Ric Chetter

Money Whores

2012-02-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

It is high time the record got straight. Radio Memphis does not and will not pay to play your music. Period.

It's a scam.

Not long after Radio Memphis was launched, I was approached by a certain organization (local scam artists) who felt it necessary to hip me to this group called Sound Exchange. Here's a little something from their website "SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), Internet radio (like Pandora), cable TV music channels and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board, which is appointed by The U.S. Library of Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured and non-featured recording artists, master rights owners (usually record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters."

Uh huh... Now dig this from p2pnet.net "The [un]SoundExchange was originally dreamed up by the RIAA and later spun off as a supposed, “independent, nonprofit performance rights organization” designated by the US Copyright Office to, “collect and distribute digital performance royalties for featured recording artists and sound recording copyright owners (usually a record label) when their sound recordings are performed on digital cable and satellite television music, internet and satellite radio (such as XM and Sirius),” as it says on its site, stating,

"SoundExchange currently represents over 3,500 record labels and over 31,000 featured artists."

The trouble is, as Nashville entertainment lawyer and p2pnet correspondent Fred Wilhelms consistently points out, the not-so-ex-RIAA outfit has an unfortunate, and on-going, tendency to ‘lose’ thousands of the artists it’s supposed to be paying.
John Simson is the organisation’s front man who, “apparently said that SX has failed to track down 40,000 other artists,” said Wilhelms in a post a little more than a week ago."

That said, keep in mind this... Sound Exchange will pay 1 penny for every 32,000 times 1 record is aired on Radio Memphis, granted I give them the minimum of $500 a year. Think about that for a second. Take one cent, divide that by 32,000 and that is what they will pay an artist for their performance on Radio Memphis. That is, should we sign up AND should the artist sign up AND assuming there is some straight up accounting going on which there doesn't appear to be. Do the math, 300 artists (and growing) with 1,500 songs (and growing) so, how much can they make?

ANY artist expecting a royalty check of any substantial amount needs to be aware of this bullshit. Radio Memphis exists to promote the artists. If the artists want money, sell records to those who hear it on Radio Memphis and sell tickets to shows and it might not be a bad idea to sell some merch. I've said it before and I will say it again, if any artist feels any differently, I will gladly stop playing your music. Then, who is going to play your songs?

In the meantime, those out there who feel for the artists, go and do the right thing, buy their music, buy their tickets and for God's sake, my a damn t-shirt. That is the support they need.

There, it's in print and THAT is the Radio Memphis stance on royalty payments. Any questions?

Stay Tuned...

OK, Now What?

2012-02-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

Back in April, when the idea of this station came to be, there was only one fear I had. What happens if it works and we have us some listeners? That was it. A fear of success. It seems sort of stupid on the surface to have that kind of fear, but as I learned, that is not necessarily a rare thing.

As it turns out, Radio Memphis is a success. Listeners are joining the ranks in droves. With that comes advertisers who have been spending some time getting comfortable with the beast in the room that is internet radio. Although there are still many people who are unsure of how this medium will do in the long haul and there are those who coming to grips with just how it works, it seems to me that internet radio and Radio Memphis is here to stay.

Several factors point to this kind of happiness. First off, the listeners. These folks have quickly come to grips with the fact that terrestrial radio is as dead as a fried chicken. Everyday, corporate radio does something remarkably stupid that benefits internet broadcasters such as myself. Limited playlists, day parted music, reduced staff and the insane idea that so called "broadcast consultants" actually have a clue. They don't. Thank God. The corporate broadcasters have found new and unique ways of stepping all over the intellect of the people who listen (or used to listen, as the case may be) to radio in general. What's more, people have figured out the simple reality that there are more options.

Secondly, the technology. There is no way in hell we could have pulled off something like this 12 or 15 years ago. The timing of all of this is just perfect. Our staff like to think of the fact that we are about 6 to 10 months ahead of the curve. More and more people are discovering internet radio and indeed Radio Memphis.

Part of the problem has been (and to a certain extent still is) internet radio's perception by the audience. Change is often difficult and scary. But, now that we have made it rather simple, people seem to find it a remarkable breath of fresh air within all the polluted airwaves out there now. Sure, we are a commercial station and we are discovering that with the growing number of listeners we have on a day to day basis come those who have a new platform by which to deliver their messages. It works for us and it works for them and everyone seems pretty happy.

Years ago, long before the very thought of Radio Memphis came to be, I once told my wife that one day, after the corporate raping of the industry was done, it would take mom and pop operations to save what's left of a dead business. I just never thought I would ever be one of those mom and pop operations.

Surprisingly there have been few complaints. Although there was one naysayer I heard of that made a bet with someone that Radio Memphis would be off the air by Spring. Well, Spring starts March 20th and I am quite sure we are going to be on the air. What we'll be doing is beyond me at that point but I can tell you this, there are some BIG things coming that even I find hard to wrap my head around.

When we first went on the air, I learned very quickly the basic stance of this station, we can, quite literraly, do anything. Is it an easy job? Not in the least. But it sure is fun. Do I worry about much? Not really. Except for one little nagging thing, now what?

We'll figure that out as we go along. As I said, there are some great things coming soon and with the help of those who listen to Radio Memphis, all of us who are a part of this wonderful project will get to take part in this fantastic journey. Your patience as a listener has been gratefully understood and welcomed. It'll get rewarded with some truly remarkable things.

Stay Tuned...

The Evolution of Radio

2011-11-06T18:26:00.003-06:00

This is kind of an appropriate graphic in more ways than one. But, it nicely illustrates a few concepts I've been witness to and a party of which I will illustrate here.

When I first started in he radio business, there were these little vinyl discs called "45's" and big vinyl discs called "33's" and little 8 track looking tape cartridges we used to call "carts". These things had pretty much been the standard tools of radio broadcasters for a long, long time.

I saw the death of the 45's and 33's when the compact disc (or CD as you may know it) came to radio stations in the late 80's. It was a strange sort of promotional gag DJ's used to lay out on the air, "coming up, brand new music from Bruce Springsteen on a brand new format. We'll play it from a compact disc!" Oh yeah, those were the days.

We were bouncing little microwave signals all over the city from a thing called a "Marti" that got us from a car lot filled with hot dogs, balloons, smarmy radio people and even more smarmy used car salesmen. All of the things were the miracle of the day, yet they were so commonplace to those of us who worked around it we always thought there would never be a change.

Then I saw the death of the CD. That's when it all changed.

Computers were already established tools in the broadcaster's studio but now they were increasingly gaining the trust of the bosses. It was always a joke that we would all be replaced by these machines. Sadly, we pretty much all were. How prophetic... and pathetic.

So, instead of complaining about it, I decided it was time to embrace the technology with the caveat of putting these machines in their proper place. Hence Radio Memphis. (For more on that, read the previous posts)

During my time with the "evil empire", the corporate apes came up with this novel thing called "HD Radio". Capitalizing on the new trend of HDTV (among other things), these suits thought it would be cool to have a digital signal with some serious "High Definition". As it turned out, not so much. The transmitters are still locked in at certain broadcasted rates of information and what you thought was HD Radio was nothing more than a fairly clear signal right up to the second you left the broadcast radius of the tower you were listening to. Then, BAM! You got nothing. So, to save this cool moniker of "HD Radio", it was decided to split the existing signals down to other stations so one station could have 2 other sister stations you could only pick up with (you guessed it) an HD Radio.

Here in Memphis, there are about 40 or 50 of these magical boxes around, most of which are owned and housed in the radio stations themselves as a monument to their "ingenuity". The concept of HD Radio is pretty much a failure and a minor joke amongst radio people.

If you'll notice in the picture at the top of this post, the guy in the lead seems somewhat concerned that he is being followed by monkeys. Ever since we went on the air, as it were, as a strictly local station with a global audience and the acts of "murder" committed by the evil empire behind us, all the other stations (corporate monkeys themselves) love to throw around the word "local". Kind of tough to live up to that when the music they are playing is anything but. Not to mention the fact that all of their management are no where within 100 miles of Memphis. Local? I think not. So yes, we seem to be followed by monkeys. But back to being "high definition".

Enter internet radio and all of the sudden, these things about "high definition" and increased fidelity become a real issue.

When I built Radio Memphis, I felt damn lucky to have a signal on the web that was running right at FM quality. Then my server guy had a stroke over the amount of data I was shooting to the server. So, he put the kibosh on me and ran me down to a transmission rate that is slightly less than FM. Claiming there is no difference. But, I know better. Meanwhile, I make the acquaintance of one Crafton Barnes who proceeds to hip me to Web 2.0 and the joys of cloud computing and the unlimited potential of internet radio stations just waiting to be tapped. Enter our "High Definition" signal.

You can hear it HERE. This is the test of a new way for Radio Memphis to deliver the station to you, the humble listener. What you are hearing, which may be subtle to you, is pure CD quality audio. It has it's little issues from time to time. Shit, what doesn't? But, this is what we are testing. Should this be successful, we will be able to deliver to you a radio station in this highly defined audio in a clarity that terrestrial radio stations cannot. Scary, huh?

So now, we have evolved ourselves from a little rough signal just under FM quality to something that has surpassed FM quality in the blink of an eye. Something that would have taken years has now happened in mere weeks. How's that for evolution?

Oh, but wait, there is so much more to come that even as I try and understand the power of and the simple concepts behind... well, let's just say, it's going to be one hell of a ride!

Stay Tuned...

The New Revolution?

2011-10-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I hear ya. This photo says a lot doesn't it? Igrabbed it from Boing Boing earlier inrelation to the events happening around the world these days with the"Occupy" movement. It rings quite the bell of truth for thoseof us at Radio Memphis.

It would seem we have arrived at a pretty fun time. Peopleall over the place have had enough of the corporate mandated, dare I say shit,that has permeated our society these days. Am I a little sensitive toit? Oh yeah. And you should be, too.

The fact of the matter is, quite simply, this: The sign yousee in that picture represents a whole lot frustrations. You could, in amatter of speaking, find any situation and apply it to this mans' sign. It also seems to represent the feelings of those of you who follow the RadioMemphis flag of discontent. Mind you, we are having a pretty good timedoing what we are doing. But make no mistake, it is the spirit of what weare doing that is reflected in this picture. He's right, youknow...

So far, the spirit of our humble little radio station has lingeredaround this very sentiment. What makes it nice, is that Radio Memphis wasaround a little before all this went down with the "Occupy"movement. A lot has been said, on both sides of the fence about thismovement. Some claim these people are just part of the problem. "Go find a job, you dirty hippie.", "Get an education and quitbitching.", "Stay out of my place of employment with your garbagerhetoric." and my personal favorite, "Your message meansnothing to me."

I've read all those statements in various forms from allover. Listen, we are all just one paycheck from being that guy aboveholding that very same sign. Trust me. I was lulled into a falsesense of security with the old tired lines of "... having a steadypaycheck." and "... you should be lucky you even have a job." I heard those, too... at my last place of employment. Look where that gotme. Ha!

In the meantime, while our anonymous friend here holds his sign ofthe times for all to see and ponder; whether you believe in it or not, rememberthis one thing, if it weren't for the 1% of those holding all the cards, RadioMemphis would never exist.

Now, they are stuck with us for good and/or ill.

I like to think it for the good. After all, what good is arevolution if no one gave a shit at all?

The 99% are good for business. At least, that is the way itlooks for Radio Memphis.

Fun times ahead.

Stay Tuned...

Growing Pains (in the ass)

2011-10-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

I might be accused, from time to time of droning on and on about Radio Memphis. But hey, it's consuming my life at the moment. Besides, it seems there are a some of you out there who are genuinely interested in the goings on of a new radio station. Lord knows, I could write a book on the subject. That probably won't happen, so this will have to suffice for now. The amusing thing about this is the whole process has been so much fun, to date. But, it has been one colossal pain in the ass.

Mind you, I am not complaining. It has been an enjoyable pain in the ass. The reasons? They are myriad. The joys of delving into a new technology to bring back a media that, for me has been one of the most important mediums in the history of mankind. The dinosaur corporations who have had their way with the radio industry, in my eyes, have long ago reached their zenith. I always believed that at some point in time there would be a changing of the guard. There would be a return to the old ways of doing things by people who were versed enough in the industry to pull it off. I never thought I would be that "people", but that is what has happened.

Make no mistake here, I did not nor could have pulled any of this off without a truly wonderful staff of people that make Radio Memphis remotely possible. Here's the thing. Everyone of these people are doing this because they believe in what we are trying to accomplish. Allow me to explain while introducing you to who makes Radio Memphis work.

Let me start by saying that I am not putting these people in any particular order. They are listed as they come to mind. So, those of you reading this that are worried about favoritism, stop it. There is none of that here. Each of these people are incredibly special to me in ways I will try to convey through this. Not to mention in ways you will never know. So there.

When I first conceived the idea of this station, one of my first phone calls went to Dave Thorn. He is a long time local music supporter. Though, not a musician, he has a passion for the music and the people who create it. He had, at the time, expressed an interest in working in the radio business. To his surprise, he became our Operations Manager. What is that? He is me when I can't be me. Make sense? He has no idea what he is in for and as much as I have explained it to him, he asks for more. A glutton for punishment? Perhaps, but he's wired for it and it will be tested. Trusted? It hurts to think I couldn't trust him. Know what I mean?

Leon Griffin came in initially as nothing more than the imaging voice. The voice you hear between songs that tells you what station you are listening to. Well, that certainly changed. Voice of God aside. He was sold on the concept early on and has been more than just that voice. Leon has the ability to motivate me and those who have lovingly given so much. His visions for the future of Radio Memphis have gone beyond anything I have ever imagined. My favorite thing he reminds me of is this one simple concept. "We have no idea just how powerful this thing can be and we may never fully grasp that very same idea." Powerful stuff indeed. Leon unknowingly found himself as my mentor and for that I am truly blessed to have his expertise on my side. That is why he is our Marketing Manager. Our Promotions Director, Dianna, refers to him as "The Dark Knight". That he is.

Speaking of which. Dianna Fryer has gone above and beyond the call of duty. She somehow manages a full time job working very hard to keep control of despite its ability at times to get the best of her for the meager pay it seems to draw. I'm not talking about her job with Radio Memphis. What she does for us, for nothing, is truly remarkable. The posters around town, the bumper stickers, the T-shirts, the merchandise in development, the constant promotion and communication she exudes with the order of a regiment is something to behold. Dianna personifies the "new blood" this industry needs so desperately. We are lucky she hasn't quit us. I know she won't. It's in her blood now and she loves it. Lucky for us!

Bambi Kirk came aboard at the perfect time. She is an ex-pat from Clear Channel. She gets it. A more organized individual you will not find. Bambi changed her life for Radio Memphis, sort of. Long story, but she went from her full time job to a part time position to devote more time to Radio Memphis. What a compliment! You want to buy some advertising time, call her. She got us the Mississippi RiverKings Hockey games for broadcast and oh so much more.

James McCraw went the distance for us as well. He actually quit a well paying full time job to come sell Radio Memphis. Over a few beverages one night, he extolled the virtues of Radio Memphis to me and actually made me want to buy time on my own radio station. Words fail me as I wrap my head around the sacrifice he is making for this station. Because, he believes in it that much.

Cindy Harber is also part of the marketing team and has the distinction of bringing in one of the first checks to Radio Memphis. Once again, someone who never worked in this business and is finding her way in a foreign concept to her. This girl is going places. You want to buy some time on Radio Memphis, call her. She has the ability to sweet talk you right into a great deal. She does that because she can. You want to know something else? She loves Rock and Roll. Major plus!

David Wade found his way into the fold by being another Clear Channel ex-pat. He can sell anything. But, he has also found a good calling by being our webmaster. The beauty of our website is the result of his handiwork. You need a website? Call him. You want a banner ad on Radio Memphis' website? Call him. You need a moment of zen? Call him. He's that good.

Gerard "G" Jones came to us through Dave Thorn. He's a musician and has a deep need to fulfill a desire to be in the radio business. So, I obliged. Once again, new blood. His humor and view of the world is a great asset to what we have built so far. Need a record made? Call him. And the ladies love him. Why? I'll never know.

Justin Jaggers is yet another example of "new blood" in this field. Our morning guy works several jobs, a full time student as a double major in music business and recording. He has an incredible ear and quick wit. He works tireless for this station and never blinks an eye over anything that is asked of him. Dianna refers to him as "my bitch". You know what? He doesn't care. He is more than happy to be a part of something with this station. You can't buy that kind of talent.

Brother Doug is a bastard. Bad Dog used to call him that, and more when he was our producer. You have to understand that "bastard" in this case is a loving referral to the simple fact that he is nothing more than a damn fine entertainer. He follows me on the broadcast schedule and without his grounding affect on the air, this station would simply sound weak. His ideas, sometimes "out there" often translate into things we consider to the point of pulling off. You should hear the stuff he thinks of when we gather ideas. Ingeniously dangerous. I like that. No, I love that.

I would be remiss in my listing here if I did not mention Melody Meadows. Melody is another Clear Channel ex-patriot. Cast aside as I was. Due to contractual obligations, I seriously cannot comment too much other than this: By the end of November, it will be nice to have a voice on the air that so many people love. Smart, sassy and full of life, Melody is my dearest sister. We went through hell and back together in the old days. I can't wait until she is fully and freely one of us.

The bottom line here is that these people are the heart of Radio Memphis. The one thing big corporate radio detested was a family atmosphere. I wanted to cultivate that. We have that. We are a family. Yesterday, while I sat here at this computer working on something trivial, there was an accidental meeting of the minds. Several of these people were in the studio. There was laughter and I wasn't involved in that moment. Other than being a quiet observer, it warmed my heart to hear it. People that were never connected before Radio Memphis were laughing together and having fun at each others expense. A cherished moment, forever locked away in my mind. It dawned on me, once again, I am blessed with a great crew as we sail the unknown seas of the future together. Our individual sacrifices made and those we continue to make. I love all of these people for that one simple fact.

The pain in the ass, you ask? That I cannot reward them appropriately.

This will come.

It almost always does.

Good things do happen. They are happening now.

Yeah, that's a pain in the ass... but you know, it's a good pain in the ass nevertheless.

Stay Tuned.

Internet Radio, WTF Is It?

2011-09-18T20:16:00.000-05:00

Since the July 1st launch of Radio Memphis, we have learned a great deal about the business that is Internet Radio. A lot of really good things have happened and thankfully, a very small bad thing has raised its ugly head. We have found ourselves deep in a world filled with choices. More choices than one might even consider at the outset. Certainly, when first I conceived the idea of this radio station, there were natural hurdles to overcome. That just comes with the territory. Namely, engaging a relatively new technology and making the connection with our listeners. Not a small task.

Sure, you could simply get a computer and some software, some generous server space and a little software. But, there was so much that went into its creation. Primarily, you need to know how a radio station should sound. The feel of the music, the transitions, the personalities involved and all the little trappings that go into this sort of endeavor. Thankfully, I was able to rely on several factors which would ultimately shape the overall final product. First, my experience in the business of radio. I'd been knocking about in this crazy circus of a field for 23 years. More than half of that time spent in Memphis. That's a good thing. If you were to put together a radio station for Memphis, it helps to know what the Memphis listener wants to hear, right? Filling the niche was actually rather easy.

The big box corporate radio machines created the niche. Trust me, I am very thankful for the inept individuals calling the shots on the corporate level. From my vantage point, it looks like they have managed to make FM radio rather irrelevant. Which can be a sad thing in the scheme of things. Massive operations which are designed to do one thing... make money. And they are not really good at that either. Sadly, the big radio corporations are not run by radio people. Lawyers and accountants rule the roost. Now, look what happened. They basically killed the industry off. It forced people like me to find other ways of taking it back. Using the available technology to do what we should have been doing years ago. Creating a relevant source of entertainment.

That's all part of the good stuff we have encountered along the way. Another great thing was surrounding myself with trusted allies who can help carry the load. Coming to the realization that as much as I wanted to do it all, I simply cannot. Arriving at that moment was a sort of a eureka moment for me and became rather refreshing. Being able to rely on great people like Leon Griffin who is Radio Memphis' Marketing Manager (and mentor) was the defining moment with us. Finding him in my foxhole during this time has certainly presented me with a feeling of not having to panic. Not to tell on Leon, but he's been in the business since 1969. He knows what works and what does not. That is priceless information as we begin to grow.

Part of the bad things we have had to encounter involved individuals and organizations who are largely afraid of the power we suddenly wield. One of the early concerns we all had was the perception that Radio Memphis would not be taken seriously. I think to a certain extent, we will never get fully past that stigma no matter what we accomplish. Despite this, Radio Memphis managed to legitimize itself by forming a partnership with the Mississippi RiverKings Hockey Club to carry some 41 of their games which includes their entire away schedule. But watch, there will be people who will still say, "Meh, it's still internet radio." Yeah, well, screw you. We're here and we ain't going away.

Internet radio has a funny stink to it. Not that that's a bad thing. Generally speaking, people are afraid of what they don't know about. In response to that theory, we have been pretty busy educating people on how to listen to us. It seems to be working since our numbers are reflecting that. Internet radio is a common thing on the east and west coasts. Our numbers reflect that fact as well. But the good thing is we are not the only ones doing it. There are countless internet radio stations around the globe. Most are, quite frankly, amateurish. There are some that sound quite well. Look for some of the internet stations in Europe as an example of this full spectrum of what internet radio has to offer. When you consider these other stations, Radio Memphis becomes a mere dot in the big picture. The nice thing about that, is we can be a significant dot with the right amount of work and some luck. As a quick aside here, if you are handy with a soldering iron, you can make a really cool desktop internet radio that can get as many stations as you want. Check out this cool article in Popular Science.

Then there are the naysayers we deal with. Check the comments of the next post down and you will see what I mean. There are those people out there who feel that we are cheating the Memphis musicians by not paying royalty money to the artists. To answer that little nagging issue, we merely point out the simple fact of net neutrality. Look it up. Internet radio stations do not ever have to pay royalty money to any collection agency. It is a busted system that benefits everyone BUT the musicians and the radio stations.

Far too often, there are those ill-informed individuals who think they know the laws and regulations regarding the broadcasting of music. When these people speak their mind, they do nothing but rile the tempers of the musicians who have submitted to Radio Memphis. They know they aren't having their music exposed for the radio stations to pay them. They know the money they make comes from the sale of their music and the sale of tickets to their events. It's just that simple.

We created Radio Memphis to be a way to take back the industry from the idiots who now control the radio industry. And it seems to be working.

These "media mastodons" (thanks Richard Alley) are reacting to internet radio with things like programs mimicking Pandora in that there is now more than one soulless way to deliver content. Bill Gates said it once, "Content is king." Boy, was he right. You would think, of all people, a big corporation would know this. But the reality is that neither do they know this nor do they give a shit.

The new thing in radio is a thing called "Denise". Denise is an artificial intelligence program that mimics a DJ. It reads the song titles in the play list and regurgitates lines to the audience that have been programmed into its system. What's more, it has the ability to change voices throughout the day to give the impression of there being a "different" jock on the air. What a sham... and a shame. Now these dinosaurs don't have to pay anyone to work at a radio station.

We live in a scary world. The new economy has redefined how business is to be done. To answer that, these massive corporations are resorting to dehumanizing the industry to further rape the business. For my answer, I simply refer the reader to Radio Memphis. It's where real radio is headed. In the next few years, don't expect satellite radio to survive and the traditional FM and AM broadcasts will be virtually unrecognizable. A smoldering heap of what was once a great medium. Thank God for the internet. It became the next frontier for people like us. Good and bad, this is going to be fun.

Stay Tuned...

The Return of Radio

2011-07-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday night, the 23rd of July, 2011 was a big night for me and the city of Memphis. Radio Memphis got it's official launch party. We were all at Neil's. Funny how this all came about. What started as a benefit for the Tommy Ruble Brass Note Fund, turned into a packed house, three music acts, a "comedian" and yours truly.

The great Leon Griffin went on stage and had a nice little talk to the crowd about Memphis music and what it means to be a part of something that is going to be so huge. Setting the stage, if you will, he introduced me and I went on to talk about the ills of corporate driven America. Not to tout the material, but it was decent monologue. Now, I won't go into what all was said since it was one of those things where you would have been better off there to hear it in person. That, and me trying to put into writing the spirit of the speech would ultimately be lost. I can tell you this, I do know that it was video taped. I haven't seen it but I am quite sure it will surface at some point.

Anyway, Radio Memphis sort of hijacked the event. The end result was that the Tommy Ruble Fund got a nice bit of cash, Neil's was packed and from what I was told, everyone was entertained. Tori Tollison and J. W. Williams had a great set. The Fast Mothers blew the roof off the joint and The Mondophonics was awesome. Great Memphis music from today.

As a result, the crowd got to meet the staff of Radio Memphis. We met some really great people and I heard nothing but good things and support from all that was there. A fantastic night. When we brought on stage all those who were responsible in part for the creation and existence of Radio Memphis, there was a great applause. I ended my bit with the following:

"We built Radio Memphis for the Memphis Musician. We built Radio Memphis for the Memphis music lover. We built Radio Memphis for you. Please support the station and enjoy it for what it is... yours."

Not a bad start.

Stay tuned...

Radio Memphis

2011-07-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

What a strange trip it has been, eh? Since February 25th to today (July 1) I have felt a bit like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine working on various things with various people and like Victor Frankenstein, gave life to an idea that who knows what impact will have on the villagers.

Radio Memphis came from a simple thought. The radio business isn't run by radio people anymore. The big corporations (lawyers and bankers) have destroyed what we all came to love. It is ruled by consultants, those people who have never stood in a radio station much less tell a pro what the audience wants. Scary stuff. And it only gets worse. But those tales we'll save for later.

So what is this thing, you ask? The internet is where everything is headed. You and I use it so much for everything from shopping, watching TV shows, movies, looking at boobies and listening to radio stations all over the globe.

My initial approach to this was to make sure it didn't sound like a couple of kids working out of mom's basement in the middle of the night playing punk records. It had to be big and it has to sound big. (Bad Dog would love that last line... inside joke, sorry.) We're still playing some punk records and many other things. But it wasn't all at my hands. There were quite a few people who made this happen and I want to make sure everyone gets listed here.

First of all I would have to thank my former employers for a few things. The experience I got and the kick in the ass out the door that ultimately freed me up to do just this. There were a lot of casualties along the way and a lot of good people lost their jobs as a result. They are still getting thrown under the bus for no damn reason. Just recently, the gentleman who hired me and fired me saw the end of a 30 year career here. What a shame. But, I digress. Those people helped make Radio Memphis whether they like to know it or not. So, thanks.

Now, onto to those who were much more active in their participation. Josephine. My wife who has stood by me through thick and thin. She carried the belief of this project since it was conceived and kept me from going totally insane. Charlie Hodum. Legal counsel to the stars. Brian McMurry. He's the genius behind the skull you see at the top of this post. Leon Griffin. The coolest man in Memphis. He's the voice behind the station. When you hear a guy telling you what the station is, it's him. The best set of pipes in town. Dave Thorn. Vexar Dave to you and me. Daniel Brown. Web design at Company Zero. Benjamin Deming. App designer. Shon Gale at Emanon Group, Eugene, Oregon. All the kids at Direttore in Italy. Claesson Edwards Audio in California. Emily Bishop and Barb Elder at The Lamplighter for the great article. Charles Stanford. CPA to the stars. Dianna Fryer. Promotions and all around fire putter-outer. David James. Construction and protector of the generator. Neely James. Wife of David and fan number 1. John "Bubba" Bonds. Music gatherer and liaison to Memphis musicians. Tim Mullins. Justin Jaggers. Rick Cail. Paul "Pablo the pool boy" Daniels. All of the Memphis musicians who made the library possible. This is built for you. To all those who remained faithful to the cause and remained a fan of mine throughout all that has happened. This is built for you.

There are others that should be mentioned here, however if I did, it would cost them their jobs. You know who you are and I love you for your support and love.

I'm sure we'll be making some mistakes from time to time. Please pardon as we go through some growth pains. We're working on stuff all the time with this thing. As a matter of fact the iPhone app is out now and Ben is working on the app for the droid phones. Yes, there is a BlackBerry app in the works, too.

As for me, I'll officially join the crew August 1 at noon. It would be sooner, but there is this little unfinished business with my former employers. In the meantime, July 23 at 3PM the first live showe on the station will happen. It will be Vexar Dave (God help us all). He'll be on 'till 7 and then we'll all meet at Neil's on Madison at McLean for our kick off party with The Fast Mothers. It'll be a blast. Come meet all of us. Doors open at 9PM.

So, here it is. http://www.radio-memphis.com Enjoy it. We built this for all those who want radio back they way it's supposed to be.

Stay tuned... please.

The Theater Experience

2011-06-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

I'm talking movie theaters here. One of the problems theaters are facing these days are the mobile phone users. God help us all. There is nothing more irritating to me as a paying customer than going to a movie theater to see a film I have been psyched up for only to have the whole experience negated by the inconsiderate individual sitting a few rows in front of me sending out text messages during the movie.

Part of me wants to reach down and slap the back of their head and snatch the phone. But I remember the story about the guy who said something to someone who was using their phone during a movie. The phone user ultimately stabbed the complainer in the neck with a meat thermometer. People certainly get touchy about these things and reacting with that sort of violence can be a turn off. Sadly, to the benefit of the individual being the distraction.

So, it was with great joy I came across this bit of fun. A movie theater in Austin, Texas called the Alamo Drafthouse has a policy, "we see you using your phone, we throw you out." I rather like that rule. And they enforce it.

But, before you get all pissed off with me for liking this sort of activity, keep in mind there was a time when one could go to the theater without these distractions. "But, my babysitter might be calling." Or, "My house might be on fire and someone may be trying to call me." Or, "I'm a doctor and I am on call." We have heard them all. Look, parents went childless on dates before there were mobile phones. Seriously, what are the odds that your house will catch fire while you are at the theater? Besides, what are you going to be able to do about anyway? And if you are on call, don't you think you should keep that in consideration before going to the theater in the first place?

Back to The Alamo Drafthouse. A patron gets caught using her phone and she get's thrown out. She takes that very same phone and leaves a nasty message to the theater. The theater, sensing a fine opportunity, takes the message and creates a public service message they run before the movie. Bad language and all. I absolutely love this.

Now, THAT is a great example of getting your message across. Don't you just love it when people do wrong and think THEY are the victim?

There is something in that PSA that reaches down deep into my soul for some serious satisfaction. Since we can't legally shoot the stupid (in most cases), there is a real bit of justice to this and I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did.

Discuss amongst yourselves, I'm headed back to the movie.

Stay Tuned...

How About a Beer?

2011-05-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

If it's one thing I am rather sensitive to, it's advertising. Sensitive meaning that I am fully aware of it. It's one of the side effects of being employed in the commercial broadcasting industry most of my life. So, naturally, I am one of those people who are not all that phased about the messages that are constantly bombarding my TV, radio, film, internet or everywhere they exist. So, it comes as a little surprise when one ad or another gets through my rather narrow filter.

This one did. So I did some research. But here's the rub. The ad I am talking about is a beer ad. You have seen it. Heineken. The ad shows the grand entrance to a party by some man about town with a groovy band playing on this stage. No, I don't care for Heineken. Even if it is the number one selling beer in Ireland (after Budweiser... no joke). What got my attention was the band.

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Never heard of them? Me neither. But they figured out how to sell records by putting hit songs on certain commercials. Turns out they did it for an Apple iPhone or one their other "i" products. Anyway, after doing a little research, I found this, the full version of the Heineken song with the accompanying video that tells the whole story of the party. The actual commercial must have been edited from this piece. The film is called The Entrance and that it is. The song is called The Golden Age.

Dig it...

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The band is Danish and the girl singing is Mette Lindberg and judging by her command of the English language, she seems to be singing this phonetically. Not that there is any thing wrong with that. She's good and I assume that is her real voice.

An interesting side not about this band. They were sort of discovered by Amy Winehouse. They opened for her at a show in Copenhagen. That turned out to be their first big gig.

So, does this spot make me want a Heineken? Not really. But, I could certainly go for some fried chicken. Figure that out, advertising consultant.

Stay Tuned...

Moving Along

2011-05-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

So, it's been damn near 60 days since my last post. It wasn't out of laziness. I needed to spend some time listening to what is going on out in the real world. I have to tell you, the more I listen to the real world, the more I am glad I am not a real part of it... (whatever that might mean).

The incredible string of bad luck I have endured since February 25th seems to have come to a close, thankfully. Things are certainly looking up. Everywhere I have been, I have been asked a ton of questions. So, what I have decided to do here was to sit down with a trusted friend and have him ask me some questions, for you. Enjoy!

What in the hell happened to that radio station you used to work for?
Good question. (laughs) Honestly, I haven't listened to it since I left. I have heard stories, complaints, anecdotes, theories, all of that. I did read a pile of Facebook postings regarding the situation and to be honest, I did take a certain pride in knowing what John and I did was considered pretty decent in comparison. Remember, they let me go for whatever reason they deemed necessary and as a result, I am no longer in the loop. Like they are going to ask my opinion. (laughs)

And if they did, what would tell them?
I'm in no position to offer advice to them. They are in control of their own thing there. That's their business. They let me go. I didn't quit. What they choose to do is strictly up to them. If they wanted to put poetry readings and sausage recipes on, that's their prerogative. I'm out and I don't need to be telling them what to do. They don't need me apparently, so knock yourselves out. I honestly hope they get what they want.

Are you angry or bitter about what happened?
I was for awhile. Who wouldn't be? You devote that much time and effort to something and to a group of individuals whom you think are behind you and then a series of events happen, out of your control and the next thing you know, your ass is on the street. The powers that be made their decision for whatever reason they wanted. I'm okay with that now. I can and do honestly wish them the best of luck. You can only be angry for so long and then you have to let it go. Sure, I could find something to gripe about, a lot of people already have. But in reality it does no good to bitch about something that is not of your control. The way I see it, this is nothing more than the universe telling me to move along and find something else.

Seriously, what do you think?
Seriously, I can't elaborate. It's not that I legally can't, per se. It's just not nice to say bad things about a place or the people who are there since so many great things came from my experience there. 14 years is a long time. During which, I took from there 50 years of experiences. I got the opportunity to spend some time with some great people and develop some relationships with those people I will always cherish. I like to think I gave them their money's worth. And I also like to think they still are getting their money's worth.

Aren't there bastards there?
(laughs) There are bastards everywhere.

Did they hold you to some sort of non-compete?
Yes. That is the nature of the business. I can tell you that I tried to weasel out of it, but that is a long story best told through my attorney. The short of it is that I have to stay off the air until the end of July. So, as I understand it, I am free and clear by August 1. There again, you never know when you are dealing with a corporate machine. We shall see what happens when that date rolls around.

In the meantime, have you been offered any jobs back on the radio?
I have. Once again, I can't really go into detail here. What I can say is that they came from some rather unlikely sources in that I would have never considered in the past. One of which is something that may come to pass in that they are willing to wait for my non-compete to expire. Once again, we shall see what transpires at that time. Timing is everything, you know? On the flip side of this, one guy I talked to said that his best advice to me was to leave the market. Considering the source and the competitive nature of this industry, I must be thought of as a threat to their well-being. I rather like that. I took that as a compliment.

How about outside of the radio business?
Seriously, what am I going to do? Look at me for Christ sake. I'm pathetic. The only thing I know how to do I was already doing. I have been in this crazy business for so long that I wound up shooting myself in the foot as far as a career change is concerned. Honestly, I don't think I would be happy doing anything else anyway. Granted, with the current economy, things aren't looking great for anybody. Nevertheless, my options are always open. Just as long as there is a decent health plan with dental.

So, what are you doing now?
Not much. I don't get out that often and when I do, it is a quiet moment with my wife and friends. It's funny, when I was working, I felt the ever present ticking of the clock which kept me thinking I was about to miss something. The clock still ticks, but now it's ticking off time until I can get back to doing what I want to do. You know what I mean? It seems to tick louder and slower. I'm learning patience, not very well mind you, but it is a learning process I'm trying to enjoy.

You mentioned earlier that you were told to leave Memphis. Would you actually consider that?
Not at this point. There is no reason for it. Things are bad all over. I was told a long time ago by a friend in this business that you have to make your own breaks. It's so true. That's how I got this last gig. Sure, it would be easy to pull up stakes and leave here. But, look at what all I would be walking away from. I have been here a long time. It's hard to just get up and go to another city where no one knows who you are and you are trying to start over in place you don't know. Sure, it happens and it used to happen a lot more. But these days are different, the business is different, people are different. It's good to have some familiarity with the community you live in and work for. Memphis, despite it's troubles is a good place. There is a lot here. Besides, why build a new audience when there are a few people here who already know me?

Since February 25th; you lost your job, one of your best friends passes away, you had a death in the family and your house was damaged in a storm. How did you keep your sanity through all of that?
Who says I did? I lost a lot. My source of income went away along with the sole reason for getting up at 4:30 in the morning. John's passing was tough, I was by his side at the hospital when the last rites were given. My sister's husband Allen, he died of Alzheimer's at the age of 55. It was expected but still quite sad. I was unable to attend the funeral and I still feel bad about that. Then came the storm. That was pretty scary since I was just sitting in my office at home. I went to look out the front door and not 30 seconds later, this giant tree limb came crashing through the back wall of my office. Had I been in there... well, who knows? Yeah, I had a ticket on the old shit train. I took the ride and hopefully all the bad stuff is behind me now. The house is back together, my family continues to heal and I have enough memories with John to write a book. As for the job. Another one will come along. In fact, I can see it coming over the next hill. I'll be back on the air soon enough. I hate to sound like someone's grandmother, but the old saying about "this too shall pass" is very true. I'm glad I went through it. Now I've rediscovered my sense of humor. After all this, all I can do is laugh now. God, maybe I did lose all my marbles! (laughs)

Stay Tuned...

All Good Things...

2011-03-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

... Come to and end. Bad Dog used to tell me when someone in the house broke something, his mother would say, "This is why we can't have nice things." I know the feeling. Somebody broke something.

Since February 25, my life got turned upside down. Here I was, looking forward to 2011. So many prospects lay before us all. Bad Dog beating leukemia, the show getting better (which it was) and many other things that come to mind as the new year gets underway. Then, the bottom fell out. When I was fired, Bad Dog was pissed. Very angry. Then, not two weeks later (March 10th), he was gone. The following Saturday (March 12th), I got word from my family that my sister's husband, Allen had passed. He too was 55 but had been battling Alzheimer's.

I told my wife that all of this at one time was almost too much for one man to bear. I've certainly had my ups and downs and all of this has seemed to happen so fast. To be honest, accepting all of this has not been very easy on everyone else either. I have heard from so many of you the sadness you feel. I continue to be humbled by your words.

Just the other day I was in a store when a fan of the show approached me and shook my hand. He said he was speechless and felt bad about the whole situation. I thanked him and said that I too was speechless and felt bad. What else do you say when these things happen like this?

What makes this thing unique, from my perspective at least, was that I was caught up in a storm that I neither caused, nor had control over. Yet so many emotional things have been said, both positive and negative about it all. I may had been told that I was now the "odd man out" but, as I have learned over the recent days, I was actually quite the opposite as so many of you have been so inclusive to me. For that, I can never have the right words to express my gratitude.

We lost a great man with Bad Dog. We lost, what Bad Dog and I thought (as apparently most you thought) was a good show. And I lost a great brother-in-law in Allen. So many people have been hurt by these things that it can become almost too much to bear. But we persevere, heads held high and being able to count who are true friends are. And thankfully, those numbers have been many.

Things will get better, they always do. "This too shall pass." My mother keeps telling me. There will never be a replacement for Bad Dog or Allen, however, I might be able to replace that show with something new someday. Hopefully, here in Memphis where once again we'll play records and tell a few jokes and occasionally reminisce about Bad Dog.

The next step in all of this is happening now. I am being asked what my plans are. To be honest with you, I have no idea. As I mentioned before, things have moved pretty quickly so far. There's no telling what may come around the next turn. Whatever it is, I will be sure to let you all know. In the meantime, stick around. I'll be here for the foreseeable future and somewhere along the way, my sense of humor should start to return. Assuming of course, I actually had one to begin with. Feel free to drop me a line here, or by email or on Twitter or if you happen to run into me in public somewhere, I'd love to shake your hand. We'll commiserate together. It's easier that way.

Stay Tuned...

WTF?

2011-03-07T11:40:00.001-06:00

That's the question I have been asked now over a solid week. The answer is, sadly, I was fired. Why? The official answer I was told by management was this, "We're making some changes and sadly, you are the odd man out."

I am also in the unfortunate position of not being allowed to elaborate on that and until I get the green light to do so, I am forced to simply say, for now at least, no comment.

In the meantime, I am not going anywhere anytime soon and you can contact me through this site, my email is in the profile or you can leave a comment below and I can also be found on Twitter.

Sorry, I cannot say more at the present.

What I can say is this. I thank each and every one of you who have shown me support through my 14 years on the air. Your comments regarding the situation have not gone unnoticed by me as several friends have forwarded them to me. I am humbled by all the kind words that have been said. It is truly a remarkable feeling to see the emotion and passion that has erupted over me and I am truly grateful.

I'll keep you updated from time to time and it will be "business as usual" on this site since I apparently have some extra time on my hands. So...

Stay tuned...

What's In A Name?

2011-02-11T16:12:00.000-06:00

You have to love Memphis. Our newsworthy politicians seem to have a habit of making asses of themselves. More than one city council people have been known for their ability to not hold down their liquor very well.

There have been multiple accusations of fraud and corruption by others... and so on and so forth.

However, when a city has a former mayor they actually admire, they can't properly honor him due to the connotation his name brings up.

You can't tell me that his mother did NOT have a sense of humor about all of this. In this day and age of "manscaping" and the like, the thought of these people NOT realizing Harry Baals was going to be a problem? C'mon...

If you want to get technical about it, I'm quite sure his birth certificate lists his name as Harold Baals. Which, if you think about it, makes this whole conversation moot.

My opinion? If this were Memphis and not Fort Wayne, we would name every building we had "The Harry Baals (this or that)"

Like it's not fun enough to live around here and I'm quite sure the fine citizens of Fort Wayne share my optimism.

Stay Tuned...

Oh My God

2011-02-05T16:50:00.005-06:00

I certainly am not a person who wants to start some religious war or anything like that. Lord knows I tend to be a critic or even a cynic when it comes to various religions in the world. Before I go any further, let me tell you that I am a christian and I do believe in a supreme being. Having said that, my problem has been with most of the organized religions that are out there. It really boils down to one thing... money.

I've been thrown out of churches for asking too many questions. In one rather infamous case, I was literally dragged out of a Lutheran church for raising my hand during the sermon and asking the question, "What is it that this church does to lead by the example you are setting?" I certainly wasn't being rude. I was merely trying ascertain how the subject of the sermon (being "Christ-like" to your fellow man) was being applied outside of the church. Apparently, not having an answer was solved by having me dragged back out the front door from the pew and placed on the steps outside and admonished never to come back. It ultimately did answer my question as to what that church does that is "Christ-like".

In college I studied quite a few courses in theology and enjoyed them quite a bit. But, ever since those days, my questions asked to various church leaders in different denominations have been met with some sort of veiled hostility. Ultimately, I wound up being thrown out of several Baptist churches, a Catholic church and the aforementioned Lutheran church. Just for asking a question.

On the air, I have questioned certain things the Catholic church does, usually regarding money and the whole sex crime thing. I am quite certain that my name appears on the Catholic shit list. As it does on other church lists. It assures me though, that my relationship with the All Mighty is mine alone and is rather personal.

One thing I have learned over the years, that essentially, most denominations are rather upfront regarding their tenets. That's a good thing, since many prospective members know exactly what they are getting into. Unlike those who are members of the Scientologists.

Clouded in all sorts of secrecy, the Scientologists will reveal those secrets upon the successful depositing of money in the bank. But, when questioned... well, that is a different story.

Last year, Martin Bashir was interviewing a member of this cult. He was being rather nice to the spokesperson of this group until one particular question was asked.

So, it's a violation of his religious beliefs to clarify the beliefs of Scientology?

As much as we beat up on the Scientologists. They are not the only ones who get testy about these things. However, what good is a faith in something that supposed to be inclusive when it ultimately turns its back on any questions? Jesus certainly understood that. He even suggested that one should ask questions.

Granted, Scientology is a pretty messed up deal, in my opinion. To understand their beliefs, I recommend going to this site and reading up. Which by my posting of that probably put me on the Scientology shit list. If that is the case, so be it.

Stay Tuned...

Playing It Safe In The 40's

2011-01-14T21:01:00.003-06:00

After dropping Facebook, I do find myself wanting to look at other ways of retro-organizing my life. However, this may be going a bit too far. Perhaps this would be a decent idea in our current litigious environment. It could be adapted and re-written and most assuredly would stand up in court. Click for bigger image.

Just imagine getting caught carrying around a few of these... already filled out.

Stay Tuned...

Goodbye Facebook

2011-01-13T20:09:00.000-06:00

No, they aren't going anywhere, sadly. But I did. I just deleted my account.

Why? I'll tell you. But I warn you, it isn't pretty.

There has not been one thing of interest to me personally since I signed up for the damn thing. Granted, there are some "friends" there who are truly my friends. The cool thing about them is that they know how to get in touch with me in other ways, you know, like dialing a phone or at the very least, sending a text message. Besides, they all know my email address(es).

I know that there are those who are fans of the Bad Dog and Ric show who perhaps, felt a connection to the show through that page. I'm sorry if you did. I probably let you down anyway since I never posted pictures of what I was having for dinner (since food never photographs very well), I never alerted the Facebook world when I was heading to the bathroom, I am also rather proud of the fact that I never felt the urge to post links to videos of bands I like (much less the lyrics).

Seems to me that was sort of a waste. That's what this page is all about.

Perhaps I never felt as though I needed to burden all those people who were my Facebook friends with the things I like.

To me, life is about experiences. If I choose to share those, I do here. Not in simple and snarky liners to be digested so quickly. I am aware, that I might inadvertently offend some of you Facebook people with that sort of thinking and I'll have you know, that is NOT my intention.

In my way of thinking, scaling back can be a good thing. I have this page and I will be maintaining my Twitter account and post here and there more frequently. (Hopefully!)

So, in short... goodbye Facebook. Betty White was right, "Facebook is a huge waste of time."

At least it was for me.

Stay Tuned...

Black Beauty Comes to Town

2010-12-20T17:19:00.011-06:00

So I get this email from Lindsay Lanier from Allied Integrated Marketing who tells me that Black Beauty is coming to Memphis for a couple of quick stops for one day and she has invited me out to take a look at this thing and even drive it, if I would like to. Hot Dog! I am so there.

If the car looks kinda familiar to you, it should. This is the Chrysler Imperial used by The Green Hornet and Kato. One of the onlookers said that this appeared to be a one in a million car. Actually, it's a one in thirty car since there were about that many made for the upcoming Columbia Pictures film opening Friday, January 14. More specifically, there were only a two or three cars made that were actually drivable. And this is one of them and is actually in a few scenes in the movie.

Lindsay was kind enough to send me the low down on this car:

“Black Beauty” is a 1964-1966 CHRYSLER IMPERIAL that features: GM PERFORMANCE ZZ454 500HP CRATE MOTOR, RACE TRANS TURBO 400 MANUAL VALVE BODY TRANSMISSION, MOSER FORD 9 INCH REAR DIFFERENTIAL W/4.56 GEARS & DETROIT LOCKER, 4 WHEEL 12 INCH DISC BRAKES, TWIN CALIPERS IN REAR FOR STUNTS, SPEEDWAY ENGINEERING FRONT & REAR SWAY BARS, ART CARR SHIFTER, HOOKER HEADERS, FLOWMASTER MUFFLERS, COYES 20X10 REAR WHEELS 20X9 FRONT, GOODYEAR TIRES, OFF ROAD UNLIMITED REAR DROP SPRINGS, TUBULAR PANHARD BAR AND TRACTION BARS, REBUILT FACTORY FRONT SUSPENSION DROPPED 3 INCHES, 12-GALLON JAZ FUEL CELL, DEMON 750CFM CARBURETOR, K&N AIR CLEANER, MSD DISTRIBUTER AND 6AL BOX, BE-COOL ALUMINUM RADIATOR, TWIN OPTIMA BATTERIES, AUTOMETER GAUGES, GRANT STEERING WHEEL, TOMMY LEE STEERING BOX, MARCH ENGINE ACCESSORY DRIVE SYSTEM, EARLS TRANSMISSION COOLER, PAINT AND BODY WORK BY JACK’S AUTO BODY, CLEAR GLASS FROM ALLEN AUTO GLASS, and INTERIOR BY REUBENS AUTO UPHOLSTERY.

If you'll notice, this car is a Chrysler Imperial but it is composed of several Imperials, from 1964 to 1966. The front doors are suicide doors and there has been some chopping here and there to get the look they were after. For the fun part, here's what Black Beauty has to offer:

WEAPONRY FEATURED ON “BLACK BEAUTY”

•     2 hood mounted, retractable .30 Caliber M1919 Browning Machine Guns - cartridge-fed

•     8 FIM-92A Stinger Missiles - front bumper loaded

•     1 M2 Grill mounted Flamethrower – modified

•     2 Benelli M2 20 Gauge Shotguns loaded with non-lethal, kinetic impact munitions rifles (rubber bullets / beanbags) - mounted in the light bezels

•     4 FIM-92A Stinger Missiles - rear bumper loaded

•     1 .30 Caliber M1919A6 Browning Machine Gun on tripod mount – trunk

•     2 Retractible front wheel anti-riot spikes

•     6 AR-15, 12 Gauge modified door guns - inset 3 per front suicide door

Just so you know. Everything inside this car is pure fiction. My flipping of switches and pushing of buttons yielded no explosions or anything of the like. However, it did not take away from the fun of driving this thing. It handles much like you would expect a car of this age would. It's a bit sluggish off the start takes big sweeping turns. To me, the amusing thing was that for some reason, people in this city weren't too concerned with the two machine guns mounted on the hood. It was as if people had seen them all their lives.

The movie is going to be released in 3D and looks to be a lot of fun. Especially since this car seems to play a rather large role in the story. Here's a little teaser.

And because you are good people... here's another.

Stay Tuned!

C'etait un Rendez-Vous

2010-03-03T17:31:00.011-06:00

A friend an I were talking about a film made in the 70's which shows a guy driving through Paris in a Ferrari at incredible speeds. I remember seeing it sometime ago and now it seems to have disappeared. Until now.

Here's the story:

In 1976 Claude Lelouch claims he mounted a gyro stabilized 35mm motion picture camera onto the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9. He had in mind a route that would take him through Paris at a speed nearing 140 MPH. He basically had one shot since the camera only held 1000 feet of film. Which explains the nine minute film you are about to see.

So, at 5:30AM, he took off and shot the film. In one take. No effects except for one. He dubbed in the sound of his Ferrari 275 GTB to match the gearing and speeding of the Mercedes. After shooting with the Mercedes, he drove the same route with the Ferrari recording the audio for the overdub. Nevertheless, this is one hell of a ride. The red lights are real and so are the pedestrians. He could not secure a permit to close any of the streets for this shoot, so he shot it illegally.

After watching this film a couple of times, I'm more under the impression that he likely did this only once with the Ferrari. Matching the audio to the film would have been a little tricky in some parts. Besides, why risk the danger more than once? BUT...

He also makes the claim there was an assistant with a walkie talkie near the Louvre archway who was acting as a spotter, looking for pedestrians. This was because the one turn he makes there is blind. Claude said after the fact, the radios had failed and he would have never heard the warning had there been one.

Other claims made after the fact include the reasoning behind the Ferrari overdub was to give the viewer a greater sense of speed. Calculations by some independent groups claim Lelouch never exceeded 85 MPH. Keep in mind, the Mercedes he claims he used as the camera car is certainly capable of 140MPH. However, some people state the route he took is only 6.48 miles and in the 7 minute 57 second run time, that would give him an average speed of 48.86 MPH. Hardly the speed demon he's presenting in the film. I don't know about you, but the route seems longer than what is being disputed here.

The route he took is here. It starts to the left. It starts near Port Dauphine and takes him through the Louvre, the Arc d'Triomphe and along the Champs-Elysees. He ends the run at Mont Marte overlooking Paris, and a hot blond woman.

After the drive, it is rumored Claude (who says he actually drove the route) was arrested and released but was ticketed for the stunt. It's also rumored the mayor of Paris at the time, tore the ticket up as it was not known, at the time of the film who exactly was the driver. Claude merely admitted to being the filmmaker.

It would seem Lelouch was downplaying the production of the film as it was said that he was on the receiving end of massive criticism for the stunt. Whatever or however the film was produced is of no real consequence though as it is undoubtedly a thrill to watch.

There is a DVD of this out with a making-of documentary and it is highly recommended for those of you who like this sort of thing.

It is recommended you watch this in full screen with the volume up. Then go find the DVD. The footage on it has been remastered.

The thumbnail here takes you off the blog to another site which is hosting the film.

Short Movie Rendez-Vous of Claude Lelouch, in Paris in 1976

What do you think?

This is what it's like for me when I am late for work at 4:30AM.

Stay Tuned...

Res Ipsa Loquitur

2010-02-26T17:38:00.005-06:00

Five years ago (tomorrow as of this posting) marks the 5th anniversary of the day Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his own life. Much has been said about that event and all those the things which surround that day.

Whatever you take is on the good Doctor. One thing is certain, he did leave an indelible mark on the literary world through his larger than life persona and all he wrote about.

I can't and won't expand on Thompson as I could do him no justice, at least none he would be pleased with, so I leave it with the following video. Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.

Stay Tuned...

Dolph Lundgren

2010-02-10T19:41:00.004-06:00

After seeing what I am about to share with you here, I have to admit, I was torn. The first thought that came to mind was Dolph Lundgren is a tool. An ass kicking tool, mind you, but a tool nonetheless. Then again, taking in the context of what this video actually is, from Swedish TV, you have to marvel at the entertainment value. In fact, one thought that comes to mind is Mel Brooks' monster from Young Frankenstein (brilliantly played by Peter Boyle), specifically the Puttin' on the Ritz number.

Now, you are going to have to be a bit patient with the beginning of this video, it being in Swedish and all. But I promise there lies within this video some of the best entertainment the internet and Swedish TV can provide.

There is something in here for everyone. From Elvis, to dancing go-go girls, to an ass kicking demonstration and some fairly competent work on the drums.

The only thing missing, is his display of brains. After all, the man does hold a masters degree in chemical engineering. With a reported IQ of 160, you have to wonder what is going through the man's mind here. Then again, maybe not.

Sit back and bask in the glory that is the "talent" that is Dolph Lundgren...

If only I could be this entertaining.

Stay Tuned...

Mona Lisas

2010-01-30T16:14:00.010-06:00

If you ever get to see the real Mona Lisa in the Louvre. You'll be shocked at just how small the thing really is. It's about the size of a standard piece of paper.

The one on top you probably have not seen. Left is the famous one hanging in the Louvre.

Leonardo's masterpiece still holds some strange allure after all these years. But, who was she? Mona Lisa del Giocondo, wife of a Florentine nobleman. At the time of the original painting, she was mourning the loss of her baby and was wearing a transparent veil during the sittings.

It took da Vinci four years to finish the painting, and when it was done, he gave it to the Giocondos as a gift. Now, ol' Leo had a habit of making more than one painting of the same subject. Because it might come in handy. In fact, there are some sixty known Mona Lisa's out there and all are cataloged. All of them just a bit different.

Apparently there was one done for Guiliano de Medici which is a portrait of his mistress at the time, Costanza d'Avalos. Now, this lady had an uncanny resemblance to Mona Lisa del Giocondo. Leonardo nicknamed the piece "La Gioconda"- which means, approximately, "smiler". Sadly, when it was finished, de Medici ran this woman off and married someone else. So, Leonardo took the painting with him to France where it eventually found it's way to London and ultimately became the property of Dr. Henry Pulitzer.

Then came this:

This is La Belle Gabrielle and at one time was in the collection of Lord Spencer of Northamptonshire, England and has been attributed to the school of Leonardo da Vinci. The topless Lisa, as she has come to be known was recently found after apparently being lost for some time. It was hidden behind a wall for nearly one hundred years. Now, obviously this broad looks NOTHING like the other two broads and had to have been a piece Leonardo did for some extra cash or for whatever reason.

So it seems, Leonardo would keep the same idea for these paintings and just swap out the face. Sort of the Photoshop of his day.

Not much is known about La Belle Gabrielle, but she has made a return to the public by hanging in a museum in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo's home.

I bet you never thought you would ever read a bit about art history here, did you?

You never know what is going to show up around here so,

Stay Tuned...

Facebook

2010-01-25T17:29:00.004-06:00

I must admit, I dragged my knuckles into the 21st century in some respects and walked upright and faced this brave new world like a somewhat evolved ape-man in others. We made the plunge into HD TV as soon as it was practical. I "monkeyed" with Twitter long enough to realize it wasn't all that bad.

Then came Facebook.

All the questions, wherever I went... "Are you on Facebook? When are you going to get on Facebook?" Etc. Then I did it. Went and opened an account on Facebook. After earlier answers to the above questions had been tossed off with, "Not for me. It just seems rather pointless."

You know, those answers may very well be accurate, now that I am on Facebook. Nevertheless, I am on it a bunch. Although, not much of a contributor there (go figure), I do find it wildly entertaining to read what people say about their lives and the little comments that are posted in response. In a way, it surprises me the things some people will actually post on that thing, for all to read.

It brings to mind the old adage an old journalist once told me. Speech, by and large, disappears as it is spoken. But the written word can be and often is, eternal.

One must be careful as to what one posts on such a site. As is this blog, too. Lest someone takes what you say as an affront to their sensibilities and uses such words against you. For example, the internet is certainly not the place to go to openly bitch about your job or whatever it is life that has you peeved. Those words you wrote can, and will, bite you in the ass.

Plus, I am finding it interesting that some people will post some of the most private details of their lives to random strangers. As if those reading were to have some vague notion of the subject being posted. Yet, when it comes to privacy issues, these people tend to get worked up over private details that are found on the internet... posted by them.

It would seem to me, if you are the least bit concerned about what is and what is not private, why are you telling everyone about yourself that some would consider as private? Fascinating.

Could I live without it? Sure. Do I like it? Sure.

It's like being given the key to the door that everyone wants to know what its hiding.

Happy Facebooking and...

Stay Tuned...

Lost On The Air

2010-01-22T19:36:00.002-06:00

Yeah, it's been awhile since the last update... yet again. Not there was never really any GOOD reason to neglect the ol' blog here. But let's be serious for a moment, I have been a bit busy. To the point of being somewhat lost.

I can hear it now, "Busy? You? Puh-leeze!"

Okay, maybe not in the traditional sense of being "busy". I haven't been out there re-tiling bathrooms (well, there was the one I did in my own home). I haven't been out there trying to save the world or running errands. I have just been busy, you know, preoccupied.

Maybe preoccupied to the point of neglecting some of the things I could be doing, like updating this little blog.

When i created it, like everything else, I had this somewhat lofty goal of contributing on a more consistent basis and have since fell into a more comfortable archiving mode with it. Whis is all well and good. Since there is no real obligation associated with it. All well and good. But the other reason to have this page was to spread a little point of interest here and there. Some of the things I don't do on the air. Hence the name of the blog.

Things were going along swimmingly until that day in October when my on air partner got sick. What a roller coaster that has been. Not just for me but for everyone around him and yours truly. Sometimes you have to let go of the world around you and sit back and watch and focus your energies on things that are truly more important.

I would say something poignant about "... trying to maintain sanity..." which those of you who know me know that is a lost cause. I embraced my insanity a long time ago. But the mere act of trying to stay mentally occupied with things to prevent other things from leering over you like some horrible specter is the way to go at times.

Things are returning to some sort of sense of normality. Bad Dog is doing better and things around the radio station, sometimes difficult as they can be at times are gaining more stability now that Dog is back on the air. We are all breathing a little easier now.

The ever present questions from people asking "So how is Bad Dog really doing?" have subsided, thankfully. Not to sound callous, but these were people asking who seemed heavily negative about his situation. It's one thing to inquire about his condition, it is quite another to insinuate there was some dark secret about his condition I was somehow withholding. As I have stated before on and off the air, Bad Dog and I have been nothing but honest about this entire chapter in our lives. So, thankfully, that has come to an end of sorts.

So, I am back, lurking around the web again, popping up in strangely odd places for me like Facebook. Which I'll devote more time to later.

Until then, thank you all for the thoughts and prayers for Bad Dog. And thanks for those who have been considerate to all of our needs around the station and the weird family that is radio. You people are wonderful.

So, shortly, I'll add something strange and amusing to the blog, in the meantime...

Stay Tuned...

A Peek Behind the Curtain

2009-12-03T18:57:00.002-06:00

So, Bad Dog returns to the air waves Friday, 3 December for a couple of weeks. He'll be going back to the hospital for a final round of a lighter chemo and then by the first of the year, if not sooner, he'll be back full time with us.

Now, here is the interesting part. It seems that he cannot be around anybody due to his weakened immune system. So, to avoid any potential risk of contamination and catching something like the cold or worse, he is at home. And he wants to come back to work. Thanks to the miracle of modern radio technology, we are going to make this happen.

Bad Dog will have, at his home, a remote rig. It's one of the pieces of equipment we use when we are broadcasting from a bar or car lot or wherever. This will be good as there are a lot of folks who want to have him back on the air as soon as possible and this certainly fills the bill. But, this is going to be kind of a strange experience for us as there is going to be a change as to how we actually do the show.

Normally, we have the ability to use non-verbal communication to sort out our timing or to locate a recorded bit to back up what we are doing. Not now at least. We'll more than likely be stepping on each other and it will sound a bit awkward at first, but there will be a strange transformation that will take place as we go through this. We'll be able to read each others mind more so than normal. And just when we get that little talent down, he'll be off again for a bit.

Nevertheless, this should make for some interesting radio over the next few days. It will different, it will certainly be fun and it will be good to have him back on the air again.

Stay Tuned...

He's Human... Again

2009-11-12T12:22:00.002-06:00

I just got off the phone with Bad Dog who wanted to touch base with the outside world. Since he's in a strange world of isolation and is starting to feel more normal, he wanted to check in to make sure everyone else is doing alright.

He took the time to describe to me the weirdness that goes with undergoing such a violent chemical assault on the disease that is leukemia. The cocktail of drugs administered to him in double doses can sure take a toll on one's body and mind. It is commonly called "Red Devil" and it will kick your ass and make even the strongest beg for mercy. It kicked Bad Dog down too. Right now, he is without an immune system and is obviously and understandably quite a bit weak. However, the team of medical professionals have been hovering around him to make sure this chemo they have been pumping into him is not having too many adverse reactions.

There is a kidney doctor, a cardiologist, a pulmonary doctor, a blood doctor, an endocrinologist, an oncologist and more watching very closely his slow re-building of his immune system.

I asked him what he meant by "feeling human again" and he told me that the general feeling of hell has passed and that for the first time in weeks he's starting to have some normal functioning of everything else. In other words, specifically his words, he's not hurting.

This morning, on the air, he related to how the chemo therapy has affected the way foods taste. He related the experience of having a bit of breakfast yesterday consisting of toast, scrambled eggs and a bit of bacon tasting like paper mache. He decided that butter was not necessary since there was a simple fear that it would taste of wallpaper paste. The bottom line is he is eating.

His spirits remain high and despite the planned and executed crushing blow to his system to get this disease, he is feeling just a bit stronger everyday. These are all real good signs.

When I asked him about blood counts, he said there is nothing to count and in fact, at that moment we were talking, they were giving him some fresh blood. So, all in all, he's feeling... well, human again. Which is the ultimate goal. Judging from the way he was talking a bit ago, I would actually call it Superhuman.

Herculean fortitude aside, I think we can all expect things to go as the professionals have planned out. A couple of weeks of isolated recovery, another round of chemo (this one being significantly lighter than the first), a bit of recovery and then it's out of the hospital. That is not so much optimism speaking as it is the plain facts as they are... so far.

In the meantime, continue to say your prayers and think positive thoughts that this too, like all other things, shall pass.

Stay Tuned...

Bad Dog

2009-11-01T13:43:00.004-06:00

So the days of what we used to call "slow news days" are behind for the moment as are the days of setting this blog in a comfortable archive mode. Between Twitter and here, I'll do my best to keep you all abreast of Bad Dog's current situation as time allows. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Patience being the key as all of a sudden your life goes from "just another day" to "Oh my God, now what?" If you are just tuning in, here's the deal. Bad Dog has been diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Or AML as it is known in these circles.

Like you, I freaked out on the news of this. Then I settled down and began to absorb all that I could about the condition and the specific situation we are looking at.

The nuts and bolts of this disease are quite simply stated as "cancer". Scary, ain't it? At first it certainly seems that way, but in reality, the scary part is getting passed the the third word of the disease, leukemia.

In the past 20 years or so, there have been astounding advances in treating and beating this thing. So that is on our side. So is the simple fact that it has been determined Bad Dog has not had this for very long. A few weeks, to be as precise as possible. So that is on our side too. Add to that his amazingly upbeat state of mind and continued sense of humor and it looks now that we have a very positive situation on our hands.

Just today, the doctors put him into isolation. This is simply a way of preventing the outside world with all of it's illnesses from catching him with his immune system down. This is good, this means that so far, the chemo protocol he is on is working in the right direction. This coming Friday should be the last of the initial chemo and the hardest part of fighting this thing will be behind him. A few weeks of recovery and the next thing you know, he's back on the air with yours truly.

No doubt there will be some minor changes to this routine as we go along and understandably these changes are expected. Everyone being different in the eyes of a cancer patient.

Long story short, Bad Dog is expected to be back in true form, on the air and ready to come back full time around the 2nd week of December. What a great holiday gift that will be for all of us. In the meantime, it will be business as usual (as best as I can pull it off) around the radio station, on and off the air and I will give short bursts of updates as they come in from my Twitter. The link is on the right of your screen. When I can elaborate, I will do it here and on the air.

Rock 103 (link also on the right) has a place to post good will messages and the likes to him since he has access to a laptop and he can read your messages. Otherwise, should anyone have any questions you can contact me directly through this blog or my email through the station.

He's counting on your support and he knows you all are there and I for one, am most confident that he will be back sooner than you know and in full form ready to get back into the game.

Thanks for all your continued support, your thoughts and prayers and we'll be around. Until then...

Stay Tuned....

Something Local

2009-10-17T11:05:00.006-05:00

So, last Thursday, the 15th was our local election for mayor. There's no need to go into the nitty-gritty about they whys and hows and all of that. It was a million dollars spent on a special election and something is bothering me about this.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining because my candidate didn't win, I have met Mayor Wharton on numerous occasions and he has always been very nice to me and has never given me any reason to think otherwise about him. Quite frankly, he's a nice guy.

So, my question is this... just how did he win? Some polls suggested that Myron Lowrey had the best shot. He was after all, the interim mayor and had a running start at cleaning up the mess left behind by Herenton. And yes, he was doing a fine job with that. The Dalai Lama debacle aside, he would have been a shoo-in as the existing incumbant. But he couldn't get anywhere close in votes.

How about Jerry Lawler? Several polls had him as a legitimate candidate or a spoiler at the very least. Yet, he barely managed four thousand votes. This after all the poeple I have heard said they were going to vote for him. If they did in fact vote for Lawler, he may very well would have won the election.

And then there is Carol Chumney, lovely lady and smart to boot. She ran a rather quiet campaign and spent very little money in the race. Polls and surveys had her not doing so well, but she managed a sizable percentage of the voters. Where did she get those votes?

Obviously there is a problem with surveys and polls. Or is there a problem on a more sinister level?

The only numbers left are the vote tallies themselves. Here's what I deduced:

There are about 400,000 registered voters in the city.

100,000 people voted.

That means some 300,000 people didn't vote and that is truly sad.

A serious investigation by a third party could figure this out. Even if it was determined that everything was on the up and up. That would be acceptable. But, I'm telling you, and this is strictly MY opinion, something stinks.

Unless there is some monkey business going on at the election commission and that wouldn't surprise me in the least. Given this city's notorious history of dead people voting and the high likelyhood someone could tinker with the ballots, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to think that maybe... just maybe... this election could have been fixed in a broken sort of way.

Perhaps someone ought to look into this.

Maybe we should ask Herenton himself, he was seen at Houston's the night of the election having a nice dinner and then heading over to the Wharton party to celebrate. Maybe I'm wrong about this prediction but given the circumstances beware the following scenario:

Herenton loses the congressional election to Cohen and runs for Memphis mayor in two years and serves eight more as mayor. What do you think?

Then again, why bother? Nobody in this city seems to care.

Stay Tuned...

That's Entertainment

2009-10-10T17:48:00.002-05:00

It's amazing to me that over the years, we as a people have had some rather dramatic changes in what we found and find entertaining. For me, it's runs from the simple to the elaborate and sometimes the downright stupid. Hey, at least I am easy to entertain. As an entertainer, I have to be cautious of what is truly "entertaining".

Buddy Hackett once said that if a joke doesn't offend at least one person, then it's not a joke. How true. Since I tend to wallow in the offensive end of humor. Not by design, it just sort of happens that way. To me, there are some inherent humor to be found in the stupid. But humor is NOT the end of all entertainment. Take a look at previous decades and how we as people have "evolved". Our tastes certainly have changed over the years.

The 80's were full of bad fashion and worse music. (some exceptions apply) The 70's brought the amusement of a pet rock. The 60's... drugs were the amusing thing. At least, that is what I have been told... The 50's in all their puritanical ways gave us Wally and the Beaver.

And then there were the 40's. Witness below the Ross Sisters from 1944. The music was standard of the day, peppy and upbeat, fashion simple and fun. But the major difference for audiences of the day were seeing a singer or band and the usual song and dance routine versus the downright bizarre.

This clip culled from the internet displays a virtual circus act of the likes you don't see to this day. Imagine this on Dancing With the Stars ... you won't. Simply because the TV people these days don't find this sort of thing entertaining.

Here's a test... watch this. Then answer the following question...

Were you entertained?

Stay Tuned...

Hello, Again.

2009-09-29T16:42:00.004-05:00

Sorry, it has been awhile. Sometimes the pursuit of the general things in life can get in the way of something as soulfully important as updating this blog. I was hanging with the Dalai Lama, for crying out loud. No, seriously. The circus surrounding His Holiness' visit to our fair city had taken, at least in my mind, a certain place in the order of things. Think about it, update the blog or spend some time thinking about more important things with one of the most influential people on the planet?

We went to see him at the convention center and it was a great experience even though our esteemed Mayor introduced himself with a fist bump and, "Hello, Dalai." (No joke.) He had claimed he got permission from the Tibetan officials to do that, however, I have it on my own authority (and forever unnamed sources) that he was NEVER given permission to address him in the manner of which he did. I consider this whole scenario nothing more than yet another example of why we can never have anything nice when any politician shows up.

Well, speaking of deep subjects, and in a strange way, bridging a strange gap between the Dalai Lama and other really cool things, I found this little gem on the web featuring another super guy. (Two of them, actually) In a fantastically creative use of the auto-tuner and some old video, let me introduce to you Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking in something so hypnotic it may make you ponder your own existence in this vast universe.

Now, think for a moment... and Stay Tuned...

Where's Bob?

2009-08-06T16:27:00.011-05:00

What a fascinating tale of a marketing campaign gone horribly wrong. Or right... depending on what you hear or read. Those late night TV ads for the "male enhancement" product Enzyte have been around for awhile. Now, here is the long and short of the story behind greed and Smiling Bob.

Steve Warshak and his mom Harriett were behind our friend Smiling Bob and were ultimately sent to prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud and money laundering. Harriett got two years while her son was sent up the river for twenty five years. This after thousands of complaints from customers who claimed the penis pill didn't work. (among many other complaints) That is the short of it... no big deal (if you will) as this kind of thing happens all the time, it seems.

But my interest into this was behind finding out just who Smiling Bob is, or as the case may be, was.

The picture above is the famous if not ubiquitous Smiling Bob. Bob, as the well endowed mascot for Enzyte, was apparently played by actor John Larson. So where the hell is he? Was he typecast into oblivion as "Mr. Big", too large for any other work? As it happens in the world of advertising, Bob was merely an actor hired to play his part, cashing his checks as the advertising campaign wore on. But, the founder of Enzyte ran into his legal troubles and John Larson was left... er... hanging, if you will.

Now for the meat of the mystery. It seems that just before Warshak got caught with his hands in the cookie jar, there was talk of a new mascot being sought to replace Bob with the old proverbial "...we're going in a different direction" line. But, before all of that could happen, Bob apparently vanished.

How can you make an iconic figure as Smiling Bob merely go away? Where does one hide such an enormous figure in the world of advertising? Did Bob possess more than what was being let on?

Unverified stories show that actor John Larson has been reported missing or dead since June 12, 2008 apparently the victim of a boating accident off the coast of Martinique in the Carribbean. What we do know is that since that date, no one has heard nor seen Larson aside from this undated photo.

To this date, no one knows anything about the "accident" or just where Larson went. Moreover, there has been no word from any friends or family as to Larson's whereabouts. If he was alive, you would think a guy of his stature would certainly have found work doing something... anything. If he were dead, then you would certainly hear about that mystery somewhere on the air or on the internet. Very little exists in either place and if you paid any attention to the advertising campaign, there has been no new production including Smiling Bob in quite sometime. Even the usual internet conspiracy nuts are strangely silent on this one. Where's Geraldo when you really need him?

Gives one pause to think Smiling Bob was, perhaps, killed off in a more literal way. After all, Warshak had planned on renaming the company and finding a new spokespenis. Now, Warshak and his mom met the hands of justice in prison leaving behind an apparent wake of thousands of under-endowed American men. Not to mention one missing big guy last seen living large in the idyllic scenery off the coast of Martinique.

After the Feds did their duty to the Warshak empire, Enzyte somehow survived and is still going strong, after a new company acquired the brand and enacted a change in operating practices. Bolstered by the immortal image of Smiling Bob still coming through the late night TV airwaves. As for John Larson, we may never know the truth.

As for the complaining customers, remarkably very few of them bothered with getting a refund, settling instead with being born with a ding instead of a dong after the snake oil inventor and his mom went to prison and what may have been TV's greatest pitch man slipped under the waves of the beautiful blue Carribbean.

Stay tuned...

Sell, sell, sell...

2009-07-27T17:12:00.005-05:00

Being in the broadcast industry can be an interesting place to be. We make our living in the commercial world and we are often accused of being "sell-outs". Let's be honest here, I am somewhat of a whore when it comes to what I do for a living. Hey, it pays the bills. Whether I am singing the praises of a phone company, jewelry store, fuel additive, dog food, car dealers, pizza restaurants... the list is endless and I have gladly done them all.

That's what showbiz is all about. Making money anyway you can. Sure, I have my limits and now is not the time to go into all of that, but make no mistake, if the money is there, I'll shill for just about anybody.

One of my favorite TV shows has always been Hogan's Heroes. The Universal HD channel has the show now and on Monday's they run it all day long. It's a trip watching it again after all these years. It's amazing how much of the show I had forgotten over the years. Still though, it is fun to lose yourself in this strange world where just about everybody who was on this show is now dead. Richard Dawson and Robert Clary are still around.

Critics eventually rated the show as one of the 5 worst TV shows of all time. Despite the 3 emmy nominations and the 6 year run it enjoyed on CBS, it never jumped the shark. It remains as one of the most watchable shows on TV today. Kinda sad if you think about it...

...anyway, what does all this have to do with whoring out yourself in show business? Take a look a the video below.

I'm craving Dream Whip now.

Stay Tuned...

Has it been this long...

2009-07-15T17:54:00.004-05:00

...since I updated this page? My God, where has the time gone? Well, a little update off the air.

Finally a little time off is in order since Bad Dog is having a hernia surgery. He'll be fine and his doctors suggest he'll be back to his ol' self within a few days. As for yours truly, there are a couple of projects in the works. The usual stuff around the house and the ongoing project with the Model A. I'll get some pics of that beast (when it's a bit more presentable) up here soon enough. Nevertheless, I should hope to use my time somewhat usefully although we all know the best laid plans...etc. Nevertheless, we'll be back on the air Monday. In the meantime, Brother Doug will be your bitch for a couple of days.

I was going to update, nay, jump for joy over the fact that my long personal nightmare with a certain government entity has finally concluded happily, however, I thought it best not to poke the bear with the stick by posting something overly snarky about this group here. Lord knows, I can lose my mind during a rant and find myself on the receiving end of more trouble and we would all be better if that never occurred.

In the meantime, I'll just a drift for a day or so and avoid most media as I try and unwind from the daily grind. I'll post something a little more substantial during the break as I will undoubtedly get into some sort of something. You know me...

Stay tuned.

With Much Deliberation

2009-06-27T12:12:00.004-05:00

I thought long and hard about this... Michael Jackson. His death is everywhere and I, at first, refused to include that in here. But just let me say this:

How can a man who paid $20 million to the family of a victim (and presumably the victim himself) to get out of a child molestation civil suit, have a history of said activity be considered some great thing? His fans baffle me.

The Catholic church has endured the same vilification over the centuries without one redeeming quality... at least none I think of. Yet, as Big Rick told me yesterday, if one can sing and dance and sell an ass load of records, that makes him immune to the accusations and his own actions.

I'm not saying MJ should rot in hell, that is for the Almighty to decide, what I am saying is even when your heroes stumble, you need to evaluate why they are your hero and just how far are going to look beyond their faults to continue that hero relationship.

When it was determined Roger Clemens may have been doping in baseball, my heart was broken. I loved watching that guy play ball. But if he truly did dope up and cheat at baseball, I hope they send him out. As for Barry Bonds, we'll get into that when the time is right.

But, back to MJ. the circus has rolled into town and the animals have been turned loose. This thing is going to be a sick moment in Americana and I, for one, am already sick of it... nevertheless, I'll be right in the thick of it as we watch the real weirdness unfold.

Stay tuned...

Yeah, It's Hot

2009-06-22T11:14:00.006-05:00

This picture was taken last February. This is my wife Josephine and our two greyhounds Jack and Zoe (from left). Yes, the dogs are wearing coats, long story. Anyway, I thought I would share this little picture while the current temperatures are cresting the triple digit mark in heat index.

If you are getting a little hot outside, think of this simple little serene moment captured earlier this year.

For the record, I was as miserable then as I kinda am right now. I used to love the heat, I grew up in south Texas where winter is February 12th, for about an hour and a half. Unlike here where there are four distinctish seasons. But I have to remember that it "ain't the heat, it's the humidity." How true.

So, for all this talk of global warming or climate change or whatever you want to call it, around here there is at least some change in the weather once we get around the other side of the sun. For the record, the Farmer's Almanac kind of predicted this heat, as you can see here. Most notably, June being 4 degrees above average. If you put your faith into this sort of thing, keep in mind, as of the posting of this, we're supposed to be seeing some scattered storms and what they call "seasonal" weather... whatever that means.

This goes on to say we should expect a normal July and August with June being the only month with a substantial increase in temperature. What does all this really mean?

It's hot as hell outside. Stay in the air conditioning.

Going Ape over Mr. Rogers

2009-06-10T16:15:00.004-05:00

When I was a youngster, like most kids my age, I spent some afternoon TV time with Mr. Rogers. He was one of the few bits of wholesome television I could tolerate. That was until Monty Python came on and my little world changed.

But back to the good Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers calm way he carried on to the show everyday always brought some sense of relief, no matter how awkward he was. take this video, for example. Here's Mr. Rogers with Koko the signing gorilla. At one point during this video, it appears Koko will not let him go. She apparently liked Mr. Rogers. Maybe the way King Kong liked Ann Darrow. There is a sense of uneasiness while watching this, and to me at least, a certain bit of strange comfort. You know, the comfort you get while watching Fred Rogers in the clutches of a 400 pound gorilla.

I don't know about you, but when Koko grunts, I would have needed a change of pants.

A Dilemma

2009-05-31T18:14:00.004-05:00

We live on a quiet street in midtown not terribly far from Cooper and Young. It's a nice street with nice people living in the area. We have nice neighbors. Very nice neighbors. The neighbors, over the weekend decided to have a little block party so we would all get to know each other and start a little phone list which I thought was a great idea. Most everyone on the block stopped by at the very least to say "hello".

Eventually, the conversation turned to a resident on the street whose son was recently released out of prison for what we think is a drug charge. He's living with his mom there on the street and there are some nervous feelings about this.

This guy will have his buddies drop by to hang on the front porch doing God knows what.

Well, that was precisely what was going on when another neighbor, who has a police officer for a son, got nervy. She called her son, who was on duty, to stop buy with his partners to hang for a bit on her porch. As you can imagine, the miscreants got worked up over this and eventually left. This prompted the kids' mother to have a chat with the other lady about the cops.

She chewed her out. Something to the effect of how dare you threaten these boys, etc., etc.

As it turns out, the boy has some sort of brain damage. Probably from the massive amount of crack he's been smoking and made a comment to the effect of, "I may have to get my gun." Of course, he never did and no one knows for sure whether or not he actually has one. And frankly, no one around here wants to find out for sure. Hence the dilemma.

Dude and his mom rent this duplex they live in and conversations have taken place with their landlord allowing us to know that they don't really pay any rent and the old landlord hasn't kicked them out yet. Something along the lines of, "We haven't found a place to move to yet." Although the old guy who rents this place to them told me they were leaving.

Something is going to happen around here if they don't go. I can see my neighbors now, like the scene in Frankenstein when the villagers come out with pitchforks and torches and run this family out. Probably way better than the scene in High Noon when there's a shootout in the street. Either way, the landlord is the real douchebag for not doing anything about this idiot.

Maybe we'll win the lottery so I can buy this property out from under the old man and bulldoze the thing. Oh well, at least I can dream about a time when there are no brain damaged, gun wielding maniacs living in the neighborhood, can't I?

Se la vie...

TV News

2009-05-27T20:02:00.006-05:00

Those who know me, know of my past in the television news industry. Those same people will tell what I think about the television news industry. For those of you who don't know, and not to put too fine a point on it, it sucks. As it is said, "It ain't what it used to be."

Self-centered reporters giving about one third of the truth on something that has NO relevance to you at the time. Making the story about themselves. Exaggeration. Indictments. It's all there and those are just some of the reasons why I don't watch it. TV news has a tendency to piss me off. Ed Murrow once said of television, "... this instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely lights and wires in a box."

When I was cutting my TV teeth at WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi, I struck up a life long friendship with a man named Tom Dees. He was a photographer there and a damn good one at that. We spent a few years working together there uncovering all sorts of ugliness and "news worthy" things. To make a long story short, the day came when I left for greener pastures and Tom moved to the other side of the camera and became a great reporter.

Dees has since moved to Memphis and can be seen on Fox 13. He's been here for many years and he's easily the best interviewer in the business and has a certain knack for getting the best out of his subjects as the following video shows. He blames me for that. On a side note here: It's his fault I'm in Memphis, so there. We're even. Yet another long yarn for later.

Anyway, he has been able to do something I could never do in my brief TV career. He's an award winning TV guy and after some two Emmy awards later, Tom is putting together a great career in an otherwise slimy business. I give you the following example of one of his latest stories:

This, in my opinion is how TV news should be done. I think I smell another Emmy for Tom Dees... the bastard.

Nice job, Tom... "Good night and good luck."

Update: Horn Lake Lights

2009-05-27T07:06:00.005-05:00

Eddie Middleton was on this morning to give us the FAA explanation behind the below video. They say that the lights are actually FedEx planes lining up for landing. I live in the flight line of the airport and I can tell you, those planes line up in 2 minute intervals, so it seems to me that the FAA's explanation is hooey.

Our thanks to Eddie and http://www.nightsearch.net/ for the head's up... so to speak.

Update II:

The link that was there regarding Rense was pulled since it is, in fact, anti-semitic. Thanks for the comment post hipping me to this nonsense. I was trying to post information regarding the sighting and I did it without pre-screening the link. My apologies. I personally don't condone any hate speech even though it is a fundemental right of Americans to have free speech. I just don't want that stuff here.

Frankly, Eddie should be ashamed of himself for associating himself with that stupid website.

Horn Lake Lights

2009-05-26T11:20:00.005-05:00

Eddie Middleton emailed this into the show this morning and we never got to it on the air. Eddie is part of the UFO investigation team for the mid-south and a colleague of his captured this video. According to the email that was sent to us, last Thursday (21 May) around 10:30PM, some lights were seen over Horn Lake. Helicopters then flew into the area. Apparently, three more lights appear under the helicopters. There is some language on this video, so if you are reading this at work, be aware.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T10:52:00.004-05:00

This is one of those rare three day weekends. At least for those of us who have jobs. At 4:30AM I was wide awake and ready to head to work without the benefit of the alarm clock going off... that was appreciated. This tells me in 24 hours It'll be hell actually getting up to go to work. But to be honest, I'm looking forward to getting back on the air. Maybe it's the short week ahead.

But today is a free day. Sort of. There are a couple of projects that must be done around the house and with an eye to the weather, we'll actually see if the grill sees fire today. If not... we'll wing it. The bar is stocked enough for the day and with NASCAR being rained out yesterday, we have today to watch.

It's come to this

2009-05-22T20:55:00.003-05:00

Yes... with the all the bitching and wrangling with the simple issue of privacy, it has indeed come to this, a blog. Away from the comfy confines of Rock 103, this is my way of releasing some of the stuff that happens off the air, hence the name of this blog. Not that it matters much, there were some requests from the faithful followers of the show that I venture into the world of Facebook or MySpace. Neither of which really appealed to me. But there appears to be some sort of interest of off air activities that "should be shared" and thus, this.

So, here's the deal... an agreement, if you will. You agree to deal with the occasional ramble in this blog and in exchange, I'll agree to answer (as best I can) any questions you might have regarding the job and other such inquiries.

What should be fun for all of us is that here I can expand a bit on the things we did, or as the case may be, did NOT do in the air. Yes, there is a blog at Rock 103's website which contains some "show prep" material for further reading but here, we should be able to delve deeper into the topic of the day and more. So, let's have some fun, shall we?

In the meantime, if you are on the Twitter, I can be followed there. The plan is to use Twitter during the show and I'll post there when I have updated here, ya dig?