About this episode

The episode discusses the film 'The Music Never Stopped' and its themes of music, memory, and familial relationships.

It is often said that music is the great uniter....people are connected by a common love of music. Whoever said that hasn't spent any time in an online music discussion forum. One person declares their love of a particular musician, and the next thing we see are anonymous posts from society's music experts on why that person's pick is rubbish. Music CAN unite us, but it can also divide us. Welcome to episode 136 of See Hear Podcast. Kerry and I are thrilled to welcome back our brother, Tim Merrill after a needed absence. Our trio are back to discuss any manner of music-films. Our first round table in a while is the 2011 film, The Music Never Stopped. It's based on a case study by neurologist Oliver Sacks called The Last Hippie. The central protagonist has a large but benign tumour removed from his brain. The damage done to his hippocampus means he struggles to make new memories, and can only speak in short bursts. However, it's discovered that when he is asked about music, he returns to some sort of normality, particularly when asked about The Grateful Dead. The film differs from the case study in that it makes the story about the patient's (named Gabriel in the film)…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kerry Fristoe, Maurice Bursztynski

Guest: Tim Merrill

Topics covered

• music
• film
• neurology
• memory
• father-son relationship
• The Grateful Dead

Keywords

• music
• film
• neurology
• memory
• The Grateful Dead
• father-son relationship
• Oliver Sacks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Grateful Dead

Books & works: The Music Never Stopped

More episodes of See Hear

• See Hear Podcast 135 - Interview with Mary Zournazi, director of "My Rembetika Blues" · June 20, 2026 · 1h 8m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the See Hear podcast page.