(Above: The sort of thing you find in my house.) Now that my dissertation on 1960s radio and race is completed, I finally get to read things that I want to read rather than sticking to research that I need to do. Sometimes, I get lucky, and find a book that serves both masters, in … Continue reading Check your stylus: George Hamilton IV, “A Rose and a Baby Ruth” (1956)
Month: September 2016
Happy birthday, Boss: Bruce Springsteen, “Growin’ Up” (1973)
Bruce Springsteen turns 67 today. Proving without a doubt that age is merely a number, The Boss has been touring the last several months, continually breaking his own record for longest concert appearance. His shows on this tour have been clocking in at over four hours. I've seen him twice, and both times the shows … Continue reading Happy birthday, Boss: Bruce Springsteen, “Growin’ Up” (1973)
Radio Memories: 97X… Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll (Part 2)
Above: Mixtape, Summer 1991. 25 years ago today - 9/20/1991 - I did my last radio show on 97X in the Quad Cities. The summer of 1991 was a magical time at that station. We were a solid #1 in every demo and every daypart. The Birch ratings for the spring book had the night … Continue reading Radio Memories: 97X… Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll (Part 2)
Radio memories: 97X…Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll, Part 1 (1991)
(Above: Top, Raymond Babbit giving the station ID. Bottom, commemorating the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley in 1991. L-R: PD Guy Perry, production director Ray Sherman, Len as Elvis, and News Director Katie Cole.) Twenty-five years ago this week I left my job at 97X in the Quad Cities. In a career that … Continue reading Radio memories: 97X…Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll, Part 1 (1991)
Crossing the line: Utter Confusion, “Beer Goggles” (1988)
(Above: The 12" single in question. Good luck finding it.) I had a long conversation with my college radio advisor yesterday. John Carey has been responsible for the students of WLRA at Lewis University for the last thirty years or so. He was a young advisor when I was a freshman back at the school … Continue reading Crossing the line: Utter Confusion, “Beer Goggles” (1988)
Rainy day music: Dee Clark, “Raindrops” (1961)
The image that I use for the blog is a Panasonic phonograph model SG-336. It is identical to the one that was probably the most important birthday present I ever received. When I turned 4, my parents decided that I could probably handle my own phonograph. This may have been partly motivated that I was … Continue reading Rainy day music: Dee Clark, “Raindrops” (1961)
A radio anniversary: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know it” (1987)
(Above: This is not at all what the first day looked like, but when I think "college radio," it looks like this.) Each of us has certain dates that stand out in our lives that go past our own birthdays. Anniversaries, the death of a parent (I have two of those dates to remember), job … Continue reading A radio anniversary: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know it” (1987)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 