Saturday Morning

After the first week, still trying to figure the sales part of radio out, Saturday morning arrives just in time. Probably my favorite part of the week. Took the daughters car (1992 Honda with 156,000 miles on it) to my mechanic and he did an oil change, replaced a brake light and put a good used tire on it for $51.00.
Now that's a great mechanic.

Got back to the Ponderosa and wanted to hear some Brad Delp for some reason. Didn't want to play Boston, but I remember a release he had in 1991 with his group RTZ (for all of us on radio who worked with reel to reels, RTZ means "Return To Zero"). This is Brad and Barry Goodreau whose claim to fame was: he was the rhythm guitar player for Boston, who basically had one guitar player.



Overall, it's pretty mediocre but there are a few songs that are noteworthy. "Face The Music","All You've Got", "Devil To Pay", "Until Your Love Comes Back Around" is very sweet and "Return To Zero" are all tracks that would make a Boston fan happy. Did me. On one hand, I still don't know how any can take their own life, but on the other hand I can.
Off to clean out the garage. Wish me luck on that.

Simple Pleasure

An almost frozen Heineken on a Friday night.

Not So Fast, Broadcasting Breath

Part of my training at KMOX is to sit in with the hosts throughout the first few weeks of the deal. It is supposed to provide me the chance to see them work. Today was my day with Charlie Brennan. Charlie's a good guy, very involved in the community and a great team player. We have a few mutual friends and it's all good. As I was walking down the narrow hall at KMOX, Charlie popped out of the studio and informed me that his guest was late and asked me if I had I done anything really stupid in high school or college? Duh! I told him about a couple of things and he said to me "Good, you're my guest." We started talking on the air about Spike Odell, a high school friend of mine from East Moline. I worked with Spike at the International Harvester Farmall plant. He was the security guard and I was a grinder. Spike has made it really big. We then talked about how some guys I knew burned down the frat hall in an unamed city. Streaking while on motorcycles (bugs hurt). I was then followed on the air by a personal trainer and her boyfriend that ate a ten pound Pointer's pizza in one hour and won 500 dollars. After winning the prize, they both threw up in a barrel right in front of paying customers. Now, I love radio like that!
SOOOOO.....the last day on the air ever was NOT last Friday night as we thought...but mysteriously, today. The last day of my career was today on KMOX. Can't top that.

Bunch O Crap

Conan O Brien morphs into a comic book. Very creative.



Here is a list of the people banned from performing on Saturday Night Live

In Praise of Kansas

I haven't done one of these in a while.
My first exposure to the band Kansas was in early 1974. I was working at a Team Electronics store at Ridgeview Mall in East Moline. We would get cool releases from the record companies and the first thing I noticed about this record was that it was on the "Kirshner" label. I knew of Don Kirshner and yes it was one in the same. At the time, I dug finding something new and I put it on one of our demo systems. "Can I Tell You" came blaring out of the speakers and once I got to the third song, "Lonely Wind", I was nailed. Being a fan of Yes and King Crimson and all the other prog-rock stuff, this was something that sounded new but familiar. The album went nowhere. "Song For America" was next in 1975, it did marginally better in sales but didn't garner much more of a midwest following. The third album "Masque" was a bit of a letdown but with album number four "Leftoverture", the rest is history. After I heard "Carry On Wayward Son" for the first time, I knew they weren't our Kansas any more but everyone else's.
My favorite radio story about Kansas was the time that Al Hofer refused the chance to interview Steve Walsh and passed it to me. Apparently, Steve was a dick to Al in the past and Al wasn't going to speak to him. Steve has had that reputation in the rock circles. It went OK. With that in mind, my top seven Kansas tunes...

1. "The Wall"-the best song they have ever done, bar none.
2. "Lonely Wind"-this band was very centered around native culture, great song.
3. "He Knew"-very spiritual, too.
4. "On The Other Side"-heard this for the first time at about 4am. woof.
5. "What's On My Mind"-good, midwest rock and roll
6. "Hold On"-the best of the "later" stuff
7. "People of the Southwind"-played that on am radio in 1979

A Couple Of Things...

Marshall Faulk retired from football yesterday. A lot of people in this town are calling him a hero. He has 6 kids from three different women and didn't marry any of them. I understand why he must work. I live in a glass house here, but man...six kids? I must admit I thought less of him afetr hearing that and I liked him very much as a player
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It's pretty much a blur getting into a new gig. It's like the first day of school and all of your teachers give you five page essays to write. I live in the suburbs, I drive downtown and home every rush hour. It is really cool, though to look out the window at the arch. I think for the most part it's a good bunch of people there and I am excited to get a routine down.
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I played basketball Monday night and then again yesterday morning. I will play tomorrow morning and Friday night. I couldn't wait. Exercise is so addicting.
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Since the team I picked to win it all is out (Kansas), I think Florida will take it all. Just too much of a team, big guys and shooters. Tough combination.