Episode 5: John Oates on Philly's Beatles backlash, the Hall & Oates origin story and living next to Hunter S. Thompson
John Oates, best known as half of the iconic pop duo Hall & Oates, has played guitar alongside Darryl Hall for decades, co-writing hits like “Sara Smile,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” and “Maneater.” He grew up in Philadelphia, and tells our host Ken Womack that when the Beatles first hit the U.S., his local radio stations wouldn't play their songs. “Being a teenager in Philadelphia I was right along with them. . . . To me the Beatles didn’t mean that much initially.” Eventually, though, his relationship to the Fab Four's music changed, starting with “Abbey Road.” In this wide-ranging conversation, Oates tells the story of a fateful eviction, the impact producer Arif Mardin had on Hall & Oates, his recent solo work, what kind of neighbor Hunter S. Thompson was, and which Beatles song he'd want with him on a desert island. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/everythingfabfour/support