The #Bryzzo Souvenir Company is open for business! https://t.co/s8TGWcoINB #THIShttps://t.co/wcETatTMyH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 1, 2016
Friday, April 01, 2016
These Guys Are Having Too Much Fun
Fool Songs
Ron Smith, the author of several books about Chicago music charts, posted this on his facebook page this morning...
My two favorites never charted...
Here are all the "Fool" songs to chart in Chicago from 1956 to 1990..
The Fools Hall Of Fame-Paul Anka
I’m A Fool To Care-Joe Barry
Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)-Brook Benton
Fooled Around And Fell In Love-Elvin Bishop
A Fool Am I-Cilla Black
I Pity The Fool-Bobby Bland
Fools Hall Of fame-Pat Boone
Foolish Heart-Sharon Bryant
Nobody’s Fool-Cinderella
The Fool-Sanford Clark
Love’s Made A Fool Of You-Cochise
Take A Fool’s Advice-Nat “King” Cole
Don't Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me)-Cornelius Bros. & Sister Rose
You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)-Vic Damone
What Kind Of Fool Am I-Sammy Davis, Jr.
What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am-Bill Deal & the Rhondels
Foolin’-Def Leppard
I’m A Fool-Dino, Desi & Billy
What A Fool Believes-Doobie Brothers
Hello Fool-Ralph Emery
I Was Such A Fool (To Fall In Love With You)-Flamingos
I’m No Fool Anymore-Flamingos
Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool-Connie Francis
I Was Such A Fool (To Fall In Love With You)-Connie Francis
Chain Of Fools-Aretha Franklin
Love’s Made A Fool Of You-Bobby Fuller Four
Foolish Beat-Debbie Gibson
She’s A Fool-Lesley Gore
Dancin’ Fool-Guess Who
Foolish Pride-Daryl Hall
Fool For You-Impressions
Seven Day Fool-Etta James
Fool #1-Brenda Lee
Nobody’s Fool-Kenny Loggins
Oh Me Oh My I'm A Fool For You Baby-Lulu
Everybody Plays The Fool-Main Ingredient
The Fool On The Hill-Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
Another Fool Like Me-Ned Miller
Fools Rush In-Rick Nelson
Poor Little Fool-Rick Nelson
They Call Me The Fool-Nick Noble
Foolish Heart-Steve Perry
Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You-Wilson Pickett
(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I-Elvis Presley
Fool-Elvis Presley
Find Another Fool-Quarterflash
If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody-James Ray
Fool (If You Think It’s Over)-Chris Rea
Who Will The Next Fool Be-Charlie Rich
Don’t Fool With Fu Manchu-Rockin' Ramrods
Fool To Cry-Rolling Stones
Why Do Fools Fall In Love-Diana Ross
Foolish Little Girl-Shirelles
Fool Me-Joe South
What Kind Of Fool Am I-Rick Springfield
Foolin’ Around-Kay Starr
One More Fool And One More Broken Heart-Gene Stridel
What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)-Tams
A Fool For A Fool-Ike & Tina Turner
A Fool In Love-Ike & Tina Turner
Poor Fool-Ike & Tina Turner
Portrait Of A Fool-Conway Twitty
I Make A Fool Of Myself-Frankie Valli
The April Fools-Dionne Warwick
Won’t Get Fooled Again-Who
A Fool Never Learns-Andy Williams
My Foolish Heart-Nancy Wilson
Fools Paradise-Bobby Wood
If I’m A Fool For Loving You-Bobby Wood
Ship Of Fools (Save Me From Tomorrow)-World Party
Who’s Fooling Who-Gordon Young
My two favorites never charted...
April Fools
BREAKING: National Geographic will immediately stop publishing nude animal pictures. https://t.co/mFz5WzL0Mc pic.twitter.com/0voR1PMUuj
— Nat Geo Photography (@NatGeoPhotos) April 1, 2016
Brilliant Cartoon
Today's @BillBramhall... #AprilFools https://t.co/OmHhGXyIpo pic.twitter.com/PSSc6MqNsf
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 1, 2016
Lauren O'Neil
You can read it here.
Why Does Donald Get So Much TV Airtime?
MSNBC, the third rated all-news station, won the night.
He may be destroying our democracy, but he sure is bringing in big ratings for the television networks. As long as he does that, he will get all the airtime he wants.
Killing Radio in San Francisco
My condolences to the many people at those two stations who were fired yesterday. Here's what the boss told the staff.
Radio Hall of Fame Nominations
From this morning's Radio Online...
The 28th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and celebration will take place on Thursday evening, November 17 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. Today, industry members are encouraged to submit nominations for the Class of 2016 inductees via email to nominations@radiohof.org. The last day to submit suggestions to the Nominating Committee is Friday, May 6 at midnight ET.
National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig T. Kitchin comments, "This is one of the best times in preparing for the induction ceremony because we get to see firsthand the tremendous amount of talented people who deserve recognition. It's a proud moment for everyone involved."
Nominations should be made for individuals in the following categories: Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more), Active Local/Regional (10 years or more), Networks/Syndication (10 years or more), Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more), Music Format On-Air Personality, and/or Spoken Word On-Air Personality.
National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig T. Kitchin comments, "This is one of the best times in preparing for the induction ceremony because we get to see firsthand the tremendous amount of talented people who deserve recognition. It's a proud moment for everyone involved."
Nominations should be made for individuals in the following categories: Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more), Active Local/Regional (10 years or more), Networks/Syndication (10 years or more), Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more), Music Format On-Air Personality, and/or Spoken Word On-Air Personality.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Around the Publishing World (March 31)
Today we share tips from published authors...
1. Writing Tips from James Lee Burke
Edgar-winner James Lee Burke is the bestselling author of more than 30 books, most recently House of the Rising.
2. Dr. Who Writer Gives Novel Writing Tips
Sci-fi writers take note. This comes from the Birmingham Mail in England.
3. Top Ten Tips for Writers by Author Carol Goodman
Carol Goodman is the award winning author of "The Lake of Dead Languages" and "River Road"
4. Self publishing tips from indie author Jessica Loury
A self-published author is also published. Don't be a snob. Jessica has some very valuable advice.
5. Author Kevin Kruse: 50 Writing Tips from 15 Years as an Author
This treasure trove of advice comes from the pages of Forbes Magazine.
6. Emmy Award-winning comedy writer Cheri Steinkellner explains "How to Write Funnier"
CNN’s Town Hall Sets Cable News Ratings Record
It was the highest rated cable news show of all time, peaking, of course, when Donald Trump was on.
Deadline Hollywood has the ratings details.
Anthony Headed to Rehab
I'm not a fan, but I always support those who take this step. From this morning's Tom Taylor column...
Anthony Cumia is “headed to rehab,” says TheBlaze.com. After being fired by SiriusXM from the “Opie & Anthony Channel” in 2014 following an angry incident and some tweets, Anthony launched his own subscription audio business. But TheBlaze reports yesterday’s quote from “The Anthony Cumia Show” – “I’m gonna be away. I will not see the month of April here...Saturday, I am taking a plane out of here. Let’s just say relaxing, learning, ‘rehabilitating’ is a word that could be used.” He recently got in trouble following what appeared to be a violent encounter with a girlfriend who Periscoped the thing live.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Ten Years of Blogging: A Bonus Father Knows Nothing
Sean had been harboring some suspicions about whether or not the tooth fairy really existed.
“Dad,” he said, totally seriously, “I noticed that your pile of gold dollars is gone. What happened to it?”
“We spent them all,” I said, truthfully.
“So, we have ZERO gold dollars in this house right now?”
“That’s right.”
“And the banks are closed, right?”
“Right.”
“Well,” he said, exposing his smile, and pointing to the new hole where a tooth had just come out, “I guess we’re finally going to find out the truth tonight.”
“The truth about what?” I asked.
“The tooth fairy.”
“How?”
“Well,” he reasoned, “Every other time the tooth fairy has come, there was a pile of gold dollars in the kitchen. How could I know for sure if it was really the tooth fairy leaving me a gold dollar, or if it was YOU!”
He pointed as he accused.
“Me? What am I going to do with a used tooth?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his finger still pointing. “But I’ve got my eye on you. Now that I know you don’t have any gold dollars in the house, and that the bank is closed so you can’t get any more, I’ll know. If I wake up in the morning and a gold dollar is there, the tooth fairy is real. I’ll let my friends know. We’ve been talking about it at school.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said.
The next morning he came to the breakfast table with his toothless grin. “Dad,” he said. “I want you to swear on the Bible that you didn’t go to the bank last night and get some more gold dollars.”
“I swear,” I answered truthfully. “The bank was closed.”
“Then we have our answer,” he said. “The tooth fairy is real.”
When his big brothers rolled their eyes, he pounced. “It’s true! There’s no way Mom or Dad could have gotten a gold coin under my pillow because they don’t even have gold coins in the house right now. There’s no question about it. The tooth fairy is real. Right, Dad?”
“Sounds like you’ve got some pretty airtight evidence there,” I said.
Sean looked me right in the eye. “You know, Dad, I’m going to tell my friends that this is true now. Is there anything else you’d like to say to me before I go to school? One last chance?”
It took all of my earthly restraint not to smile. He was letting me know in no uncertain terms that his credibility was at stake here, and he’d never forgive me if I led him astray.
What would you have done?
I just smiled, patted him on the head, and walked away.
The kind of thing that would keep me up at night
From deadspin.com...
Of the more than three million NCAA Tournament brackets entered on Yahoo, no one’s has more points than James Kiki’s. He nailed some early upsets. He had seven of the Elite Eight teams correct. He has a perfect Final Four. He is tied with two other people for first overall, just three games away from a $50,000 grand prize. James Kiki will not win. Here is his bracket. He forgot to pick a national champion.
“I don’t even want to think about it,” Kiki told Syracuse.com.
Duncan Keith
An obvious no-no. He deserves a suspension. But it's not like he did it for no reason. How did he end up on his back on the ice in the first place?
We'll Be Right Back After These Messages
Even the powers that be in radio are starting to realize that may be a little too long.
Of course, radio is only worried about it now because advertisers are complaining that their messages are being lost in the clutter. Believe me, they aren't worried about you, the listener.
I'm just one guy who isn't even in the business anymore, but I've long advocated that everything would change for the better if radio started caring about the listeners again.
I recognize that this is a radical position in the radio business.
But here's some tough love, radio. Nobody will sit through a long commercial break anymore. Ever.
The fact that this is only now dawning on you is shocking.
We all tune out. All of us. I'm not just talking about those young folks you complain about with their short attention spans. It's all of us. I'm 52, and I've loved radio my whole life. I also have to listen because I write a monthly column about radio. But even I am listening less and less.
I understand the pressures radio faces. Most stations are in deep debt. They are struggling to stay afloat financially--so all of their energy goes into bringing in money. It takes twice as much effort to make half as much money these days. But I'd love to see what would happen if a little more time was spent working on the listening experience, and what effect that would have on bringing in money.
I wrote a novel called "$everance" a decade ago. It was a satire about the business, and it was kind of ridiculous at the time...on purpose. In the book (once again--a satire) the CEOs took what I was already seeing in the business to the logical extreme. At that time they thought of their employees as "money makers" or "money takers", so I had a character suggest that all "money takers" be taken out of the equation completely. I was kidding. It was supposed to be ridiculous.
Now it's virtually true. Money takers have slowly but surely been marginalized further and further. The air personalities, program directors, music directors, producers, production directors, and promotion departments have become mere after-thoughts.
Unfortunately for you, radio station owners, it turns out those people weren't just there to spend your money. They were there to attract your audience, and to keep them there. They are the reason we listened in the first place. They are your product. When you don't care about your listeners, AND you don't care about your product, what do you think is going to happen?
I keep reading these industry newsletters that mention numbers proving that radio is not losing listeners, and that the medium is as relevant as it ever was. Okey doke. But I live in a non-radio world now, and you know who talks to me about radio in that world?
Nobody.
I'm sorry to be so blunt about it, but as Cher said in Moonstruck...
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
RIP Patty Duke
Dead at 69.
She won an Academy Award for "The Miracle Worker", but to me, she'll always be identical twin cousins...
She won an Academy Award for "The Miracle Worker", but to me, she'll always be identical twin cousins...
Free Excerpt: The Daly News (Commentary March 29, 1977)
One of the gems contained in "The Daly News" by Joel Daly is his treasure trove of nightly commentaries. He delivered them every night on ABC-7 in Chicago. This is the one he delivered on March 29, 1977, about the DC-3 airplane. Joel was also a pilot...
Commentary - March 29, 1977
It wasn’t much of an incident, really: An old cargo plane veered off a runway at O’Hare and was destroyed. The two crewmen escaped with burns.
In the wake of the Canary Island tragedy, the story barely rated a mention, except in connection with the weather.
“A twin-engine plane,” said most experts, “propeller-driven.” Only parenthetically was it identified as a DC-3.
A DC-3. It’s not that I’m ancient. But, I suddenly realized an entire generation has grown up on big, silver airplanes that push their way through the air instead of grabbing for it with powerful propellers.
The airplane destroyed last night at O’Hare was more than a “twin-engine, propeller-driven relic.” It was one of the greatest airplanes ever built!
The DC-3 literally rescued our floundering airline industry, back in the ‘30’s. By the time production ended in 1945, the DC-3 probably represented nearly half the planes in the sky. It was still toting guns during Viet Nam.
Military pilots lovingly called it the gooney bird. One of them wrote: “It rattled, it protested, it leaked oil, it ran hot, it ran cold, and it ran rough. It staggered along on hot days, and scared you half to death. Its wings flexed and twisted in a horrifying manner. It sank back to earth with a great sigh of relief. But, it flew and flew and flew. Honest faithful and magnificent machine that it was.”
Forty years later, some 3,000 are still in the air. The DC-3 is half as old as aviation itself. And, more than any other airplane, responsible for its growth.
That’s why I felt the old gooney that burned last night deserved a better obituary. After all those years and all those hours, in all that weather, fate had to sneak up on her—on the ground—when she wasn’t looking.
Truth
Thanks to "SC" for this one. It doesn't apply to me, of course, because I spent the 70s and 80s in the library and church (when I wasn't feeding elderly shut-ins), but I know a few people this applies to...
The collapse of Radio’s iHeartMedia
I've been following this story for nearly a decade now. The chickens are coming home to roost. Medialife Magazine takes a deeper look at the inevitable collapse, coming soon to a radio dial near you.
Easter Candy
Just wondering. How many jelly beans do you have to eat before your teeth fall out? Asking for a friend.
Who are the biggest liars?
Whenever you start a conversation about politicians, it's only a matter of time before someone says "They're all liars". And yet, even among the "liars", Hillary is regarded as the biggest liar. Therefore, you may be a little surprised to discover this. From this morning's Guardian...
I'd recommend this article written by former New York Times editor-in-chief Jill Abramson, who has investigated Hillary pretty much continuously for the past twenty five years. The title of the article is "This May Shock You: Hillary Clinton is Fundamentally Honest".
Of course, there is a caveat--she is way too secretive and protective of her privacy--which often leads to the appearance of being dishonest. But when the actual substance is investigated...turns out she is the most honest of all the remaining candidates.
I realize that may not be a high bar, but these are the choices we have left.
As for her statements on issues, Politifact, a Pulitzer prize-winning fact-checking organization, gives Clinton the best truth-telling record of any of the 2016 presidential candidates. She beats Sanders and Kasich and crushes Cruz and Trump, who has the biggest “pants on fire” rating and has told whoppers about basic economics that are embarrassing for anyone aiming to be president.
I'd recommend this article written by former New York Times editor-in-chief Jill Abramson, who has investigated Hillary pretty much continuously for the past twenty five years. The title of the article is "This May Shock You: Hillary Clinton is Fundamentally Honest".
Of course, there is a caveat--she is way too secretive and protective of her privacy--which often leads to the appearance of being dishonest. But when the actual substance is investigated...turns out she is the most honest of all the remaining candidates.
I realize that may not be a high bar, but these are the choices we have left.
When you go after a nationality
It happened here in Chicago during World War I, and Chicago was fundamentally changed by it. Before World War I, one in every four citizens was of German descent.
Then signs like this starting popping up...
Yes, there was a war going on, but after these signs do you think the Germans in America were more or less likely to support America?
DNAinfo has more pictures and more of the story.
Then signs like this starting popping up...
Yes, there was a war going on, but after these signs do you think the Germans in America were more or less likely to support America?
DNAinfo has more pictures and more of the story.
A WBEZ/WTTW Partnership
From this morning's Tom Taylor NOW column...
“An unprecedented collaboration” begins between Chicago’s pubradio WBEZ/91.5 and the newsroom at public TV’s WTTW/Channel 11. Ben Calhoun’s the VP of Content and programming for Chicago Public Media’s news/talk WBEZ, and he says “there’s so much shared genetics.” Window to the World-owned WTTW has put a robotic camera in the second-story Navy Pier newsroom of WBEZ, so its talent can go live on Channel 11’s “Chicago Tonight.” While they’ve put a high-speed fiber line in at the TV studio, so people there can participate on WBEZ’s news and talk shows.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Free Excerpt: Records Truly Is My Middle Name (John's Birthday)
Three years ago today, Eckhartz Press released our best selling book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" by John Records Landecker (and Rick Kaempfer). It was released on John's 66th birthday, which means that John turns 69 years old today. It seems like a good day to feature an excerpt from the book describing John's actual birth day. Enjoy this free excerpt, and happy birthday John!
There’s an old expression about the month of March; in like a lion and out like a lamb. Not necessarily. At 5:14 pm on March 28, 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the lion was roaring.
Outside their small apartment on Washington Heights in Ann Arbor there was a white-out blizzard accompanied by sub-zero temperatures. Inside, Werner & Marjorie contemplated their situation. Marjorie’s water had broken.
After clearing a path and walking very cautiously, Werner got Marjorie safely into the front seat and then prayed to the ignition gods that the car would start. It did. Since the weather was so bad, traffic was extremely light. That gave Werner the luxury of using the entire road to travel the relatively short distance to St. Joseph Hospital. With his right hand on the wheel, he used his left to open the window and reach out to help the overburdened windshield wipers keep the snow off the windshield so he could see where he was going.
Even though the temperature was below zero and the wind was howling, a small line of perspiration formed on Werner’s forehead. As was her way, Marjorie was calm and reassured her husband that he was doing a great job getting them to the hospital and all would be well. When the car finally came to a stop at the entrance to the hospital, things began to move rather quickly. At approximately 7:40 pm on the evening of March 28, 1947, Werner Sigmund Landecker and Marjorie Victoria Landecker had a son.
That son was me.
I came out face first; a metaphor for how I would live the rest of my life. My face was covered with deep bruises, and my neck was grotesquely out of alignment. The bruises would fade, but the neck treatment required me to be placed between two sandbags until the neck and head assumed the proper position.
When they were sure I was healthy, they realized I needed a name. John was their choice for the first name and obviously Landecker for the last. In a nod to my mother’s upbringing, they chose her maiden name, Records, as my middle name.
They had no way of knowing that their son would become a radio disc jockey, or that this name they had chosen would become my unlikely calling card.
But it is an absolutely true story. One that I have had to tell many, many times. One that my mother and father had to tell many, many times.
Even though nobody believes it: Records Truly is My Middle Name.
(Records Truly Is My Middle Name is still available via Eckhartz Press)
Serbian War Criminal Sentenced
One of the main characters of Brent Petersen's excellent Eckhartz Press novel "Truffle Hunt" is an on-the-lam Serbian war criminal. Brent writes on his blog today about a real life story that mirrors the story told in Truffle Hunt.
You can read it here.
Smashing Pumpkins Reunion
Last night they played together for the first time in 16 years.
Story and videos at this link.
12 Year Old Soccer Player
As a father of a soccer player the same age, all I can say is WOW.
You will never be as good at anything as Barcelona's 12-year-olds are at soccer https://t.co/9vjX93Nj64 pic.twitter.com/6mYyEsbUFE
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 28, 2016
Obama "optics" versus Reagan "optics"
One intrepid reporter took that premise and looked at similar events during the presidency of Ronald Reagan; a saint to all of those screaming for Obama's head. Turns out there are photos that co-incide with significant dates in his presidency as well.
Check them out here.
Make your own conclusions.
Trump Vs. Matthews
Donald Trump has agreed to appear in a townhall hosted by Matthews. It will air on March 30th.
I had vowed to stop watching Trump's appearances, but this one might be worth watching.
The Larry Sanders Show
The Hollywood Reporter has the details.
I'll watch every episode again.
Bees Swarm Cubs
Yesterday's Cubs game had to be stopped temporarily because the field was swarmed with bees...
Jason Heyward of the Cubs was stung ten times...
He wasn't seriously impacted by it, however. He later hit a homer.
Jason Heyward of the Cubs was stung ten times...
He wasn't seriously impacted by it, however. He later hit a homer.
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