From the Archives 6/1/25- Signals from the Underground: The June 1 Lyons Den Transmission

August 4, 2025·3 hr 51 min·5 clips

George Lyons critiques how religious books justify violence, asking if that makes God dumb and ugly.

This episode of The Lyons Den Radio Show is a four-hour music program hosted by veteran DJ George Lyons. The show features an eclectic mix of music followed by a two-hour radio special on Elvis Presley's early years. Host George Lyons curates a wide-ranging setlist, from Afrobeat to German hip-hop, before transitioning into the documentary. The first hour includes tracks from Fela Kuti, The Crystal Method, and the German band Die Fantastischen Vier. Lyons plays ska from The Specials, classic pop from Frankie Avalon, and progressive jazz from Return to Forever. He features a satirical spoken-word piece called "The Monkey Speaks" and plays Frank Zappa's "Dumb All Over" and "Muffin Man." The subsequent two-hour special, "Elvis Presley The Early Years," is narrated by Laura Cantrell and includes interviews with biographer Peter Guralnick and Elvis's friend Jerry Schilling. The documentary details Elvis Presley's childhood in East Tupelo, Mississippi, noting he had a stillborn twin brother named Jesse. It describes his extremely close relationship with his mother, Gladys, and how singing in church inspired him. At age 10, Elvis won fifth prize singing "Old Shep" at the 1946 Mississippi-Alabama State Fair. The move to Memphis in 1948 exposed him to blues music on Beale Street and influenced his "rebel" style. In 1953, he paid $3.98 at Sun Studio to record a song for his mother, hoping to get Sam Phillips's attention. A key insight is that Elvis's perceived "threat" in 1956 transformed into his status as an "all American" symbol within five years without him fundamentally changing. Biographer Peter Guralnick argues Elvis's closeness to his mother was not aberrant but a sign of an extremely tight-knit family. The documentary reveals Elvis was deeply influenced by his guitar-playing pastor, Reverend Frank Smith, and by African American gospel quartets. Sam Phillips's philosophy at Sun Studio was that "if you're not doing anything different, you're not doing anything." Elvis's breakthrough recording of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" happened almost by accident after other songs failed to impress. Jerry Schilling compares their Memphis neighborhood to the one depicted in the film *Hustle and Flow*. The episode's tone is conversational and freeform, with Lyons offering enthusiastic, knowledgeable commentary between songs. The Elvis special is educational and narrative-driven, blending archival interviews with historical analysis. Music enthusiasts who enjoy eclectic, curator-driven sets spanning genres and decades will love this episode. Listeners specifically interested in the cultural history of Elvis Presley's formative years will find the documentary segment compelling. Those seeking a talk-focused podcast or a single genre of music might prefer to skip this broadcast-style show.

As heard by us

Archival radio with a crate-dig feel, moving briskly through deep music history.

George Lyons opens a four-hour KUNV set that moves from Fela Kuti to Uberzone, The Crystal Method, Die Fantastischen Vier, and Frank Zappa without losing its shape.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a live KUNV Las Vegas set that lurches from Afrobeat to Zappa, start here.

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