Doug MacLeod Part I

This is the first of a two part sequence From Radioland where Ric sat down with Doug MacLeod to talk some shop from the world of music. In this episode you will hear some stories and ideas from the experiences Doug has had over the years. Also, you'll hear some of his music as well as some of the inspirations behind those songs. 

Plus, you might have downloaded the newest viral app out there. The Voila AI Artist. It has issues. Some of them rather obvious and some not so much. It's not a bad app if you don't mind it knowing everything your phone knows about you. Seriously, delete this thing.

NEXT WEEK: Doug MacLeod Part II

Merry Sort of Christmas & Wendy Stuart

 As Christmas bears down on us all, this year seems rather muted. Some people are trying to find any joy during the end of this tumultuous year. There is some hope out there and it's just going to be a matter of all of us hunkering down and getting through this together in a sort of distant matter. 

Along those lines, Ric sits down with model and entertainer Wendy Stuart who will bring some cheer to your eggnog , if you know what we're saying. Wendy was a fixture at Studio 54 and other influential New York Clubs as well as her modelling work and a book she has written about her experiences. 

If that wasn't enough, she created a cooking show to keep herself busy through the pandemic. Not bad for a Covid-19 survivor. A story you will hear in this episode.

NEXT WEEK: The Exciting Conclusion of 2020 & Ian Guerin

 

Soho Johnny is Your Friend

 There are those people out there who do wonderful things. Not for themselves, but for others. It's not about ego, it's not about fame or fortune. It is a legitimate thing where certain individuals have the ability through clout, finances or whatever gift they can present which can bear down on the public at large for the greater good. One such individual is Soho Johnny. 

In this episode, he sits down with Ric to talk about some of the things he's into as well as an upcoming streaming event you can take part in (free) to see the magic come together for the benefit of others. All the details are right here. Also, Space X went to space, Covid-19 is still a thing and the return of your regular programming (sort of) to Radio Memphis.

NEXT WEEK: The Starlite Campbell Band

Talking Tech with Dianna Fryer

For several years now, companies have found new and inventive ways of removing people from various industries, even in the world of broadcast. Which is sad. It's as if technology was sucking the fun right out of the business.

But what happens when you put people back into the mix? In the new format of From Radioland, I sat down with Dianna Fryer, General Manager of Pirate Radio Studios, Inc. to discuss this very thing.

Also, a new element has been added to the show, Playing Favorites.



NEXT WEEK: Talking about the weather with Austen Onek.

Stay tuned...

Benny Turner & Cash McCall

This episode marks 5 complete years of production for the show From Radioland. As I had been talking about over the past couple of weeks, we'll making some changes. The content for this show has been from The Booze & Blues Show at Radio Memphis.

Well, the time has come to move that content over to the RMOD (Radio Memphis On Demand) collection. This is a good thing since that move will allow us to get those blues shows online much faster than trying to shoehorn it into this show.

So, what of this show? I'll explain in the show.

Also, a visit with 2 legendary blues musicians who had not worked together for over 40 years. They got together and made a CD. You'll hear some of those songs as well as some of the stories as to how this collection of songs was made.



NEXT WEEK: Technology sucking the fun out of everything with Dianna Fryer.

Stay tuned...

The Lizzard Kings

It's not a typo. The word "lizzard" (with 2 Zs) has an amusing connotation. You'll learn about it here. These guys represented Memphis in the International Blues Challenge this past week in the band category. They are a real blast to hang out with as we did that night. You'll hear some studio performances and a few songs off their brand new CD.

Also, we are getting close to wrapping our 5th year of production with this show. An interesting milestone for sure. With that, there are some changes coming to Radioland. But you can think of it as more of an expansion than anything else. I'll explain in the show.



NEXT WEEK: Benny Turner & Cash McCall

Stay tuned...

Carla Thomas, Willie Hall & Vanese Thomas - Dropping Bombs

The musical influence of the Thomas family in Memphis is enormous. Rufus Thomas was a true showman. His children learned that craft from the best. Carla Thomas scored 2 major hits in the 1960s with Gee Whiz and B-A-B-Y (the latter showing up recently on the Baby Driver soundtrack) along the way, the time spent at STAX was important for Carla.

Also, our great friend Willie Hall joined the conversation to talk about his days with STAX and Isaac Hayes and Booker T. & The MGs. And then Carla's sister, Vanese got on the air and dropped a bomb.



NEXT WEEK: Kyle & Gabe are Brother Boulevard

Stay tuned...

Tom Graves on Robert Johnson

Celebrated author Tom Graves came to the studio recently. Jeff & I had a great conversation about the legendary Robert Johnson. Tom wrote THE book about the blues legend. We learned about some of the myths and stories surrounding Johnson and found a lot of truths about him

You'll also hear why the Radio Memphis show Booze & Blues is called that. It was celebration of the life of Robert Johnson, for sure.



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NEXT WEEK: Scott Bomar and Howard Grimes

Stay tuned...

Keith Douglas & Duwayne Burnside

It's a first for this show. Two guests in one action packed episode. First up is Keith Douglas, guitarist for Tora Tora. Keith talks about the history of this great rock band plus he shares the news about the brand new album headed your way very soon.

Next up, Duwayne Burnside sits down with Jeff & I to talk about his new CD plus many other things including the definition of "Burnside Style". And if that wasn't enough, Duwayne and his band played a few tunes in this wild episode From Radioland.



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NEXT WEEK: Brenda Taylor, the daughter of Eddie Taylor.

Stay tuned...

Ms. Zeno The Mojo Queen

She will put a spell on you. This episode is a bit different. At her insistence, we are releasing the entire broadcast from the Booze & Blues show a couple of weeks ago. We went through Ms. Zeno's new CD, track by track.

We also talked about how the CD was recorded, who is on it and what is coming up next with her.

Sit back and relax and listen as Ms. Zeno The Mojo Queen takes us on a cool musical trip.



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NEXT WEEK: Keith Douglas from Tora Tora

Stay tuned...

Big T & Johnny Drummer

It is always a great time when Big T & The Family step into the studio. That' exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago. There was one notable difference though. This time, Big T brought along the legendary Johnny Drummer to play some keys.

Also in this episode, I'm starting to think the electric scooters littering the sidewalks and streets are for the birds.



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NEXT WEEK: Mick Kolassa

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Stepping Off The Mothership with Harold Beane

If there was some sort of an accurate record out there regarding just how many times a guitar player had his work sampled, Harold Beane would probably win. Harold played all the guitar parts for Isaac Hayes iconic Hot Buttered Soul album. He also spent some quality time with George Clinton and Funkadelic.

And this is just some of the story.

Wait until he tells the sad story of the plane crash that killed Otis Redding and most of the Bar Kays. He was supposed to be on that flight.



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NEXT WEEK: Gee Whiz, It's Carla Thomas

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The Customer Service Blues

Everyone has a tale to tell about their customer service nightmares. Major corporations who treat you more as a number than a human. It is inevitable and there is no way out. But man, when that bell rings and I am getting screwed, that fight is on, Jack.

I'll tell you about a little trick I learned in this episode. Also a great time with Gypsy Heartz with some stories and songs are right here.



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NEXT WEEK: Howard Grimes and The Wiggins Brothers

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Lucky Buddha: The Video

Okay, there I was thinking about saving the beer for another episode of the show. Then my show schedule kinda got booked and it would be a while before I could get to opening the thing up during a future episode of the show.

Thanks to the miracle that is the internet and this whole video concept, I got to thinking about why not just video the whole thing and make it an addendum to the original show.

If you haven't heard Episode 64: Lucky Buddha, stop now and go listen to that first, THEN watch this video.

Here's the thing, I am no sommelier and there is no such thing for beer drinkers. People who judge beer are beer drinkers. Nothing fancy. About as fancy as they get is Beer Critic. Nevertheless, if it comes to be a critic, then we all are critics and this video is fine example of that uneducated skill. Frankly, it doesn't matter what I think of a beer. If you like it, drink it.

Here is my take on the Lucky Buddha Enlightened Beer.



Stay tuned...

Ric & Jeff Chew The Fat

We have all referred to ourselves as whores in the radio business. But actual whores working out of an actual radio station is a sight to behold and an amusing story I tell in this episode From Radioland. Jeff Janovetz and I sat down to pick up where we left off from the first episode (sort of) and we get into corporate America, the Peter Principle, the ever changing world of technology, advertising and the aforementioned tale of actually running whores from a radio station.

So, grab a beverage, a sandwich and buckle up, this one get's a little wild.



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Exciting news! Although we don't really make too much of a mention in this show, From Radioland has now surpassed 3,000 subscribers! This podcast is now available on iTunes, Stitcher and Tunein. Or, you can just keep it here on this blog and enjoy each new episode as they are updated every Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for all your support and as always, stay tuned...

Ric Gets A Little Dark

A little adjustment to the podcast schedule. I am moving the upload dates to Sundays. The reason being is after I upload an episode to Podbean, it takes some 24 hours for it to go live on iTunes. There are bunch of ways to subscribe to this thing but it seems that most of the subscribers to the podcast do so through iTunes. Anyway, here it is, a little early present for your listening pleasure 24 hours before the iTunes subscribers get to listen. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy producing the thing.



Stay tuned...

Episode 2: Brother Doug!

You want to get a peek into the madness that is Brother Doug? Sure you do. Gird your loins and prepare yourselves for a podcast experience like no other. I hope you enjoy it.



Thanks for listening and remember, you can subscribe to this podcast through iTunes and have fresh episodes delivered to your device every time it gets uploaded. Speaking of which, it looks like the upload day is going to be each Monday.

Stay tuned...

From The Written to The Spoken

You might want to read my last post here if you haven't before reading further.

Here's the thing. I now have a podcast which will now take the place (in a weird sort of way) of the written word. This page will continue to be updated as the podcasts get into the schedule. The good thing here is that there are a scheduled series of podcasts that will be posted approximately once a week.

You see, speaking is much more natural to me than sitting in front of a keyboard bashing out word after word that I merely hear in my head. So the decision was made to utilize the tools I have to make something a little more amusing for you to listen to and/or waste your time.

The podcast has been accepted at iTunes and is now available to download by clicking HERE. You should already have an account with iTunes. If not, go ahead and get one, it's free and easy. While you there, please subscribe to the thing and you can expect a new episode about once a week.

For the uninitiated, get your free podcast app from your app store and you will be able to subscribe to the thing and as they are updated, you will get the episode downloaded to your device for you to consume at your leisure. On your mobile device (phone or tablet), open a browser and go to http://ricchetter.podbean.com/mobile/ tap the quick launch icon and the above picture will show up as a bookmark that will rest right on your screen amongst your other apps. For you desktop and laptop users, just head on over to ricchetter.podbean.com 

You can follow the feed from that site.

For those who are still paying attention to this blog site, guess what? I'll be posting the episodes right here.

In fact, here is the first one.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

I hope you enjoy it!

Stay Tuned...
 

Radio Memphis

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.