“I don’t think teenage years are all that rosy for a lot of people - they certainly weren’t for me. They are the most confusing time of people’s lives and there is a tremendous dark side to the record, which I think teenagers related to.” - Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las, on their greatest hit “Leader of the Pack”
It was no wonder punk rockers love the Shangri-Las so much. They had the courage to be fashionable, fierce, and vulnerable in a music industry that just wasn’t built for them. This week’s story is a wild tale: stolen song credits, banning from BBC radio, and organized crime - the drama is so wild, it reads like a Shangri-Las song! Sometimes the truth is stranger than motorcycle-crashing fiction. PLUS: What do Abby and Emma really think of the casting for the upcoming Beatle biopics? And what on earth is Holy Land USA?? “The Shangri-Las: Leaders of the Pack” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🏍️
(Episode starts at 6:14)
Lisa MacKinney, “Dressed In Black: The Shangri-Las and Their Recorded Legacy” (2025)
Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, “But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of the ‘60s Girl Groups” (2023)
“Boom: A Film About the Sonics” (dir. Jordan Albertsen, 2024)
Gerri Hirshey, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock” (2001)
Kim Gordon, “Girl In A Band” (2015)
“Mary Weiss Comes Back For A ‘Dangerous Game’” Fresh Air on NPR, 3/6/2007
Suzi Quatro, “Suzi Quatro’s Heroes of Rock ’n’ Roll: Interview with Mary Weiss” BBC Radio 2, 10/24/2007
“Amy Winehouse: In Her Own Words” The Guardian, 7/22/2012
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (1957)
The Shangri-Las - Simon Says (1964)
The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walking In The Sand) [1964]
The Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack (1964)
The Shangri-Las - Give Him A Great Big Kiss (1965)
The Shangri-Las - Out In The Streets (1965)
The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel (1965)
The Shangri-Las - How Pretty Can You Get (Revlon Natural Wonder Jingle) [1965]
The Shangri-Las - I Can Never Go Home Anymore (1965)
The Byrds - Eight Miles High (1966)
Bob Dylan - Fourth Time Around (1966)
The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (1966)
The New York Dolls - Looking For A Kiss (1973)
Sonic Youth - Little Trouble Girl (1994)
Mary Weiss - My Heart Is Beating (2007)
With sample from Stranger Things S4 Vol 2 E9
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