Ugly Mickey

Here's a Brazilian blog for the 'International Ugly Mickey Contest'. It's in Portuguese, but it's really great to see the terrible, amazingly ugly versions of Mickey Mouse. The contest is over now, but the blog will keep posting the ugly mickeys people send from all over the world. Link

The State of Radio Today (for my radio friends)

On the Stlmedia.net website, this entry was put up for discussion:
Last week I had lunch with a radio friend who was passing through town. He brought up this blog and a comment another radio person made to him about it: Why does John Gorman hate radio so much? He doesn't hate radio. He loves it. What he doesn't like is what has happened to it. If you don't know who Gorman is, he programmed one of the five most important rock stations in the US back when rock radio mattered.In fact, WMMS and Alan Freed are the two main reasons the R&R HOF is in Cleveland. And if you're in radio and don't know who Alan Freed is, you should be working at Burger King.

My response is delivered thusly:

John Gorman built a dynasty in Cleveland. With an airstaff of guys like Kid Leo, etc., WMMS had the entire package. The music was constantly fresh, the jocks talked with you not at you. There was a live person answering the phone 24/7. What has changed? Radio then was run by broadcasters who understood their audience and super served them. There were very few consultants who could know Cleveland better than Gorman. He was a guy who went to just about every event, concert and function to observe the audience. They were promotionally proactive and spent the money required on jocks, marketing and promotion to make the station head and shoulders above anything else in that city ratings wise. Then they had great sales people to sell those numbers. That was then. Today, radio is run by the people who answer to the shareholder and there is only one statistic that matters...the bottom line. Cut, cut and cut some more until we have produced a stale, cookie cutter industry that now has cannibalized it's youth. Where will the next JC, Guy Phillips or Frank OPinion come from? There are no minor leagues anymore and with the spread of the syndicated morning show (Bob and Tom are on over a hundred stations, over a hundred stations that will not cultivate NEW morning shows), the prospect looks very bleak. The radio business keeps wringing it's hands over the lack of talent, but one of the first things that the chairman of Citadel talked about after hiring Imus back was the thought of syndicating him. That'll fix the problem for sure. Think about this, you can count the number of music stations in St. Louis on one hand that have live people on the air after 6pm. Even less overnight. We took our audience for granted and they are now showing their approval by rejecting radio in favor of new technology. At the exact moment radio should have been fighting for it's survival with more money to fight the internet, Ipods, mp3's etc, we cut the budget and ran. One example, I was listening to a Saturday night program a few months ago where the person who was voice tracking left a pot open somewhere and his voice sounded like it was in an echo chamber. Unlistenable. Three hours later, when I tuned in again, it was still like that. We don't care about the product as long as the budget is made. Why should the audience care, either? I didn't mean to be this long winded but it makes me sad to see what has happened to the business that I truly love. Visionaries like John Gorman wouldn't get past the HR person today.

And I stick by those comments

Vanna White

I got it bad for her. I do. I met her about 20 years ago and she was very sweet and fun. I interviewed her and she is very aware of how lucky she has been. Great sense of humour and I was smitten big time. I watch Wheel of Fortune to see her walk across the stage and then I turn the channel. I think she still looks great today. One of my favorite interviews.

More Top 100

Here's where we are: In a previous post, Audio/Visual Revolution posted their list for the top 100 rock LPs of all time. Here it is. The Spinal Tap Soundtrack mad the list, but no mention of the Moody Blues, Doobies, etc. The movie was a very funny joke, and so was the music. To be considered in the top 100 LPs of all time is nuts. So, I have decided to come up with a list of my own. MY list.


In previous posts, I started from the back of the alphabet and here is the list so far...
Stevie Williams-4 a.m.
Edgar Winter-They Only Come Out At Night
Steve Winwood-Back In The Highlife
Wishbone Ash-Argus
Yes-90125
Yes-Fragile
Neil Young-Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young-Harvest
Tres Hombres-ZZ Top

these releases are worthy, but just under the top 100
Johnny Winter-Still Alive and Well
Steve Winwood-Arc of a Diver
Jesse Colin Young-Song For Juli
Yes-The Yes Album
Gary Wright-The Dream weaver
Frank Zappa-Apostrophe
ZZ Top-Tejas.
Next part of the list coming tomorrow.

Two More From My Youth

Robert Goulet...Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Robert Goulet was the only son of French-Canadian parents. As a boy, Goulet sang in the choir of his Catholic church but never thought much about music as a career. From his deathbed, Goulet's ailing father told him, "God gave you a voice. You must sing." His father died later that night and young Robert told himself, "I have to honor his wish." A short time thereafter, his mother relocated the family to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Robert later earned a singing scholarship to Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, studying opera. Goulet made his concert debut in 1951, performing in Handel's "Messiah." In 1960, Goulet achieved stardom for his role in the Lerner and Loewe musical "Camelot", where he starred alongside Richard Burton as King Arthur and Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere. Goulet played a French knight, Sir Lancelot, who falls in love with Guenevere. His role in "The Happy Time" earned Goulet the 1968 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1993, Goulet appeared in a Broadway revival of "Camelot," that time in the role of King Arthur. Elsewhere, Goulet made stage appearances in "South Pacific", "The Pajama Game", Finian's Rainbow", and "Carousel." His film roles included performances in "Atlantic City', "Naked Gun 2-1/2", and "Underground." Goulet became a favorite of U.S. television audiences in the 1960s with numerous appearances on American variety programs. He starred in a 1966 television adaptation of "Brigadoon" that won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Program. At the fifth Annual Grammy awards, Goulet was named Best New Artist of 1962 for his two albums, "Always You" and "Two Of Us," along with the hit song, "If Ever I Would Leave You", from the "Camelot" cast album. Seventeen of the albums he recorded between 1962 and 1970 reached the music charts. Goulet went on to record more than 60 albums during his career. His stardom, spanning five decades, kept him working continuously in traveling theatrical tours and Las Vegas nightclubs, where he was named Entertainer of the Year in 1982. Goulet was a prostate cancer survivor, and encouraged men to be tested for the disease. In September, he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a rapidly progressive and potentially fatal lung disease. Goulet was awaiting a lung transplant when he died.
He is survived by Vera, his wife of 25 years, along with two sons and a daughter from two previous marriages.

What a voice, what a true troubadour. He became cool to the younger set from his commercials for sportscenter on ESPN.

I just remember "If Ever I Would Leave You" as a great vocal masterpiece. I also remember that he was married to Carol Lawrence, in her own right, a babe.

Porter Wagoner's final tribute was a simple but eloquent ceremony that bore testimony to his humble beginnings and love for music. The funeral service, at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday (Nov. 1), was mostly about the music. And in that sense, it was remarkably similar to his life and career.For a public persona, very little was really ever known about him, apart from his music. And not that much more was revealed at his tribute in the Opry House -- the scene of so many of Wagoner's triumphant moments over the last 50 years and still the home of his backstage Opry dressing room, No. 14. The presiding minister, Dr. Jerry Sutton of Two Rivers Baptist Church, said that it's a plain but true fact that Wagoner had become -- worldwide -- the face and the voice of the Opry.The Opry House stage was plainly adorned with nearly two dozen floral displays and two of Wagoner's bright spangled and rhinestoned jackets. The wooden casket at stage front was draped with white flowers.The conundrum that is country music was plain to see on two messages on the back window of a pickup truck parked near the Opry House. One message read, "Heaven is a lil more sparkly -- Porter rest well." The other? It read, "Impeach Bush."Wagoner was not an easy person to know or to like, but he proved to be one incredibly valuable friend once you did get to know him as a friend and an artist. As Dr. Sutton said, Wagoner "was not a perfect man, but he was a great man."He first charted a country record in 1954 with "Company's Comin'" on RCA, and he went on to chart 78 more hits on RCA until he and the label parted ways in 1980. As far as Nashville proper was concerned, his career pretty much came to an end. He, of course, plowed on as a Grand Ole Opry stalwart to become finally its public face. Nothing else much happened for him in a major career way. For years and years. His career seemed to go away. Chart-wise, he disappeared, except for a couple of minor Warner Bros. releases in the early 1980s.Marty Stuart, God bless him, resurrected Porter's legacy and music and rightful dignity this year by prodding Wagoner into recording the triumphant Wagonmaster album. Porter left this life, as far as I can tell, with a satisfied mind. Can't ask for much more than that. How wonderful that he finally got to play Madison Square Garden earlier this summer, opening for the White Stripes.As Dr. Sutton said, Wagoner came close to death a year ago when he had an aneurysm. At that time, the minister said, Wagoner got close to God and begged for a little more time but knew that he was living on borrowed time and that the end was drawing near. Dolly Parton said, before leading some three dozen Opry members in an onstage rendition of "I Saw the Light," Wagoner had recently sent her tapes of him singing a number of gospel songs. "I said," Parton remembered, "'What is it, Porter? Are you cramming now to make up for all those years?'"No matter. He left many rich musical memories. Vince Gill, who sang "Go Rest High on That Mountain" with Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs during the service, recalled that Wagoner was the first person he ever saw sing country music. "That was life-changing for me," said Gill, who grew up watching the Porter Wagoner Show on TV. "Every Saturday at 4:30," he remembered, "my old man said, 'Get down here, boy. It's time to watch Porter!'"Other gospel tributes came from Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Ricky Skaggs and the Whites, Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys, the Carol Lee Singers and three members of Wagoner's Wagonmasters band -- Danny Davis, Rick "L.D." Money, and Fred Newell. All shared their musical memories of Wagoner. Allen recalled his first meeting with Wagoner in 1966."He handed me a tape and said to me," said Allen, "'You've heard all the stories about Porter Wagoner. But listen to this tape. This is how I feel in my heart.'"Allen said the tape contained Wagoner singing the gospel classic, "When I Sing for Him." And Allen proceeded to sing that song once more for Wagoner, at his funeral, in an emotional and powerful performance. The songs, like Wagoner's music during his career, were plain, simple, sentimental and powerful.My favorite memory of Porter will always be of him at the old Fan Fair at the Nashville fairgrounds, where he loved meeting with his fans. I will forever have an image of him sitting at a table in his booth, and -- just as a fan starts to take a picture of him -- he holds up a little sign reading, "I'm Naked From the Waist Down." What a joker. Funny -- and yet ... .
Oh, how my mother loved him. When we lived on the farm, his syndicated show was a "must see TV". It's where I developed my huge school boy crush on Dolly Parton and his music became our music. He was one of the musical legends that helped shape my life, for better or worse. I know that Nashville is in mouring. Godspeed, Porter

Motivational Posters

This would be mine, thanks

1977 JC Penney Catalog

All of these "styles" are courtesy of the 1977 JC Penney catalog

Here's how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:

Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long. And way to pull them up to your armpits, grandpa.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in high school:

This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15. At my high school, we would have opened him up by lunch.

Here's how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:

This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden made you, and as a one-piece, it's slightly more effective as a deterrent.

Here's how to get your ass kicked at the beach:He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.

Here's how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:

If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his matching coffee cup

And this -- Seriously. No words.

Oh wait, it turns out that there are words (or letters) after all. Those words are W... T.. F... I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. The little tie must be the pull tab.

Thanks, sis

I Know, I Know...

It's been ten days. A lot has happened, I just haven't felt like blogging much. I go through this every six months or so, I have nothing to say or contribute to the world. So it goes...

Athletes as broadcasters are wearing me out. A couple of weeks ago, Mizzou had a game on TV and the "analyst" was Jaycee Pearson. He was a monster on defense for the Chiefs and as a broadcaster, he was a great defensive player. Ick.

I spent last week end in Dayton visiting my daughter. There is really not much to do in Dayton, so we went to and watched movies

we saw "Across the Universe" at the local complex on Friday night (after pigging out on carrot cake). This was a very different movie. Beatles songs incorporated into a "Hair" kinda groove, following a young couple through the turbulent sixties. Bono was "The Walrus" and Joe Cocker had a cameo. I was pleasantly surprised. When I review a movie, my first criteria is "was I entertained?" As much as I hate to admit it, I was.The next night it was a "Blockbuster" night. We rented "The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer", which was fun. (I could watch Jessica Alba floss). we went to get a pizza then, "300". Whoa. Really great movie and chocked full of blood and guts, kids. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Went back to the hotel and watched "American Beauty" on HBO for the first time. Yikes. Another classic. and.I.couldn't.sleep.

Selling radio is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had. Next to grinding combine wheels at the John Deere Foundry. That was hard too.

I spent some time with my friend Tom at the greatest record store ever, "Now Hear This" in downtown Kirkwood. He is about to go out of business, laying off the only employee he had. Hard times for a lot of us who used to be somebody.

Happy birthday Jess. You make me proud.

Still pissed at The Eagles..

Ice Cream Sandwich

Ben, my daughter Jess and Jerry(yeah, those guys). At Whitey's Ice Cream in Davenport. How ironic.

Who Is This Woman?

a) argentina's presidential candidiate?
b) world famous singer and actress?
c) yo mama?
b) ick, i don't want to know?

Enter now and win a five dollar discount for Chuck E Cheese. Or, as they say, If you are going to upchuck, make sure it's cheese.

Dude, that song just sucked!

I can’t tell which is funnier, this long-hated cheesebag-anthem turned into a much more interesting, atonal mess in front of thousands of paying customers or the hilarious soldiering on of the Van Halens as they look at each other from inside the trainwreck. Eddie tries to transpose on the fly and match the wildly fucked up keyboards but the great thing there is the difference in pitch is non-musical - about 1.5 semitones sharp. So there’s no frets he can choose to fix the problem! And Wolfgang is 13? Jeez, he's bigger and taller than Eddie.
I would say, the pre recorded synsthesizers are a bit out of pitch, but that's just me. Hope you guys get it fixed before St. Louis. Ick

Three From My Childhood.

Three people very popular with my mother and therefore important figures in my childhood died this week.
RIP Theresa Brewer

Theresa Brewer was born on May 7, 1931 in Toledo, Ohio and starting at five years of age was touring with the "Major Bowes Amateur Hour," a popular radio show of the era.Changing her name to Teresa Brewer, at 16 years of age she appeared on a talent show called “Stairway to the Stars” and two years later was recording with London Records where her “Music, Music, Music” topped the Hit Parade in February of 1950.Signed by Coral Records Teresa’s “Til I Waltz Again With You” gave her a second #1 hit in 1953, followed by another chart topper, “Ricochet” in November of that year. Recording more than 600 songs during her career, Teresa Brewer visited the Hit Parade numerous times. Among her hits were “Sweet Old Fashioned Girl”, “Bo Weevil”, “Jilted”,“A Tear Fell” and “Mutual Admiration Society”. Her versions of “Pledging My Love”, “Empty Arms”, “Tweddle Dee” and “Let Me Go, Lover” also were hits. During her career, she played most of the major night clubs in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere and was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.At her home in New Rochelle, New York, with her four daughters at her bedside,Teresa Brewer died on October 17, 2007, she was 76 years of age. Visit Teresa Brewer’s fan club website here.
Joey Bishop
AKA Joseph Abraham Gottlieb
Born: 3-Feb-1918Birthplace: Bronx, NYDied: 17-Oct-2007Location of death: Newport Beach, CACause of death: Natural Causes
Gender: MaleReligion: JewishRace or Ethnicity: WhiteSexual orientation: StraightOccupation: Comic, Actor
Nationality: United StatesExecutive summary: Rat Pack member
Joey Bishop grew up in South Philadelphia, and started his comedy career doing vaudeville. Still known as Joey Gottlieb, he was briefly in a comedy group that called itself "The Bishop Trio", named for the group's driver. When the act broke up, Bishop kept the name for himself.
His sitcom, The Joey Bishop Show, ran from 1961-65, with Bishop playing a showbiz schmooze-type who (in the second season) became host of a TV talk show. When he hosted a talk show in real life, also called The Joey Bishop Show (1967-69), his sidekick and comic foil was the young Regis Philbin. As a running gag, Bishop routinely needled Philbin on the air, but the gags ended when Regis stalked off the set during a live broadcast, and stayed away for several days.
Bishop seems generally the least-remembered member of the Rat Pack, five cool stars and pals of the 1950s and 60s (the other four were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford). He appeared in the Rat Pack movies Oceans Eleven (1960) and Sergeants Three (1962). He said or did something that annoyed Sinatra (it's unclear exactly what) and was booted from the pack while their next film, (Robin and the Seven Hoods), was in pre-production. Rat Pack
TELEVISION The Joey Bishop Show Joey Barnes (1961-65)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR Mad Dog Time (8-Nov-1996) Betsy's Wedding (22-Jun-1990) The Delta Force (14-Feb-1986) Valley of the Dolls (15-Dec-1967) Who's Minding the Mint (26-Sep-1967) A Guide for the Married Man (25-May-1967) Texas Across the River (26-Oct-1966) Johnny Cool (2-Oct-1963) Sergeants 3 (10-Feb-1962) Pepe (21-Dec-1960) Himself Ocean's Eleven (10-Aug-1960) Onionhead (1-Oct-1958) The Naked and the Dead (6-Aug-1958)

Deborah KerrA cultured actress renowned for her elegance and dignity, Deborah Kerr was one of the leading ladies of Hollywood's Golden Age. Born Deborah Kerr-Trimmer in Helensburgh, Scotland, on September 30, 1921, she was first trained as a dancer at her aunt's drama school in Bristol, England. After winning a scholarship to the Sadlers Wells Ballet School, Kerr made her London stage debut at age 17 in Prometheus. Meanwhile, she developed an interest in acting and began getting bit parts and walk-ons in Shakespeare productions. While continuing to appear in various London stage plays, Kerr debuted onscreen in 1940 and went on to roles in a number of British films over the next seven years, often playing cool, reserved, well-bred young ladies. Her portrayal of a nun in Black Narcissus (1947) earned a New York Film Critics Best Actress award and led to an invitation from Hollywood to co-star opposite Clark Gable in The Hucksters. She remained in Hollywood, playing long-suffering, prim, proper, ladylike types until 1953, when she broke her typecast mold by portraying a passionate adulteress in From Here to Eternity, a part for which she had fought. Kerr's range of roles broadened further after that, and she began to appear in British films again. In 1953, Kerr debuted on Broadway to great acclaim in Tea and Sympathy, later reprising her role in the play's 1956 screen version. That same year, she starred as an English governess sent to tutor the children of the King of Siam in one of the most popular films of her career, The King and I. Kerr retired from the screen in 1969, having received six Best Actress Oscar nominations without an award, although she did receive an honorary Oscar in 1994. She had been honored with a special BAFTA award three years earlier in Britain, and, in 1998, she was further honored in her native land with a Companion of the Order of the British Empire. Kerr, who graced the screen one more time in the The Assam Garden in 1985, is married to novelist/screenwriter Peter Viertel. A cultured actress renowned for her elegance and dignity, Deborah Kerr was one of the leading ladies of Hollywood's Golden Age. Born Deborah Kerr-Trimmer in Helensburgh, Scotland, on September 30, 1921, she was first trained as a dancer at her aunt's drama school in Bristol, England. After winning a scholarship to the Sadlers Wells Ballet School, Kerr made her London stage debut at age 17 in Prometheus. Meanwhile, she developed an interest in acting and began getting bit parts and walk-ons in Shakespeare productions. While continuing to appear in various London stage plays, Kerr debuted onscreen in 1940 and went on to roles in a number of British films over the next seven years, often playing cool, reserved, well-bred young ladies. Her portrayal of a nun in Black Narcissus (1947) earned a New York Film Critics Best Actress award and led to an invitation from Hollywood to co-star opposite Clark Gable in The Hucksters. She remained in Hollywood, playing long-suffering, prim, proper, ladylike types until 1953, when she broke her typecast mold by portraying a passionate adulteress in From Here to Eternity, a part for which she had fought. Kerr's range of roles broadened further after that, and she began to appear in British films again. In 1953, Kerr debuted on Broadway to great acclaim in Tea and Sympathy, later reprising her role in the play's 1956 screen version. That same year, she starred as an English governess sent to tutor the children of the King of Siam in one of the most popular films of her career, The King and I. Kerr retired from the screen in 1969, having received six Best Actress Oscar nominations without an award, although she did receive an honorary Oscar in 1994. She had been honored with a special BAFTA award three years earlier in Britain, and, in 1998, she was further honored in her native land with a Companion of the Order of the British Empire. Kerr, who graced the screen one more time in the The Assam Garden in 1985, is married to novelist/screenwriter Peter Viertel. Kerr, who in recent years had Parkinson's disease, died Tuesday in Suffolk, in eastern England, her agent, Anne Hutton, said Thursday in London. She was 86.

October 20 1977

The first interview I ever attempted was in 1973, when a shy skinny kid met another shy skinny kid. My high school radio station signed on in September of 1973. Before then, we wrote to all of the record companies and asked them to send us product. MCA responded with sending us "Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd" and Wishbone Ash. Later that year LS opened up for ZZ Top in Davenport. I called the MCA office and arranged an interview with Ronnie Van Zant. I was later told we were the only station that asked for an interview. I was never so frightened in my life and he wasn't very at ease either. He thought it was EXTREMELY cool that the high school had a radio station. It became a better interview after that. I was amazed at how young he looked. LS blew ZZ off the stage and that was hard to do back then. They became superstars with "Secong Helping" and the rest is history. On October 20 1977, I was living and working in Muscatine Iowa playing just about anything I wanted at 99+Stereo, KFMH. While on the air one morning, the AP and UPI teletype machines went crazy with the word that their plane had went down and there were fatalities. I really liked the band but the latest two releases "Nuthin Fancy" and "Gimme Back My Bullets" were unfocused and sloppy. They were in a rut. "Street Survivors" was ther rebirth. They sounded happy, reigned it and very very tight. I played it a lot on the air when we first got the LP. My favorite song was "I Never Dreamed" and next was "I Know A Little". All of us on staff were amazed at how good the band had become again. Then, they were gone. That was the first time I had ever interviewed anyone who had died. The music world is still effected by their influence. Look how big these guys are with rock and country listeners. They would have been superstars. October 20, 1977, I remember it very well.

RIP Ronnie, Steve and Cassie

Randy's One Hit Wonder

Every once in a while one song from a certain band will grab me. that doesn't necessarily mean I will like the rest of the material, but, nonetheless dig that one song. Here is one that I just heard.

"Burning House of Love" by X

The first picture is of them in 1985 when the song was recorded. If I am not mistaken, KSHE played this in the beginning of 1986. The above picture is them today, same guys, same band. Impressive. I always thought they were a bit too punk for me, but the one song is nothing but snarling, cooking rock and roll and still on my playlist today. Apparently the band is still together and doing gigs in the LA area. Named after the lead singer Exene Cervenka, X also features John Doe on guitar. "Burning House of Love" is about all this band had, to me anyway. Great song!

Robert Duvall

This could be a "Brush With Greatness" deal, but I don't have the actual proof that I met him, so be it. Charlie Brennan interviewed Robert Duvall this morning. There was great commotion. My sales bud Sherman and I tried to corral him in the building but couldn't. We thought he went out the back way. I had an appointment (that I postponed becasue of Charlie's great interview), so I left via the front door. As I am leaving the building, someone has stopped Mr. Duvall to get a picture, right in front of me. Me, not being shy, I walk up to him and I say, "Mr. Duvall, I just want to say thank you." "No, thank you", he replied. "Uh, no sir, thank you for your body of work", I said. "Well, thanks", he said and that was that. It's a mystery world, ain't it? How fun. Robert Duvall. Damn.

The Website "AOR Channel"

My juke box for album tracks pulled this one on me this Friday night...

"Unchained" by Van Halen
"Children of The Sun"-Billy Thorpe
"Broken Arrow"-Robbie Robertson
"I Hear You Now"-Jon and Vangelis
"Tragedy"-Argent
"Whenever You Are On My Mind"-Marshall Crenshaw

I couldn't have programmed it better myself.

Don Daniels

What you are about to read is what us radio people know as ratings. This is for the Kansas City market. This is what we call the summer "book". The bible that is Arbitron. My point is take a look at who made the one of the largest gains.

#30 Kansas City, MO
Updated 10/19/2007
Summer '07 ARBITRON Quarterly Report
12+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid
Pop: 1,553,300
Station Format Owner Fall 06 Win 07 Spr 07 Sum 07
KPRS Urban Carter 6.7 6.4 6.5 7.4
KCMO Classic Hits Cumulus Partners 4.5 5.6 4.7 5.7
KFKF Country Wilks 4.1 5.2 5.4 5.2
KMXV Top 40/M Wilks 4.0 4.5 4.7 5.2
KMBZ-A News Entercom 5.1 4.8 5.8 5.0

Yeah, that would be KCMO FM programmed by one of the best in the business, Don Daniels. Don hired me in 2002 to do mornings at KCFX (the flagship station of the Chiefs). His philosophy was very forward thinking at the time. Maybe ahead of his time. When I walked in the door, he said basically..."you know what you are doing, now go do it...we'll meet everyday but you da man." The morning show went from 12th to 6th in about a little longer than a year. New management comes in, Don is transferred and not long after that I am gone. How I miss working for a guy like that. I tip my cap and take a drink for Don Daniels (not his real name) and the love and admiration he inspires in his people. He is successful because he believes in one simple rule..treat others as you would want to be treated. I would work in Bozeman Montana just to work for him again. Congratulations, my brother!!!

More top 100

Being motivated by another survey in a previous post about the top 100 albums of all time, I have decided to create my own. I am doing them in reverse alphabetical order, and there are no greatest hits compilations allowed. The list starts with ZZ Top on a previous post and then continues. This is post number 3 on the subject. And now, on with the show... This CD got me through a nasty summer last year. This is the latest addition to the list of 100. Stevie Williams is a bass player from Manchester UK. I got exposed to this release last year while working at the internet jazz station that Dvaid Meyers headed. I immediately fell in love, it took my CD player captive and it didn't let go till I hit Nashville. From the title track to "Low Fi", Every thing on this CD really cooks. Tasty arrangements and wonderfully crafted tunes make this a late entry into the top 100. This is the best release of 2007 from someone you have never heard of.

Performance A That's a bass? Really?

Songs B+ Just as tasty as could possibly be. Who is this guy?

Sound A "Lo Fi" with its intended record scratches is a very nice touch. Well done.

Production B+ Crisp, clean and mean

Staying Power B- Who knows? No one knows this guy anyway.

Continuity B+ Maybe one song. Maybe. You should have seen the look on my fathers face when I brought THIS one home. He took one look at the cover and shook his head. "Frankenstein" did not sound like anything else being played on the radio. Holy cow, what was that sound? Everyone I knew loved the song and the big bad synthesizer deal. I loved Ronnie Montrose's playing, Dan Hartman's singing and the rest of the package. well produced, well done and just a damn fun record when you were 17. "Free Ride" is everywhere and maybe the best Doobie Brothers song ever. "Hangin' Around " summed up to me what this album was about. Fun stuff and my first exposure to Ronnie Montrose. He rocks and so does Edgar on this one. Too bad their weren't more hits, there should've been.

Performance A "we all had a real good time.."

Soungs and songwriters B- tight ass power pop here

Sound A Rick Derringer produced it.

Production A- Very well done. Sounded great on the 8 track.

Staying power A Are ya kidding me?

Continuity B+ "Autumn" was about the only filler tune.

This may be one of the classiest recordings ever. How can a guy keep re-inventing himself over and over? He took a break after recording "Talking Back To The Night" in 1982 and then blew my face out with this. There is really not one bad song on this album. A stunning example of a craftsman at his finest and counting on his friends (Joe Walsh, Nile Rogers, Chaka Khan), to bring out the best in him. Funk (Higher Love), rock and roll (Freedom Overspill), one of my top 25 songs of all time (The Finer Things) and heartache (My Love's Leavin) make this one of the best albums of the last 25 years.

Performance A+ Top notch musicianship everywhere here

Songwriting A Exquisite stuff with great variety.

Sound A Bingo almost perfect, Also available on MFSL gold disc.

Production A Steve and Russ Titelman produced this

Staying Power B+ Should be better than this, but only "Finer Things" gets much airplay

Continuity A+ Absolutely no filler. Nada

Bubbling Under The Top 100
Steve Winwood-Arc of a Diver
Johnny Winter-Still Alive and Well

Baseball

As much as Major League Baseball tries to pull me out of my love for the game, something happens that pulls me back in. The possiblitity of a Colorado/Cleveland World Series thrills me to no end. I hope no one (other than baseball fans) tune in. That's what MLB gets for being greedy enough to relegate the NL Divisional and Championship Series to TB(fuggin)S. Baseball sold more tickets than ever this year, but that doesn't matter, it will continue to shoot itself in the foot when it comes to broadcast rights. TBS? Not even ESPN? WTF? Still, true baseball fans like me will be glued to the action because these have been the two best teams in the playoffs. The Rockies may have one of the best defenses ever (that's the stuff that wins games). They certainly have my favorite manager (see post below). What is not to like about Cleveland? They beat the Yankees. 'nuff said. And if you, Manny Ramirez pulled the shit you pulled last night with any pitcher from the 60s or 70s, you would have a baseball in your ear next time up. If you would have done that with Gibson, he would have tackled your ass by the time you got to first base and beat you with his glove. Or, at least the next guy up would have paid for your stupid fucking pompous ass gesture with your team losing. Prick. Do what Matt Holliday did. Hit the home run. Run the bases.

So, I am rooting for a Denver/Cleveland Series. I have been to both cities. Denver wins by an avalanche (I kill me). Go Cleveland!!!

I Was Kyle

This is an old story, but I love it. Enjoy it if you haven't heard it before...

We all know or knew someone like this!! One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.. When we were seniors we began to think about college.Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class.I teased him all the time about being a nerd.He had to prepare a speech for graduation.I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled." Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile."Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.Look for God in others.

Euchre

In the comments section of a previous post, someone brought up the game of Euchre. I have been playing Euchre for as long as I can remember. the above hand, by the way is the best hand you can have if you get it. When I worked in the shops at John Deere, J.I.Case and such, during our three breaks we would get all night, we would fill those breaks with as much Euchre as possible. We would play while we were eating lunch, play in the bars on Friday night (while comsuming "red beer"), play at home with the family, it didn't matter. Apparently, the game came from Germany and since the Quad Cities was rife with Germans, ergo the games popularity. Not a lot of people from St. Louis play the game. It is difficult to explain the rules but Wikipedia does it justice here.

I am a champion Euchere player, by the way.

Now, on the farm, we used to play pitch, which would be considered Euchre's second cousin, I guess. Nights were filled with cards on the farm. Rummy was a huge game with us but a lot of the time, we would play pitch and my grandfather would mysteriously win most of the time. He just kicked our ass constantly or he cheated, which could be entirely possible. After the homework, the chores and the radio, there wasn't much else to do. So you played cards. Pitch and Rummy on the farm, in the middle of nowhere. Here's the deal on pitch.

Arrggh!

It's about 2:30am. I have been out driving for a bit and now I am sampling a Chardonnay. I blew it. Dammit, I can't beleive the show sounded as bad as it did. The Mizzou game ended at the wrong time and in the wrong way (no matter what, Mizzou can't hang with the big boys and I feel a letdown coming with either KSU, KU or CU. I hope Pinkel doesn't finish 7-5). The game ended at 9:37, which meant I had to take care of whole lot of business real fast. I wasn't comfortable for the first 45 minutes and felt real uptight. I give myself a C. After I found out a couple of things about the board, it felt better. So, in the beginning it was a D, after about 45 minutes, I'd give it a B, so there ya go. Loved the music, and basically had a blast but very very disappointing for me, technically anyway. I ain't going to sleep anytime soon, that's for sure. Dammit.

Beer and Clamato Juice?

From:http://blogs.mediapost.com/raw/?p=296

Anheuser-Busch’s EVP/CCO Bob Lachky let us in on an ongoing product test of a new product, Chelada, a blend of Bud and Clamato. Clamato? Clam juice?He says it’s big in the Latino culture and predicts it will be huge in ‘08. Lachky alluded to something apparently similar, Sneaky Pete’s? I never heard of this but beer and clam juice has never piqued my interest. Said he used to drink them in college. Personally, I never got past tequila, salt and lemons. Anybody drink Buds and clam juice ever?
Anyway, Cheladas will go up against Miller Chill, already out in the marketplace. Miller Chill contains salt and lime but Cheladas will push the envelope further, adding … Clamato. It sounds so bad it’s got to be good. (Sorry, Smuckers.)

In the Quad Cities, we used to call this "Red Beer". Not with clamato juice but with tomato juice.

We would order a beer and a small can of tomato juice, pour the beer into the glass and have a drink. You then filled up the beer to the top with tomato juice. Shoot pool, drink away. I don't ever remember having hangover with this stuff but then I don't remember a whole lot from those days. Cheers!

Backstage Pass Number 13

May, 1983. Talked with Bob backstage about the Detroit Tigers, rock and roll and other stuff. He smoked one cigarette after another, constantly. It's too bad that he didn't realize what that would do over the years. He was very accomodating and very nice. Too bad I didn't have a camera or something for him to sign. My girlfirend was very impressed. Hell, she should have been. One of the guys who knows my life better than I do.

For My Radio Friends

You know, now that I think of it, I may have lost my radio mojo when I lost my Koss. The years with something else just didn't quite feel right. If you will notice in the picture below, the date is 1981 and what am I wearing around my neck? Yep, thought so. Last weekend, I decided that if I was going to get back on the air, I might as well go all the way. The package arrived today. They are beautiful.

For The Fans of Bob (myself very much included)

This is a link to the ten most incomprehensible Bob Dylan interviews ever. With video evidence, even. How funny.

Booing Kurt Warner

I was reading the paper this morning when it was noted that certain fans of the Rams booed Kurt Warner when he entered the game yesterday taking over for Matt Leinart and leading the Cardinals to a win over the Rams. Why on God's green Earth would anyone ever boo Kurt Warner? The guy gave his heart and soul to this city year after year only to be shown the door. He still has a residence here and still spends a lot of $$ and time for charity causes in the St. Louis area. With thugs in the NFL like Travis Henry, Pacman Jones, etc etc, the league would do well to start putting guys like Kurt Warner in their marketing campaigns. But, taht's not the image they are looking for. Shame on everyone who booed Kurt Warner, you were all drunk.

More top 100

This was junior year in high school encapsulated. I don't think I listened to much else. I was turned on to Wishbone by my cousin Bob, who had eclectic tastes in music to be sure. The first thing I heard by them was the debut "Wishbone Ash" with "Blind Eye" and such. When I first purchased this, I was always looking for the hidden meaning in songs. It was a very confusing time for me, Jesus was calling and I wanted to party. So, the song "The King Will Come" probably meant a lot more to me than it should've. While this relaese holds the classic "Blowin Free" it's "Leaf and Stream" and it's beauty that became my favorite from the album. Wishbone Ash is still going strong and coming to St. Louis. This is a top 25 album of all time for me.

Performance A- Twin guitars and an incredible drummer nails this
Songs and Songwriting B+ "Sometime World" "The Warrior" and the ones already mentioned
Sound B- One guitar in each headphone was very cool. Stereo done well.
Production B- A bit muddy but got cleaned up later
Staying Power C Not many of these songs stand the test of time but for 1972, they were beautiful
Continuity B One filler song. Not bad.

A comeback album that really wasn't. The band had broken up after "drama" and just pieces of the band (with Trevor Rabin leading) were around to form "Cinema". Jon Anderson heard what they were doing, wanted to be a part of it and "Cinema" became Yes (mach 8). the first song released was "Owner of A Lonely Heart" which gave Yes it's only number one song and made their way from progressive rock gods into pop music icons. The video for OALH blended in well with the others on MTV and Yes was back. While, I liked "Owner" what got me in this release was it's crisp production and great songwriting. "It Can Happen" "Leave It","Changes" "Hold On" are all great songs. This was one of the eighties' best releases.
Performance A The addition of Trevor Rabin was a great one for Yes
Songs and Songwriting B+ Great stuff here, a capsule of the eighties
Sound A Nice and crisp, very well done. Just sounded good
Production A One of the best sounding records ever
Staying Power B you don't hear anything other than Owner anymore
Continuity B A couple of fillers but overall a great effort

What a delight "Roundabout" was on the radio. All 3 minutes of it. The first time I heard Yes was on our old AM station in Davenport when they played "Your Move". I thought that was a great song, then "Roundabout" came on and dazzled me. This was one of my major influences and made me a real fan of the band. The album cover was trippy and the music inside was delicious. I loved "South Side of The Sky' because it was frightening . "Heart of The Sunrise" was what I visioned an acid trip to be (even though I had never had one). "Roundabout" sounds just as fresh now as it did then.
Performance A Never had I heard drumming or a performance like that
Songs and Songwriting A- "Roundabout" Long Distance Runaround" and others were just powerful for a sixteen year old under the headphones.
Production A These songs jumped off the vinyl.
Staying Power A Two of the songs are still played on album radio, there others are too long
Continuity A Each song was done well.

Honorable mention
Jesse Colin Young-Song for Juli
Yes-The Yes Album
Gary wright-The Dream Wever

Sunday Afternoon

There were a number of things I had planned to do today. I didn't do any of them, it's just friggin hot. I have never been as run down as I have been lately. I think it's due to the oppressive heat that has hit the region. I swear the AC hasn't cycled off in about three weeks. The only turning of the leaves here in St. Louis has been from green to brown. Everything is burnt, my rose bush, peonies, azailias and other plants have just parched. Hard to believe that it is almost mid October and the temperatures are still in the 90s. Not good.

There's something about a reunion of Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers that audiences didn't want to see. Stiller and the Farrellys' "The Heartbreak Kid" pulled in a modest $14 million during opening weekend, coming in at No. 2 behind "The Game Plan," which remained the top flick for the second-straight weekend with $16.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Paramount and DreamWorks had expected more from "The Heartbreak Kid," which reteamed Stiller with Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The trio collaborated on 1998's smash "There's Something About Mary." The studios had gotten positive reaction from audiences at advance screenings, but reviews for "The Heartbreak Kid" came in much harsher than expected, said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan. "We were surprised," Sullivan said. "The reviews hurt us. We love the movie. We've seen it play great. But I think reviews do matter on an R-rated movie."
An update of the 1972 comedy written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May, "The Heartbreak Kid" stars Stiller as a man who marries an incompatible bride, then meets the perfect woman on his honeymoon.

Here's an idea, quit making the same Ben Stiller movie over and over again. He plays the same character. Item number 2, anything that has Carlos Mencia is it, I will never see and how about...yes, STOP THE FUCKING REMAKES!!!

Adventurer ends 13-year human-powered world trip

Adventurer Jason Lewis on Saturday arrived in Greenwich, ending a 13-year round-the-world trip using only the power of the human body.
The 40-year-old completed the final leg of his 46,000-mile odyssey by pedalling his 7.9-metre boat Moksha up the River Thames.
Ending a journey that included capsizing in the Atlantic, breaking both legs, being chased by a crocodile and being arrested on suspicion of spying, Lewis then disembarked and carried Moksha across the Greenwich Meridian line at the Royal Observatory with the help of supporters.
Lewis set off from the same spot -- zero degrees longitude -- bound for Portugal in July 1994. The 16-leg journey included hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and hiking.
"I'm overwhelmed. It's pretty amazing," an emotional Lewis told reporters as he crossed the meridian. "Thirteen years coming to an end. It's been a big, long journey. It's good to be back."
Lewis has twice crossed the English Channel in Moksha as well as the north Atlantic, the Pacific and parts of the Indian Ocean. The boat capsized in the Atlantic.
In the United States, he suffered two broken legs when he was run over by a car while crossing the country on rollerblades. He was chased by a crocodile in Australia and was arrested in Egypt on suspicion of being a spy after illegally crossing the border from Sudan.

Now there is a great news story.

Love These Artworks

*IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY on the tenth floor....**YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING....* (not that you would....)*AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM....**You open the door....* *NOW, REMEMBER, THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR!