Link to new blog

CHECK OUT THE NEW ADVENTURES OF DESDINOVA THE SUPER VILLAIN OF THE OZARKS!!! It is a new blog is a retro pop culture blog. Click here to see it.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Have a Happy New Year & Happy Kwanzaa (or I will send this robot after you)


Some of you closet Klansmen here in the Ozarks don't celebrate Kwanzaa because "Yer agin it." Well, I have this giant killer robot with a death ray mounted on it's head. I have it programmed to hunt down people who don't celebrate Kwanzaa and don't party on News Years Eve. When it finds you closet Klansmen and non-partiers it will VAPORIZE YOU! Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHA!
This will all start New Years Day (which is also the final day of Kwanzaa) or as soon as I get some batteries for the robot at Wal-Mart.

Also want to thank the folks over at Show-Me Opinions for their kind words about me. I also got a nice note from Kathee from The Crime Scene. "You always make me snicker when I read your blog, Des. Believe me, 20 year class reunions AREN'T what they're cracked up to be. Maybe YOU should give Eunice a ringy-dingy." NO Kathee, some things are better left in the past. Besides I hear her husband is a big man. Of course, I have a giant killer robot with a death ray mounted on it's head. Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHA! Also, I'm saving myself for Paris Hilton.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Gay Xmas on Park Central Square in Springfield, MO 1959


I had to post a bit of this Woolworth's ad from a 1959 Springfield News Leader. I was hoping to see how many people's heads exploded. I bet some will write the News Leader, upset that they printed a "gay" back in the 50's. I bet this will get the phones on KSGF buzzing (the fine folks over at KWTO-AM have better things to do this week).
I should note that as mentioned in the Cranks post, women's panties were a dollar and Milk of Magnesia was sixty cents. I should also mention to Busplunge that the item he got a kick out of was a brand name, Child's Razor Blades, not childs razor blades (For little shavers?).

Lebanon Daily Record 1959: Mr. Magoo Gives Stag Beer For Xmas


From a December 1959 Lebanon Daily Record. I find the unusual because we have not only the idea a beer for a Christmas gift being given by a cartoon character, but the ad is in the newspaper of a town the only recently started allowing liquor sales in grocery stores.

Springfield News Leader 1959 - Whiskey for Christmas


The Springfield News Leader and Daily News were filed with hard alcohol ads in the 50's. There seem to be a push to give them as gifts at Christmas time.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

1959 XMAS in Springfield News Leader






These ads are from Christmas time 1959. They're for a chain of drug/variety stores called Cranks that were in Springfield. We hear about how "perfect" the 1950's were for family values.

These ads feature the use of "Xmas." I also notice that these stores in the 50's ran specials every week on women's panties and Milk of Magnesia. I wonder if there was a connection.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Bob Palmer News Leader Cartoon 1959 - City Council Meeting


My roommate (who is also my twin brother - I'm the evil twin you always hear about) found this Bob Palmer cartoon in a 1959 News Leader. I think the idea of a speaker at city council exaggerating things is funny, but then I realize the character maybe trying to get improvements on the drainage system which as you know is one of my pet peeves.
Either way it shows somethings never change, except Jason isn't there to tell us which councilman has the best tie. The way Palmer drew the city council it looks like they didn't have any necks.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Has It Been 28 Years Since John Lennon was Murdered?


You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us and the world will live as one. John Lennon.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

STOP POSTING SPAM ON MY BLOG (or why I haven't been allowing comments)

Some of the other local bloggers e-mailed me and asked why I haven't been allowing comments on my blog since early in the summer months. One word: SPAM! I've had spam about cut rate drugs from Canada, cheap jewelry from China, stocks and bonds and even a few strange candidates for office.

However the worst has been a person who has started a political action committee in California. This person has been trying to post a link to this groups website. They usually add a remark like "You are fool not to join us in our fight for real justice" or "Only a stupid person would not want to support our cause."

I sorry, I will NOT give free publicity to a political movement I don't agree with. I also won't give free publicity to a group that sells t-shirts and books. I especially find the t-shirt for children in poor taste. "My Mama's for Obama" was on kids this fall was cute but "I Was Molested By a Bad Judge" for sale on your site is creepy.

I understand that there are times when things aren't fair, but demonizing everyone in a certain profession and trying to ruin the careers of innocent people who do their job right is sadistic.

Today, this person showed themselves for what they are: a selfish bully.

  1. This person tried to post this tirade under the Forrest J. Ackerman story. It has nothing to do with Forry or Famous Monsters (although this person is a creep).
  2. "I always thought people in the Ozarks were stupid. You are proof." That's funny people in the Ozarks always say people in California are obnoxious and you are proof.
  3. "From what I read on this blog you are not only against person liberty and justice, but anti-family." Obviously he doesn't understand my humor, but then again so do some here in the Ozarks.
  4. This person wrote his little sob story which didn't win me over. Apparently this guy claims he didn't get custody of his son because "The judge had the hots for my blond actress ex-slut who stupidly votes for the Dumbo-crats." Yeah, this guy knows how to make you feel sorry for him. This was followed several references to being a "I'm a high paid bank executive." He also believes in "firm discipline" unlike his "ex-slut" (this phrase must have been his creation). Then he mentioned that she put their child in "faggy music lessons" where as he felt the boy should participate in "Little League, Pop Warner Football or a cage fighting group one of my frat brother's son is involved with." So tell me again why you didn't get custody of the boy?
  5. "You are violating my free speech. I could sue you." You will have to find out who I AM first. Granted someone tried to out me earlier this year. Of course, I would get involved with him because his brother was mentioned in the story that hacked you off. He probably would't help you. Besides we would have to go to court and the judge might rule in my favor because he ( in the case of my post) or she have the "hots for me."
  6. "You are uninformed on this situation. I first heard of trouble like this when I would watch Wally George's show in junior high. Bill O'Reilly talks about bad judges all the time." You watched Wally George in junior high? Shouldn't they lock people like you up? How did a guy like you get married in the first place.

I deleted this from the Forrest Ackerman post and there will be no comments on this one. Tell the talk radio boys how I was mean to you, they might be interested. Also tell your "ex-slut" I'm available. She might be my type.

Forrest J. Ackerman 1916 - 2008


Monster Kids who grew up between the 50s to the 80s are morning the loss of Forrest J. Ackerman, founder of Famous Monsters. Here is a good piece from the Los Angeles Times about his life and career. As he would have written in Famous Monsters, Prince Sirki (Joe Black to you Brad Pitt fans) has taken another soul from the Earth.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Andy of Mayberry Fans Need to Get a Life


Remember twenty years ago, when William Shatner hosted Saturday Night Live and was in a sketch where he told a group of Trekkies at a convention to "Get a Life?" I feel it is time for Andy Griffith to tell some of the fans of his show the same thing. Especially the ones here in the Ozarks.

They have conniptions every when KYTV moves the reruns from noon. Also, I'm tired of hearing people say "I wish Springfield was more like Mayberry" or "How can we make Springfield more like Mayberry?" or "Springfield is a small town just like Mayberry." Let me explain something to you folks: MAYBERRY IS NOT A REAL TOWN AND SPRINGFIELD IS FAR FROM EVER BEING LIKE IT!

I find it interesting that many of these same people look down their noses at fans of Star Trek, Doctor Who or Dark Shadows, but are obsessive about returning to Mayberry for a visit with Andy, Barney and Aunt Bee. The sad part is these people want to change things so the world is more like Mayberry. They want to do away with cell phones, home computers, rap music and anything that wasn't mentioned or seen on the Andy Griffith Show or Mayberry R.F.D.

Now, before you start forming the wrong idea about me, let me say this, I like the Andy Griffith Show. I feel it is one of the best written sitcoms of all time. I have the utmost respect for Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts and the others because they were truly talented actors. Which brings me to my other gripe about these Andy of Mayberry fans: THEY HAVE NO TASTE IN WHICH EPISODES ARE THEIR FAVORITE! THEY ALWAYS PICK THE ONES THAT SUCK (IMHOP)! My favorite episode is entitled the "Loaded Goat," a goat eats a highway crews dynamite and scares everyone except Otis. I also like any episode involving the Darlings and Ernest T. Bass. Those make me laugh, just like Family Guy and the Simpsons.

However, these obsessive fans here in the Ozarks always say they like the episode where Andy takes the spoiled kid's bicycle away. It seems they always pick episodes where Oppie gets punished. When these Andy fans tell me this, I tell them that I like the "It's a Good Life" episode of the Twilight Zone. It tell them that is the way my childhood SHOULD have been. I could have banished half of Lebanon, MO, to the cornfield and turned the other half into jack-in-the-boxes.

I guess that is why I don't understand the bizarre obsession with the Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry. As a song that was popular when I was in country radio (against my will) said "I grew up in a Mayberry kind of town." Actually, I felt like more like Oliver Douglas on Green Acres, I was the only sane, intelligent person in Lebanon, but that is just me. To me Star Trek, Doctor Who and Dark Shadows are a fun escape (although, like DS, I have some monsters and bloodsuckers in my family). I don't see them as a pattern for my life. Some of this Andy of Mayberry worship stuff has come from the mega-churches. They watch the reruns together and discuss the message. Strange, where I go to church we use the New Testament.

I was really hoping this video Ron Howard made a few months ago would help break these people of their obsession. I guess Andy is going to have to give these folks a Shatner speech. He can use Barney's favorite phrase, "NIP IT IN THE BUD!"

Monday, December 1, 2008

Bill Drake 1937 - 2008

Boss Angeles TV station KCAL is reporting the death of radio programming giant Bill Drake. He was 71. Of the stations Drake programmed KHJ in "Boss Angeles" was the most famous. Drake took the already popular Top 40 format and made it exciting. He gave Top 40 a streamlined style. The Wikipedia entry for Bill Drake explains his importance to radio in the best way.

"Drake streamlined the Top 40 format, using modern methods, such as market research and ratings demographics, to maximize the number of listeners. He believed in forward momentum, limiting the amount of disc jockey chatter, the number of advertisements and playing only the top hits, as opposed to less-organized programming methods of the past. Drake created concepts such as 20/20 News and counter programming, by playing music sweeps, while his competitors aired news. Drake-Chenault controlled everything from the specific DJs that were hired, to radio contests, visual logos, promotions and commercial policy. Drake essentially put radio back into the hands of programming, instead of sales. Drake hired the Johnny Mann Singers to produce the Boss Radio jingles, ensuring a bright, high-energy sound that engaged the listener, while providing a bridge from song to song, as well as a smooth transition from songs to commercials."

Yes, he created a strict format but it was a fun and enjoyable one. His stars were fun guys like Robert W. Morgan and the Real Don Steel, not screaming right-wing wackos. He made radio appealed to those who liked to listen to the radio for new music and maybe a joke or two, rather than people who complain about hearing the same liner or jingle more than once a day. Drake didn't suffer fools and whiners, he made radio for those who wanted to be hip and belong to a generation.

For a sample of KHJ and Drake's master touch there is a composite of stuff from the 70's on About.com-Radio, a 1968 KHJ aircheck of Robert W. Morgan is here on Rock Radio Scrapbook, and a compilation from You Tube with photos of the Top 40 fliers.

Monday, November 24, 2008

25 Songs that Make Me Feel Good, But Suggest I'm Too Hostile for Radio

I always fall into these traps. I was asked by someone at work for a supposed "fun thing" to list 25 songs that make feel good. This co-worker said the song should be "something that can bring you out of a bad mood or put you in a positive mood." Here is the 25 songs I wrote down (with links to You Tube vids of the songs):
  1. Chuck Berry "Roll Over Beethoven"
  2. Bob Dylan "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
  3. The Beatles "Revolution"
  4. The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction"
  5. The Who "My Generation"
  6. The Monkees "I’m Not Your Steppin Stone"
  7. The Music Machine "Talk Talk"
  8. The Seeds "Pushin Too Hard"
  9. Steppenwolf "Born To Be Wild"
  10. Sly & the Family Stone "I Wanna Take You Higher"
  11. The MC5 "Kick Out the Jams"
  12. Black Sabbath "Paranoid"
  13. Blue Oyster Cult "Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll"
  14. Grand Funk "Rock and Roll Soul"
  15. Alice Cooper "School’s Out"
  16. Queen "We Will Rock You"
  17. The Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen"
  18. Bruce Springsteen "Badlands"
  19. The Ramones "Rock & Roll High School"
  20. Van Halen "And the Cradle Will Rock"
  21. Joan Jett "I Love Rock and Roll"
  22. Quiet Riot "Mental Health (Bang Your Head)
  23. Twisted Sister "We’re Not Gonna Take It"
  24. Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right To Party"
  25. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
What I didn't know was this stuff was going to be given to the format consultant, as suggestions for possible addition to the stations playlist. The consultant has branded me "too hostile for radio." This guy feels that the station should attract a women between the ages of 25 - 60, non-smokers, who drive Volvos and won't let their children watch SpongeBob Square Pants or Thomas the Tank Engine because of the "excessive violence." These women our radio station is supposed to target also have All-Bran and prune juice for breakfast and wear white cotton panties. I might frighten these women.
My question is "What would be wrong with frightening those women?" Mwu-HAHAHAHAHA! I think they would deserve it.
Also I was told by a male co-work that he thought I was a danger to the company because of my hostile music choices. He also doesn't like my blog. He is a really square white guy, who likes talk radio.
Now, my question is how are my music suggestion anymore hostile than the stuff collected from the talk goons by Media Matters?
I guess having "hostile" musical taste is just one more thing that makes me Super-Villain of the Ozarks. Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

R.I.P MTV's TRL


One of my goals when a entered MSU (then SMSU) as an electronic media and broadcasting major was to host a teen music TV show like Dick Clark. I wanted to be that friendly adult the teenagers could trust to introduce them to the cool new music. Sadly, that dream becoming reality is disappearing very quickly.


On Sunday, MTV's TRL will go the way of American Bandstand, the Midnight Special, Solid Gold, Shindig, Hullabaloo, Where the Action Is and others teen music shows. The New York Daily News reports that original host Carson Daly returns for the two hour final show. This also is the end of MTV as a music video outlet, instead turning, like other networks, to cheaply made reality shows. Daly says he hopes it returns soon. Maybe it will or will it be like two of the above mentioned shows and be come a set of DVDs sold on late night TV through Guthie-Renker.
My fear is MTV is may turn from the young pop music fans who made them great and start catering to paranoid, cranky old white men like AM radio did (see story above).

Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell Dies at 61

Sorry about getting to this a little late, but I've been busy with other matters. CNN reports the death of Mitch Mitchell, whose fantastic drumming accompanied the great Jimi Hendrix on his first three LPs.

I've always believed that Hendrix was murdered by agents from the Nixon administration, instead of that overdose story.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

News Leader - Don't Increase The Price, Charge LTTE Writers

Ron Davis over at Chatter announced this earlier this week. The Springfield News Leader is raising it's price. My suggestion, if they need to make more money, is charge the letter to the editor writers. I feel that students who write for a class project and liberals SHOULD NOT be charged. Conservatives should be charged by their topic.
  • Anti-abortion letters - $75
  • Anti-gay letters $75
  • Too much sex/violence/foul language in entertainment $100
  • Media is bias against conservatives $500
  • Anti-cruising $ 30
  • Young people are evil $50
  • Anti-MSU $50
  • Anti-Obama $100
  • Anti-Clinton $100
I feel that with in a year, Gannett will not have to make budget cuts and we will get the paper for free.

Friday, October 31, 2008

The Greatest Radio Broadcast Ever Was 70 Years Ago


I'm actually a day behind with this, but it is something that has always intrigued me - The Mercury Theater version of War of the Worlds. Here is an article from the New York Daily News. Did this really panic the East Coast or was this blown out of proportion by newspapers competing against radio? Was it Nelson Eddy singing on the Chase & Sandborn Hour that caused people to change the station and miss the opening disclaimer? Why do some people condemn Orson Welles for this, yet think talk radio is a great thing?

Halloween Movie Ideas

Many people who are too old to trick or treat (or go on a pub crawl) like to rent or purchase horror movies to watch. Granted many popular websites and magazines have "Scariest of All-Time" list, but most of those are films made during the last four decades. Some lazy people give you films made only since 2000. I'm going to give you different choices.

Traditional: The Universal monsters are always good for Halloween. That includes these set featuring Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman. Add to that the Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection, which included Bela Lugosi and a proto-Goth Chick in Mark of the Vampire, Boris Karloff as politically incorrect villain Fu Manchu, the early color film Doctor X and it's boring sequel staring Humphrey Bogart, Mad Love with Peter Lorre as a Stewie Griffin prototype and Devil Doll with Lionel Barrymore as a Mrs. Doubtfire prototype. Also try out Frederic March's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

A Ton of Fun for a Good Price: Check out Mill Creek's Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack. Some great stuff and a few clinkers, but for under $20 bucks in most stores.

For kids: Try to find Mad Monster Party featuring the voices of Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller and Gale Garnett. There is also the 70's Saturday morning cartoon the Groovie Ghoulies.

Ultimate pick: It's a DVD (pic above) put out a few year ago by Something Weird called Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (Spook Show Spectacular). The title movie is a hokey beach party thing with guys in gorilla suits running around, however if you can maneuver the tricky menu on this you will find several things including Bert I. Gordon's Tormented (a psychological ghost thriller), an anti-cable TV ad using art work from Famous Monsters magazine, monsters movies made by kids from the 20's and 30's (seriously these are good), monstrous musical numbers from the Big Band era (one features a dancing skeleton puppet) and a goofy 50s educational film called Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (the sequel was called Don't Wet the Bed).

Bad Cinema at It's Finest: Andy Milligan's 1970 Vampire film the Body Beneath. Filmed in Highgate Cemetery (fooled some Brits who thought vampires were in Highgate) with red-headed-green vampire women in prom dresses, a hippie hunchback is set on fire and nailed to a church door, a maid has her eyes poked out with knitting needles and the fat ghost of Queen Victoria spouts anti-American sentiments. Here is the trailer to get you interested.



HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Git Yer Punkin at the Studio & Flags Should Be At Half Staff for Damiano

This is from an October 1978 Springfield News Leader. Another ad for the Studio. This holiday classic stars John "Wadd" Holmes.

I also think the flags should be at half staff for Gerard Damiano, the pioneering adult film director of Deep Throat, who died this week at age 80. If it wasn't for him Mark Felt couldn't have brought down Tricky Dicky. CNN has Damiano's obit.

Monday, October 27, 2008

FIVE DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN

Yes, five days until Halloween, my favorite holliday. Of course, none of the radio stations in Springfield are playing wall-to-wall Halloween music like I have suggested they should. Watch - next week one of the stations will start playing wall-to-wall Christmas music just to irritate me. YOU SHOULDN'T PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC UNTIL DECEMBER!

Last Halloween, I posted a list of my Top 50 favorite songs for Halloween. I have had more hits on that post than any other. I've decided to post that list of songs again.
These songs are not in order:
  1. Monster Mash – Bobby B. Pickett
  2. Dinner With Drac – John Zacherle
  3. Til The Following Night – Screaming Lord Sutch
  4. Bark at the Moon – Ozzy Osbourne
  5. Don’t Fear The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
  6. Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Bauhaus
  7. Children of the Grave – Black Sabbath
  8. Creature with The Atom Brain – Roky Erikson
  9. Season of the Witch – Donavon
  10. Welcome to My Nightmare - Alice Cooper
  11. Frankenstein – Edgar Winter Group
  12. Black Magic Women – Santana
  13. She’s Fallen In Love with a Monster Man – Screaming Lord Sutch
  14. She’s My Witch – Kip Tyler
  15. The Voodoo Walk - Sonny Richard’s Panics (with Cindy and Lindy)
  16. Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley
  17. The Midnight Stroll – The Revells
  18. Vampire Rock and Roll – Fabulous Poodles
  19. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) – Marilyn Manson
  20. Spooky – Atlanta Rhythm Section
  21. Thriller – Michael Jackson
  22. Red Right Hand – Nick Cave
  23. Witch Queen of New Orleans – Redbone
  24. Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula – the Diamonds
  25. Boris the Spider – The Who
  26. Bloodletting - Concrete Blonde
  27. Frankenstein - New York Dolls
  28. Nightmare- Artie Shaw
  29. In the Hall of the Mountain King - Sounds Incorporated
  30. Casting My Spell - Johnny Otis Show
  31. Night of Fear - The Move
  32. You Must Be a Witch - Lollipop Shop
  33. Charlotte’s Web - the Fuzztones
  34. The Mummy - Bob Mc Fadden and Dor
  35. The Blob - the Five Blobs
  36. Ghost Riders in the Sky - The Ramrods
  37. Hurry Sundown - The Outlaws
  38. I Put a Spell on You - Screamin Jay Hawkins
  39. Sympathy for the Devil - the Rolling Stones
  40. Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
  41. King Kong - The Kinks
  42. Rockin in the Graveyard - Jackie Morningstar
  43. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
  44. The Witch - the Sonics
  45. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
  46. Black JuJu - Alice Cooper
  47. I Walk on Gilded Splinters - Dr. John
  48. Frankenstein’s Den - The Hollywood Flames
  49. Screaming Ball at Dracula Hall - the Duponts
  50. Grimly Fiendish - The Damned

I recently found another Halloween song. This is a German-made early disco song called "Soul Dracula." It was a big hit in Europe in 1975, which many people agree was the begining of the Disco Era. This should have been the nail in disco's coffin or stake in it's heart. I'm giving you this performance from a French TV variety show, because it has a cool looking Count Dracula, sexy dancing girls and a man in the audience with a dog puppet.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Car Wash Sex in Saginaw Sucks

It is the kind of stuff they make bad teen movies about. WLNS TV in Lansing, Michigan has the story of a poor guy looking for oral sex at the car wash. Sadly, he was arrested.

"Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash." A resident called the police and the man was arrested by a police office who approached on foot. The poor dope couldn't get away because he was being held in place by the suction.

His name was released because people would laugh at him for getting it on with a car wash vacuum. I wonder if he was going spray himself with the scent machine.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Neal Hefti 1922 - 2008

He was the arranger for such Big Bands as Count Basie, Woody Herman and Harry James. He worked with Frank Sinatra, but he will be remembered for writing one of the greatest TV theme songs of all time. Neal Hefti, who wrote the theme song for the TV show Batman, has died at age 85 (according to AP).

He said it was the hardest writing job he was ever given, although it has the easiest lyrics to remember. It provided Hefti with his only Top 40 hit and was covered by such artist as Harry James, Nelson Riddle (who scored the TV show and 1966 movie), the Who, the Kinks, Jan and Dean, Link Wray, the Ventures and the Jam.

Hefti was also the writer of the Odd Couple theme song.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Are These The Ugly Ozarks Twins You Are Looking For?


The Feedjit has seem several hits to this website from Great Brittan for "ugly Ozarks twins" or "ugly twins of the Ozarks." I hope this is what you British folks are looking for. These guys were last seen putting up this billboard in West Plains.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Smothers Brothers DVD Not Perfect But Well Worth the Money


I had mentioned in June that I was looking forward to the upcoming release of the Smothers Brother Comedy Hour on DVD. I purchased it last week and have enjoyed watching these shows from the final season.
The show was pulled from CBS because of the political nature of the show. If you compare these shows to the Laugh-In shows on DVD, you'll wonder if CBS didn't have it in for Tom and Dick or NBC's censors were as dumb as a box of rocks. Also when you find out what was censored you'll shake your head in disbelief. On the other hand, some of the stuff that got by is great. My favorite is a skit invoving the first interacial wedding in the South. After the "I do's," minister ask for "the rope" instead of the ring.
My only problem is this is not the complete third season. Several episodes are missing including two shows featuring the Beatles. Also, one episode had some dialogue in a skit removed by the censors, however it has not replaced. I realize that might be because this was recorded live on video tape.

The forth disk does make up for this stuff with a TV special/mockumentary called "Pat Paulsen For President" narrated by Henry Fonda. For those too young to remember, Pat Paulsen was a comedian on the show who delivered very deadpan "editorials" and later political speeches. The gag was that he was running for president in 1968. He also ran in the years after the show up until his death in 1997. The extras include a performance from the early 1990's at a comedy club in Alaska and extra footage from the TV special featuring Sen. Robert Kennedy and Woody Allen.
Hopefully, the next DVD set will contain some of the missing episodes. However, the DVD set is well worth it. Check it out. It is fun and better for you than watching Faux News.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Chief's Quarterback or Peanuts Character


One is named Thigpen, the other is named Pigpen. Confused?

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Passings

I wanted to mention the passing of three people: Pink Floyd keyboardist and founding member Richard Wright who passed away Monday at age 65. Here is CNN's obit. One of the classic Pink Floyd songs written by Wright was "The Great Gig In the Sky."

Norman Whitfield, wrote and produced many of the great Motown hits, passed away Wednesday at age 67. Here is a CNN story about Whitfield's career. One was the songs he wrote was "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations.

I wanted to also mention a local passing, Joe McAdoo. He was a Drury University professor. For the past few years he wrote a column for the Springfield Business Journal called "Rusty Saber." Those of us who grew up in the Ozarks, we remember seeing Joe McAdoo on KOZK during the Tele-Auction when he would put on the fireman's hat for the "Firehouse Quickie." Eric Olsen of SBJ wrote this nice piece about "the Rusty Saber."

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Good Old Days?


This is a real ad. Lysol did advertise itself this way. It sounds painful to me.

Russ Meyer Film at the Gilloiz

The Russ Meyer film Up! was shown at the Gillioz Theater in April of 1977. How about a Russ Meyer marathon at the newly restored Gillioz?

Monday, August 4, 2008

VIRUS WARNING: E-mail from CNN!!!

I don't know about the rest of you but I received an e-mail that looked to be an advertisement from CNN promoting their on-line videos. I had an uneasy feeling because I had received a e-mail the previous week mentioning CNN on-line, but the content on that e-mail was "Did you see this on CNN?" and a link that WASN'T to CNN. I deleted that. I tried to click on one of the on-line video headlines. A security warning came up saying the link was to a VIRUS!

Earlier in the week I was getting badly constructed e-mails from Ad Age that supposedly went to their videos. Ad Age has never mentioned on their website or other e-mails that they had on-line video.

I thought I should warn some of you of this virus carrying e-mail going around.

Monday, July 28, 2008

KBUG Magazine Ad from 1980


KBUG was a radio station in Springfield many moons ago. It was at 1060 AM where KBFL AM is now. In this ad that ran in Springfield magazine in January of 1980, they are promoting their news format. They had also been "Music of Your Life" (as KBFL is) and a disco format. This ad is creative however it has two flaws. It stereotypes the other stations listeners (which can be okay) and it is aiming at advertisers rather than listeners. BTW, I'd like to dance with Ms. Grinder.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

I Didn't Like The Dark Knight (but it didn't suck as bad as I thought it would)

In March, I predicted the Dark Knight would suck. This was based on the publicity photos I was seeing of Heath Ledger playing the Joker. I had a feeling this was going to be like that Hallie Berry/Catwoman movie a few years back. I took some flack about it from some fanboy. Last week, I decided since this has been a very popular (or unpopular) post, I would do the honorable thing and see The Dark Knight.

THE DARK KNIGHT DOES NOT SUCK - BUT I STILL DIDN'T LIKE IT. It was a very good, well-crafted, scripted and shot film. The cinematography is well worth the ticket. Heath Ledger's Joker is creepy and, at times, funny.

It still isn't the Batman I grew up with. Most of the The Dark Knight script was influenced by comics made after 1986. The exception was a story I remember reading when I was ten years old in a Batman digest. The story was from 1973 an entitled "The Joker's Five Way Revenge."

Even that story didn't have the body count of this film (However, there have always been rumors about the Joker in this story, which may have explained the Joker/Ledger quoting the line from Brokeback Mountain and his "nurse" disguise).

One thing missing that the previous film and TV versions, (Okay, I've still not seen Batman Begins) except for the movie serials, had that was a trademark of the comic books for many years - giant, working models of everyday items. I would have loved for Ledger to have killed several innocent bystanders with a sign in the shape of a giant ear of corn. He would have then said to Christian Bale, "I know. My humor is corny."

See I grew up preferring the stories of the 40's - 70's. The artwork by Dick Sprang (see above) and Carmine Infantino (SP) coupled with what one DC writer referred to as "the Chamber of Commerce Batman." It was this Batman that was on the TV show in the sixties and Saturday morning cartoons of the seventies. The Batman of my childhood doesn't sound like he gargles Draino. Actually he sounds like the mayor on Family Guy.

Also, once more (some one posted a comment that agreed with me on this) I ask "Why did the Joker look like he put his make-up on in the back seat of a school bus on a bumpy road?" I prefer the dyed skin concept from the comics.
However, I like the idea of a villain centered movie. How about DESDINOVA THE SUPER VILLAIN OF THE OZARKS movie?

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Have a Great Weekend (with the Weekend Girls)


A Studio ad from April of 1977 for a film called the Weekend Girls. Sorry that there isn't a listing on IMDB for this. I'm also sorry it is crooked.

I'd like to thank Jason (of Life of Jason) and Busplunge for mentioning my blog on their blogs this week. Busplunge found both Les Crane's Desdiderata and National Lampoon's Deteriarata (sp) on You Tube.

Friday, July 18, 2008

I'm Going Door To Door Trying Find Friendly People To Talk To

A few weeks ago, a young guy came to the door. He was covered with tattoos and not exactly clean. He claimed to be a college student majoring in communication and was "required to go door to door, trying to find 1000 friendly people to talk to." He told me he wanted to go into radio. I was ready to explain to him that he should really concentrate on a career in television or cable technology, when his story became more outrageous. He told me that it was a "law" that he would have to have a two year internship at a radio station or he could (Are you ready for this?) sell magazine subscriptions. Why this doofus picked selling magazines is beyond me? Then, the story got goofy.

The money he earned would pay for his participation in a "special student project." He and other students from other American colleges were going to the BBC to film a remake of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail "in memory of the original film's star John Gleezz, who died last year." You probably are ahead of me, but the chaps name is John Cleese and he is still living ("I'm not dead yet!"). Also. if the BBC wanted to pay homage to a legendary comedian, why would they have a bunch of American kids do it as a reward for selling magazine subscriptions?

I tried to get rid of the kid by telling him that I worked in radio, thinking he would see his story was not washing with me (Of course, washing was a foreign concept to this guy). Instead he tried to talk shop using strange terms for audio technology that he was making up as he went. I know this because the terms changed from "digital ominogragh" to "digital opthometer." I told him that must be "something new" and this bonehead said, "It was invented by the rapper P. Daddy." I assume that P. Daddy is really P. Diddy or Sean "Puffy" Combs or the late Bo Diddley (I wonder if they knew the late John Gleezz).

I didn't buy any magazines from this idiot nor did I buy any from the frightened and fidgety girl who came to the door the next week. While, I'm laughing at this, the sad reality is these kids are involved in something very ugly. Here is an article from the Houston Press about door-to-door magazine sales. From this article, I realize the guy was using something called a "dirty canvas," which sounds correct seeing he was dirty himself. Basically, it is a false story (I don't know if mangled names of celebrities are part of this or not). Also threats are part of the life of these poor kids. Thinking back on the girl's mannerisms, I would say her bosses told her that she had to sell some magazine subscriptions before she could have a bathroom break (that was kind of how she acted).

This is a scary read folks, but I thought I should bring it to your attention. I've also been wanting to tell about that goofy guy for weeks.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

KY 3's Fred Miller Passes Away


If you grew up in the Ozarks, you remember Fred Miller and his OP art-flashing-animated weather map on KY 3. Mr. Miller died this morning at age 86. He was a weather man on KYTV from 1961 to 1995. Here is KY 3's tribute complete with some great video (watch for the help he gives Joe Hickman on sports).

Okay, Okay! I'll Go See The Dark Knight - If I Have Time

It has become one of the most read post on this blog of all time (Maybe the post about the Seeds song featured in the Axe commercial the most read. It is probably more popular). In March, I said that "I Think The Dark Knight Would Suck." I gave my opinion why and also admitted preferring the 60's TV show over all other versions. From photos I was seeing of Heath Ledger's Joker makeup I was not getting a good feeling.

Then I received an angry post from a Dark Knight-Fan named andrew (with a lowercase "A") who took me to task for judging the film before I even saw it. There was even a thread on the IMDB message boards about me (it has been deleted - Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!).

I watched the trailer the other night at Campbell 8 theater before Get Smart (which I recommend) and I've decided, to be fair, I'll try to see The Dark Knight for a review. Are you happy, nerd boys?

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Talk Show Host and "Desiderata" Announcer Les Crane Dead at 74

An early talk radio host, competitor to Johnny Carson and performer of a Grammy winning spoken word record has passed away. Les Crane was 71. CNN has the story.

ABC tried to run his talk show opposite Johnny Carson in 1965. It didn't work. However, most people would recognize his voice from the 1971 hit spoken word recording of the inspirational poem "Desiderata." Unlike many of the late sixties and early seventies spoken word recordings, this one doesn't have a right-wing slant.

Of course, I like the parody National Lampoon recorded on their Radio Diner LP with another great radio voice, Norman Rose.

According to CNN, "Casey Kasem also credited Crane in a 1990 interview with helping to develop the Top 40 countdown of most popular songs." If Casey says it, I'll believe it.

But Virginia Is For Lovers & We Are The QUEEN CITY

MSNBC has a story about how the governor of South Carolina and others are upset about these ads which appeared around the time of the Gay Pride festivities in the U.K. and elsewhere. A state tourism employee resigned over this. I doubt any gay people wanted to visit Civil War battlefields in South Carolina. There is also the language barrier because this turned off many junior high kids who read "South Carolina Is So Gay" and thought "South Carolina is boring stuff my parents would like."

Personally, I think Amro Worldwide should partner with Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. The posters can read "THEY DON'T CALL US THE QUEEN CITY FOR NOTHING!"

Friday, July 11, 2008

Back By Popular Demand - A Studio Ad

I haven't had the time to post any of these. This ad for Let's Play Doctor (Imaginative title, duh) comes from an issue of the Springfield Daily News from April 1977. This ad looks cheap. It is like the theater called the newspaper and said "Run a picture of a beautiful girl and write the title in with a Bic Banana marker." Remember, Desdinova likes to remind people of Springfield's naughty past. I'd also like to open a "family friendly" adult theater (that also serves cashew chicken).

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

This Story Will Leave a Bad Taste In Your Mouth

CNN has an update on the strange case of a registered sexual predator arrested for drinking the urine of young boys. According to a WSB-TV story from 2006, 54 year old Allen Patton has been a connoisseur of pee for forty years.

"Listening to him describe it, it's like listening to a crack or cocaine addict. He's addicted to children's urine," Detective Ron Fithen said.

Patton followed boys in the bathroom to retrieve his warm liquid treat. He probably mentally echoed Count De Monet in History of the World Part One famous line, "You look like piss boy."

I'll bet it taste like Heineken.

Character Actor From Aurora Dies: Don S. Davis was 65


You probably saw the face but didn't know his name. You also may not have known he was from Aurora and attended SMSU (MSU to you kids) for a short time in the mid-sixties. Don S. Dixon, best known for his roles on the TV shows Twin Peaks and Stargate SG-1, died Sunday of a heart attack at his home in Gibsons, British Columbia. Here is the news report from Canwest News Service.


Here is a very good obit and tribute from the Stargate fans site, as well as his IMDB listing.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

At Least Part of My Blog Was In the News Leader Tuesday

Maybe the News Leader does like me after all. A few weeks ago, I had complained about how the News Leader was always writing articles about anonymous blogging yet allowed anonymous bloggers to be hosted by their new website. Then, Monday I wrote a complimentary post about the column Sarah Overstreet had in Sunday's paper about the flooding problem with my 25 cents (most people add their two cents but I believe my opinion is worth 25 cents).

On Thursday, I was speaking with a former co-worker who said, "I liked what you said in the News Leader about the flooding problem." Now, I usually read the News Leader online. For some reason the Local Blogs were not on the Voices page of the website. I dug through the old News Leaders at work and found it in Tuesday's edition.

Now, here is the funny part. As you can see from the photo of the column above, most of what was printed from my blog post was the quote from Sarah Overstreet's column. I guess the rest of my comments (especially the suggestion about the wiffle ball bat) were not acceptable or something.

Monday, June 23, 2008

If You Don't Agree With Sarah Overstreet On This One, You Can Drown Yourself

I know I have given Sarah Overstreet a hard time about a few of her columns, but her column in Sunday's News Leader was about one of my big complaints about Springfield - the flooding problem during the rains. I have complained about the streets flooding during the slightest rainstorm since 1987. Usually, falling on deaf ears or having some Ozarker tell me "We don't want to pay the taxes to fix it."

My parents attended a funeral here in town on June 13th. It rain quite a bit that day. They told me they would never again doubt me when I said the streets of Springfield flood when it rains.

Sarah suggest that the resistance needs to stop: "The scenario again is as follows: Old infrastructure, lots of old and new problems to be fixed, and virtually no funds in comparison to need. If you care about your fellow citizens and don't want to see them crying outside their houses and picked up by fire-and-rescue units, you're going to have to give up some greenbacks. It won't be much per resident, but we've got to push the issue and be willing to follow it up with "yes" votes.

This is one time where the "we already pay too much taxes" argument just doesn't wash. Don't want to help? Tell that to the guy sitting in the pew with you next Sunday, who's been up all night with a bucket bailing out his basement."

Of course, in the comment under this column on the website, some idiot is claiming the photos of flooding where "doctored" by the News Leader. Well, then there are doctored photos on the TV station websites and well as the Remembering Springfield MySpace site. There is a photo over at Ebbett's Field of a guy kayaking down Walnut Street.

Ms. Overstreet says she will have more articles on this in the coming weeks. Good. Here is MY suggestion if you feel as strongly about this as I do.

  1. Carry a whiffle ball bat with you on the days we have rain.
  2. Bring up the streets flooding in conversation.
  3. If someone tells you that it will cost tax payers money and we pay too much taxes to fix it, you have Desdinova's permission to HIT THEM UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH THE WHIFFLE BALL BAT! Or you could...
  4. Take them outside to the nearest flooded area and "baptise them" until the "believe" we need to overhaul the drainage system. Or...
  5. Just ask them the old Bill Cosby line, "How long can you tread water?"

What is it going to take to solve this problem? Loss of property or life. How long can we tread water?

Did You Ever Watch an Old Movie on TV and Wonder How Many People in the Crowd Scenes Are Dead? George Carlin 1937-2008

Reuters is reporting that George Carlin has died at age 71. This pic is of the young George Carlin. Carlin's humor was an influence on me. I'm probably in radio because of his "Wonderful WINO" routine. He is the guy who created the "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say On Television." I've been lectured all my life about finding Carlin funny, so there will be no comments allowed. That will keep you Ozarkers from giving me another finger-shaking lecture about what is funny and what is not. I SAY GEORGE CARLIN WAS ONE FUNNY MOTHER&$%&ER!

Here is CNN's coverage. I think the media should go wall to wall with coverage of Carlin's death like they did with Tim Russert's death last week. Also I'm calling for flag to fly at half staff in memory of Mr. Carlin. That would really hack off the talk radio guys, but they deserve. I bet 'Wonderful WINO' is now a talk radio that is "standing up for what is right - even if it is wrong and just plain stupid!"

Maybe Nobody Was Pregnant To Begin With

My previous post was about the so-called pregnancy pact in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Now CNN is reporting that the Mayor of the town is questioning the validity of the whole thing. Mayor Carolyn Kirk says she will meet school, health and other officials to get figure out if the pregnancy pact was a hoax. The story came to light after the high school principal, Joseph Sullivan, told a Time magazine reporter about it.

"The high school principal is the one who initially said it, and no one else has said it," Kirk said. "None of the counselors at the school, none of the teachers who know these children and none of the families have spoken about it."

There is a difference between expecting and exposed.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Hey, Let's Get Pregnant!

I really thought we were past this kind of stupidity, however adults never seem to understand teenagers. Officials in Gloucester, Massachusetts, say that a group of teenage girls made a pact to get pregnant. The mayor, an anti-teen sex activist and a certain local talk radio show host (who came from Canada) is blaming Hollywood. Here is the AP story from Yahoo. First, Britney Spear’s little sister got pregnant, then there is that movie Juno (Right here I want to mention that I am madly in love with Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, who is on the cover of this month’s Writer’s Digest) about a pregnant teenager. IT IS ALL PART OF A PLOT!

Let me tell you what I know from my thirty-some years on this planet. Gloucester is a small town. This happens in small towns every year. It happened my senior year at Lebanon High School and about ten year ago People magazine had a cover story about a small town in Texas where about half the girls in school were pregnant. It happens all the time. Someone claims the girls were "giving Hi-Fives." I went to school in a small town and you always hear an eyewitness account from "Some kid." They are always unreliable.

Second, doesn’t the mayor have better things to do than worry about who is pregnant. That must really be a SMALL AND BORING TOWN. As for the activist mentioned at the end of the AP story, I want to ask one of these abstinence activist why they all look like the snooty girls in high school who only dated the jocks. It is like they say, "I’m not going to sleep with you and I’m going to make the other girls sign a pledge not to sleep with you. Naner, naner, nya nya!"

Kids, take some advice from Uncle Desdinova. If this is what you girls want to for fun, well then knock yourselves out up.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Embarrassing Banner Ad


Some ads on news websites and blogs are to advertise things related to the content. Adland has this rather amusing screen capture from CNN.com. Ooooppps!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Nashville Brass Leader Danny Davis Dies at 83


He cashed in on radio stations having news at the top of the hour and the success of Herb Alpert. Trumpeter Danny Davis died Friday in Nashville according to the Tennessean. He and Chet Adkins came up with the idea of instrumental country hits after hearing former big bands and orchestras mangle rock and roll songs of the day (101 Stings version of "Somebody To Love" is kind-of-cool though). I remember when Davis was in Branson, he told KY 3's Steve Grant that he modeled the upbeat sound and style after Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass. He recorded several short instrumentals for radio stations to use to time up to the network news at the top of the hour. Sadly, it is hard to find Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass on CD.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

FCC's Adelstein May Believe In the Existence of Talkola

I have mentioned here before that I believe that talk radio host accept payments by right-wing PACs to push certain issues to prominence. I have dubbed this practice "Talkola" after "payola," which I believe was not a real problem but the reaction of a bunch of cranky old men in the 50's to rock and roll. I've convinced one of my co-workers of this. He told me he has given up listening to talk radio because all of the host talked about the same topic for more than a month.

Now All Access reports that FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, in a speech to the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis over the weekend, suggested the same thing. Only he isn't talking about PACs, he is suggesting that the Bush administration was behind the positive spin given to the Iraq War by talk radio as well as the news media.

"According to news reports, analysts who disagreed with the information given to them lost access," ADELSTEIN asserted. "This comes in the wake of new revelations that network executives pressured news reporters to develop Administration-friendly angles when we were heading to war. Today, I commit to you that I plan to demand a real and thorough investigation. We need to determine, without delay, whether the DoD violated the laws we enforce against payola.

"These rules prohibit anyone involved with preparing broadcast or cable programs from accepting anything of value without disclosing it to the public," ADELSTEIN continued. "This is not just a question of journalist ethics and integrity. It is the law. The war in IRAQ is clearly a controversial issue of public importance. The American people have a legal right to know when the government is sponsoring the source that is purporting to provide objective analysis."

Adelstein also mentioned that it is illegal to use federal funds for propaganda purposes. "The federal anti-propaganda and payola laws are grounded on the principle that the public is entitled to know who seeks to persuade them so they can make up their own minds about the credibility of the information presented," he said. "The public has a legal right to know that people who present themselves to be independent, unbiased experts and reporters are not shills hired to promote a corporate -- or governmental -- agenda."

Adelstein continued, "It is time for us to curb the excesses of commercialism, as CONGRESS intended," he declared. " We need to ... develop new rules to clarify that sponsorship identification has to be clear and understandable. It should not be buried in a compressed crawl at the end of a show that would take a magnifying glass to read. "We need to fight thinly disguised payola fueling homogenized corporate music that leaves no room for local and independent artists. We need to fight video news releases masquerading as news, with public relations agents pushing agendas that squeeze out real news coverage and local community concerns. We need to fight product placements turning news and entertainment shows alike into undisclosed commercials. And we need to fight rapacious advertisers preying on the unsuspecting minds of our young children."

Here is a transcript of the speech. It is great reading.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

ABC "Wide World Of Sports" Host Jim McKay Dies

Jim McKay has died. He was 86. He was the host of ABC's Wide World of Sports and voiced the famous intro (As a side note I wanted to be that "Agony of Defeat" skier). He is also known for his coverage of the kidnapping of 11 Israeli athletes. When McKay learned they had been killed by their kidnappers, he said solemnly "Their all gone." Here is AP's obit.

Great Hera! Wonder Woman Finds a Floating Corpse!




The AP is reporting that actress Lynda Cater, who played Wonder Woman on TV in the 70s, was boating earlier this week when she saw a body floating in the Potomac River.

Here is the rest: "Lynda Carter tells The Washington Post she was alone in a boat when she saw the body Wednesday. She says she didn't have a cell phone with her, so she yelled to some fishermen and asked them to call police. Carter waited until rescuers arrived and directed them to the body.

District of Columbia police say the body of 47-year-old Helen Johnstone of Washington was found floating on the river Wednesday. The medical examiner's office has not declared an official cause of death.

Carter says she "did what anybody would have done." (snip)

At least it wasn't Steve Trevor. I remember a discussion with some classmates in college in which my friend Jennifer said she wanted to be Wonder Woman because she had "a man she had to take care of."

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Bo Diddley 1928 - 2008


I know I'm a day late, but I have to mention Bo Diddley. His influence on modern rock music is so great that his style is called "the Bo Diddley beat." It was imitated from the beginning by contemporaries like Buddy Holly ("Not Fade Away"), Don Gibson ("Oh Lonesome Me") and Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive" and "Casting My Spell"). Other clones sprang up such as "Roslyn" by the Pretty Things, "Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark, "Hey Gyp" by the Animals (written by Donovan), "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves/Bow Wow Wow and "Faith" by George Michael. George Thorogood even remade Diddley's "Who Do You Love" using tune of "Bo Diddley."

Here is the CNN story.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

It May Be Un-PC but Is the Only Entertaining Ad on Springfield Radio We Have


A few days back, the Springfield News Leader ran a LTTE complaining about the Heritage Chrysler radio ads. For those of you who have not heard these ads (they have actually been around for about two years or more) they feature a chant that sounds like "Song of Hiawatha," the Hamms Beer jingle of the 50s ("From the land of sky blue waters"), and "Running Bear" run through a blender. The name of the car dealer is sung to a tom-tom drumbeat and flute in a mock Native American pronunciation (HAR-I-TOGGEE). The writer of the LTTE said this was un-PC and bordered on racism.

I’ll admit the first time I heard it I thought it was un-PC and a stereotype of Native Americans. However, I liked it because IT WAS NOT THE TYPICAL SPRINGFIELD RADIO AD. It was not a dry read with out background music, sound effects or any excitement. It also wasn’t the car ad featuring one heavy metal chord played over and over while announcer yells. Best of all, it was not one of those horrible jingles that seem to pollute this market like VD – the "I remember the good old days when every thing was better." BARF!

I used to produce promos for the company I work for. I quit after some complaints. They mainly came from a former co-worker, a former employee at the station, the people in the sales department and a doofus e-mailed stuff like this "Tak dat promo off. Me no like it. Mike ______" (He changed his name ever time but kept Mike). I got in trouble for making a promo where a one of the talk show host blew up a caller to one of the talk shows. I got in trouble for imitating Jim Rome and poking fun at one of the host for saying he didn’t like Jim Rome. I got in trouble for making fun of another station’s promo using a snippet of Stan Freburg’s "Point of Order." I made a promo that never made it to the air. It was a parody of 2001: Space Odyssey and it was nixed it had monkey sound effects in it ("Screaming monkeys might upset listeners" I was told).

On the other hand, I had listeners who recognized my voice from these promos and gave me complements saying they enjoyed my work.

Like I said, I agreed that the Heritage Chrysler ad is un-PC, but it falls into a gray area Political Correctness. This ad seems to evoke the romanticized Native American of Longfellow, James Fennimore Cooper and the "Keep America Beautiful" ads of the 70s (pic above). It doesn’t seem to show a negative John Ford "bloody savage" image or stupid image from F-Troop, but still un-PC is un-PC.

My problem is CAN WE NOT BE MORE CREATIVE WITH RADIO ADS! I used to remember some great stuff being produced around here. We need to produce ads that look toward the future and not back at the good old days. No more ads that sound like the radio equivalent of a Penny Power ad. Use monkeys, sirens and explosions, funny jingles and humor but MAKE ADS THAT ARE ENTERTAINING!

Of course, an opinion, like this one, is why I'm considered the Super-Villain of the Ozarks!!! Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Friday, May 30, 2008

I'm Sick but I'm Not Dead Like These Folks

For the past few days I have suffered from a head and chest cold, so I haven't had the time to update the blog as I would like to. How ever I wanted to mention the passing of these individuals in the entertainment world.


  • Director and actor Sydney Pollack
  • Composer Earle Hagen - The man behind the themes to The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy and The Mod Squad. He also composed "Harlem Nocturne" in 1939 which became a hit for the Viscounts in 1959. It later became the theme for Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in 1984. In Hagen's memory, you can either throw a rock into a pond, fall of an automan, run through water beneath a pier or light some dynamite off of you cigarette.
  • Composer Alexander Courage - The man who gave us the theme to Star Trek.
  • And last but not least comic actor Harvey Korman - Second Banana on the Carol Burnett Show and one of Mel Brooks' stock players. My favorite moments in his work with Brooks are in Blazing Saddles when Hedley Lamar shooting a gunfighter for chewing gum and Dracula:Dead and Loving It when Brooks as Dr. Van Helsing ask Korman's Dr. Seward if he has a book called "Nosferatu." Korman smiles and picks up a parcel package "Yes, we have Nosferatu. We got Nosferatu today!" I think I'm the only person that thinks that last one is funny.

I should note that while I am suffering from a head and chest cold, I'm not "suffering from being a douche bag" as 'andrew' claimed in his comment (See previous post).

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

I Upset a Comic Book Geek and I Still Say The Dark Knight Will Suck


Every time I think I’ve posted something that won’t be controversial and provoke the wrath of a crazy person, I get a comment posted that proves why I don’t like comments. This time, a post I made in March about the upcoming Dark Knight has upset a comic book geek.


Let me say, I want to see Iron Man and the upcoming Incredible Hulk film, however, I’M NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE DARK KNIGHT. It just doesn’t look good and I especially don’t like the makeup job on the late Heath Ledger’s Joker.

Well, I found an unmoderated comment on the blog from an "andrew." I noticed "andrew" is what I call a ‘blog and dash’ person. He creates a Blogger account so he can leave and snotty comment on the blog that offends him. That is how I get most of my comments.

He starts off with a real intelligent statement: "First of all you may be suffering from being a douche bag." I "may be suffering from being a douche bag." As you will see in reading andrew’s (He doesn’t seem to know how to capitalize proper names), that is the pot calling the kettle black.

"2nd read a book and read history on wha batman is really suppose to be because nolan has figured it out." I own several collections of Batman comics from the early days on down. I was reading Batman comics before you were born. I probably know more Batman history than you have ever thought about knowing. I know all about how he was the dark figure of the night that carried a gun. I also know the Joker murdered his enemies, leaving them with a smile.
My favorite part: "i work for warner bro's as a PA, and ledgers makeup is supreme to what it is suppose to be. He is scarred in actuality, and the makeup just adds to the image because he obviously puts it on himself, he does not care what it looks like." OH YEAH! RIGHT! I tracked with Feedjit the views from today and the only person viewing the post about The Dark Knight was from Woodbridge, Illinois. Something tells me you are 22 years old and work at McD’s. The rest of that seems to make no sense.

The rest of this doofus’ tirade gets ugly: "Get your head out of your ass and go make some more web sites that just makes you sound ignorant and un educated. Yes i do study film, and you may not nonethelss, go watch the trailer again because you really need to if you took the time to make this website, and by the way did you try and justify the 60's batman show somehow? robin was real cool. Jesus"

I hate to tell you ‘andrew’ but I have two degrees from Missouri State University. One of those is in electronic media production. I have had several film classes and I’m quite a film buff. Also, I watched the trailer for The Dark Knight. THAT IS WHEN I DECIDED IT WOULD SUCK!
Okay, one thing I will point out to you, ‘andrew.’ Go find some Batman comics from the 50’s and 60’s. Notice how the Joker seems to act like an overgrown child rather than a murdering psycho and Batman and Robin are like Boy Scouts. Throw in stories involving aliens, time travel and those famous DC Comics talking gorillas and you’ve got the basis for the TV version. Frankly, the TV show along with the "New Look" improved Batman comics and paved the way for all the Dark Knight stuff of the Seventies and Eighties that you fanboys get all horny over.
AND WHY DO YOU PEOPLE HATE ROBIN? WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU? YOU KILLED ROBIN IN THE EIGHTIES, WASN’T THAT ENOUGH???

Why is it believe ‘andrew" is the guy who fired off the e-mail to the homophobic gym teacher over the Practice? Maybe I should start sending andrew's comments around as a chain e-mail.

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