(Above: The book I had my Media History students read during the 2022-23 year. They loved it - and the show as well, since I brought video.) Tom Smothers, one of the most important figures in American television comedy, passed away today after a brief illness. He was 86. I don't think I am overstating … Continue reading Rest in peace, Tom Smothers: The Smothers Brothers, “My Old Man” (1963)
comedy
Don’t buy the liverwurst: Allan Sherman, “Shticks of One and a Half Dozen of the Other” (1963)
(Above: Yet another #1 album for Allan Sherman.) I always enjoyed comedy and parody. The earliest radio projects that I did (the ones I wrote about from sixth grade) involved taking something established and turning it on its ear in some way. When I got my own college radio morning show I sprinkled in liberal … Continue reading Don’t buy the liverwurst: Allan Sherman, “Shticks of One and a Half Dozen of the Other” (1963)
12+ Blogs of Christmas, Airing of Grievances Edition: Bob Rivers, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” (1988)
(Above: "I gotta lot of problems with you people..." Say the word "festivus," and most people with a handle on popular culture of the 1990s will know exactly what you mean. The holiday, first introduced to the lexicon by Seinfeld (a show that added such phrases as "double-dipping" and "not that there's anything wrong with … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas, Airing of Grievances Edition: Bob Rivers, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” (1988)
Election day special: John Records Landecker, “Press My Conference” (1974)
(Above: JRL in what is described as a "pensive promo shot.") I've been tremendously lucky to have worked with some of the most talented people ever to grace a radio station. I've joked with students that in some ways I was a sort of Forrest Gump of radio, being in the right place at the … Continue reading Election day special: John Records Landecker, “Press My Conference” (1974)
Election week special: Presidential satire albums (1962 – 1982)
Radio history trivia: for a number of years, it was against the law for anyone to impersonate the voice of the President of the United States on the radio. This was a response to the "scare" of The War Of the Worlds (1938). I say "scare" in quotation marks because media research has shown us … Continue reading Election week special: Presidential satire albums (1962 – 1982)
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