trading scene and gossip around those times from somebody like Marbal (MB), Lordsnooty, littlesheep, or Grolsch, some people like that. Could have been really interesting stuff. Hindsight is a bastard but what you guys have been doing now is very commendable and interesting, at least to me. So again, thank you for all the efforts, it does not go unappreciated and I know it's a lot of work, but I can't think of better people to take on these tasks.

Cheers

did i miss the passing of the legend that is/was Lordsnooty? 😦

[neonknight]

did i miss the passing of the legend that is/was Lordsnooty? 😦

Certainly not! We talk regularly.

[buffalofloyd]

did i miss the passing of the legend that is/was Lordsnooty? 😦

Sorry about that, I shouldn't have lumped him and littlesheep together with the likes of MB and Grolsch. I only meant to convey they are not publicly active anymore, to my knowledge, but have been an integral part to the community as far as information and sources from years past, as have many other members not mentioned.

[DesertRat]

Fascinating! And tantalising with those missing recordings like Zurich 77!

[Stratcat58]

Really enjoyed this one. Always interesting to be reminded of how "incestuous" and interrelated the tape trading network was at that time for Floyd stuff in particular.

[vizsla2011]

I am amazed at how interesting the subjects of these Fingal's Cave Podcasts are to me. There have been so many details that help fill in gaps and things I didn't even know existed. Thanks for the great effort that you must put in to get these great outcomes!

[CelestialVoices]

Loved this episode! What a life Mick the Hat has had. Very interesting and great interview. Well done! Also sure makes me remember how lucky we are now to have the convenience of online trading. Yes it's great to have physical boots too, the experience of putting an LP on the platter, or reading liner notes with great artwork, getting a tape or CDr's in the mail, etc. but thank you to all the many for making so many of these shows easily accessible at Y! and now here at R&D.

[Skinny12]

Thank you very much! Most appreciated!

[Paul]

A few episodes behind, but looking forward to catching up!! You guys are doing a fantastic job and it is so appreciated. Thank you again!

[jmr]

I'm only midway through this recording but I'm kind of floored by the amount of tantalizing knowledge dropped in this episode. It's really striking me how valuable this podcast is for preserving these first-hand accounts.