Notes from the Jungle

Mark Iaria

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MUSIC HISTORY
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Reflections on society and popular culture notesforthejungle.substack.com

12/14/2025

Chapter 5: The Ghost Over Detroit

Chapter 5: The Ghost Over Detroit Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

43 min
06/23/2025

Lee Gordon: Dreams and Realities - Chapter 4

This is the untold back story of the mysterious Detroit rock'n'roll promoter Lee Gordon who had an immense impact on popular music during the 1950s and 60s. Within 10 years he had reshaped much of popular culture within Australia, made Elvis more money than he ever had and ever would, and created what would turn out to be the only live Rock’n’Roll feature film ever made during the 1950s, entitled 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959). The main focus of this audio book is on the years prior to Gordon arriving in Australia. It’s also a part autobiography of the books author, who discovered his film lying in a quiet street in 2020 after disappearing for 50 years. Narrated by Xavier Hirst, chapters 1 to 4 were released in quick succession over a 2 week period to provide listeners a solid preliminary introduction to the realities and achievements that Lee Gordon experienced when his plane touched down in mid-century Australia in 1953. These chapters also reveal the unique connection the author developed with Lee’s mystifying personality. The remaining chapters of the book will be released once per month, at the beginning of each month. Chapter 4 unearths the unintentional pivotal role Gordon’s late career activity played in the rise of disco and clubbing culture both in Australia and internationally, underlining the often overlooked benefit the ‘irrational’ dream-chasers have on society; clearing new pathways and challenging the status-quo, even if unintended. Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

13 min
06/15/2025

Lee Gordon: Dreams and Realities Chapter 3

This is the untold back story of the mysterious Detroit rock'n'roll promoter Lee Gordon who had an immense impact on popular music during the 1950s and 60s. Within 10 years he had reshaped much of popular culture within Australia, made Elvis more money than he ever had and ever would, and created what would turn out to be the only live Rock’n’Roll feature film ever made during the 1950s, entitled 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959). The main focus of this audio book is on the years prior to Gordon arriving in Australia. It’s also a part autobiography of the books author, who discovered his film lying in a quiet street in 2020 after disappearing for 50 years. Narrated by Xavier Hirst, chapters 1 to 4 were released in quick succession over a 2 week period to provide listeners a solid preliminary introduction to the realities and achievements that Lee Gordon experienced when his plane touched down in mid-century Australia in 1953. These chapters also reveal the unique connection the author developed with Lee’s mystifying personality. The remaining chapters of the book will be released once per month, at the beginning of each month. Chapter 3 brings to light the peculiar behaviour the author exhibited to find something special. Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

6 min
06/14/2025

Lee Gordon: Dreams and Realities - Chapter 2

This is the untold life story of the mysterious Detroit rock'n'roll promoter Lee Gordon, including his ground-shifting lost film 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959). It’s also a part autobiography of the books author, who discovered the film lying in a quiet street in 2020 after disappearing for 50 years. Narrated by Xavier Hirst, chapters 1 to 4 were released in quick succession over a 2 week period to provide listeners a solid preliminary introduction to the realities and achievements that Lee Gordon experienced when his plane touched down in mid-century Australia in 1953. These chapters also reveal the unique connection the author developed with Lee’s mystifying personality. The remaining chapters of the book will be released once per month, at the beginning of each month. Chapter 2 reveals the difficult adolescence experienced by the author that ultimately lead to the discovery of the film. Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

10 min
06/14/2025

Lee Gordon: Dreams and Realities Chapter 1

This is the untold back story of the mysterious Detroit rock'n'roll promoter Lee Gordon who had an immense impact on popular music during the 1950s and 60s. Within 10 years he had reshaped much of popular culture within Australia, made Elvis more money than he ever had and ever would, and created what would turn out to be the only live Rock’n’Roll feature film ever made during the 1950s, entitled 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959). The main focus of this audio book is on the years prior to Gordon arriving in Australia. It’s also a part autobiography of the books author, who discovered his film lying in a quiet street in 2020 after disappearing for 50 years. Narrated by Xavier Hirst, chapters 1 to 4 were released in quick succession over a 2 week period to provide listeners a solid preliminary introduction to the realities and achievements that Lee Gordon experienced when his plane touched down in mid-century Australia in 1953. These chapters also reveal the unique connection the author developed with Lee’s mystifying personality. The remaining chapters of the book will be released once per month, at the beginning of each month. Chapter 1 explores the discovery of the film by Mark Iaria (author), Gordon's urge to fly above reality and how it resonated with Iaria's own machinations. Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

9 min
06/14/2025

Lee Gordon: Dreams and Realities -Introduction

This is the untold back story of the mysterious Detroit rock'n'roll promoter Lee Gordon who had an immense impact on popular music during the 1950s and 60s. Within 10 years he had reshaped much of popular culture within Australia, made Elvis more money than he ever had and ever would, and created what would turn out to be the only live Rock’n’Roll feature film ever made during the 1950s, entitled 'Rock'n'Roll' (1959). The main focus of this audio book is on the years prior to Gordon arriving in Australia. It’s also a part autobiography of the books author, who discovered his film lying in a quiet street in 2020 after disappearing for 50 years. Narrated by Xavier Hirst, chapters 1 to 4 were released in quick succession over a 2 week period to provide listeners a solid preliminary introduction to the realities and achievements that Lee Gordon experienced when his plane touched down in mid-century Australia in 1953. These chapters also reveal the unique connection the author developed with Lee’s mystifying personality. The remaining chapters of the book will be released once per month, at the beginning of each month. Get full access to Notes from the Jungle at notesforthejungle.substack.com/subscribe

13 min

6 Episodes

Reflections on society and popular culture notesforthejungle.substack.com

Creator

Mark Iaria
Years Active

2K
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Mark Iaria
Show Website

Notes from the Jungle