Judy Collins once wrote that where music is concerned, there are no new ideas, just people who make them more compelling than the original. Last Thursday’s “Much More Music” section shared three examples of covers, two of which out performed the first version. In every endeavor, there are those who…
We’re initiating a new feature this week: Aircheck Wednesday, where we spotlight Top 40 Radio between 1963 and 1980. Part of a DJ’s resume back in the day was a five minute slice of his or her work on the air, with the music and commercials truncated so you could…
Up Front: The Value Proposition – A former coach at my alma mater shared some wisdom I’ve been thinking about lately. “You’re only valuable as long as you are adding value.” In athletics the bottom line is winning. In whatever game we play, the customer holds the scorecard. They come with the…
Our dryer has an annoying buzzer that frightens anyone who isn’t used to its piercing report. One of the first things I did when we moved in was to disconnect it. But there was a downside. The sound was a not so gentle reminder that the load was dry. Using…
Earl “Madman” Muntz made the front page of the May 27th, 1967 edition of Billboard Magazine, which reported the grand opening of his Detroit tape cartridge retail store at 15268 Gratiot Avenue. The former Kaiser-Frazer used car salesman was a marketing visionary, creating innovative products and selling them with crazy costumes and…
Remembering the original VW Beetle. Today in 1936 the VW Beetle was commissioned in Germany. Known as the “People’s Car” in the 1930s, the unique body style was designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The car had a rear engine, unusual for the time. Only small numbers were made before WWII halted…
There are few working DJs remaining who really know their stuff. Bob Berry is one of them. We’ve had many conversations about the minutiae of what makes a hit record. Mix Magazine’s Classic Tracks articles give tantalizing studio backstories that are great reads. Bob shared Greg Milner’s NYT opinion piece:…
1939 was a memorable year for classic films. Take a look at the list of top grossers and see how many you’ve seen. It was the height of the popularity and power of the studio system. Iconic stars were being born and burnished. The first “franchise” films were on the…
Up Front: What makes something go viral? We’ve all been talking about how cold it is up north. Yesterday, my buddy, Fred Jacobs had enough. Some would consider his tweet NSFW, or Not Safe for Work. But it instantly generated a ton of positive engagement. Interestingly, his friends in other…
When Talk Radio was truly entertainment. A generation has now grown up listening to the echo chamber of political opinion that passes for “talk radio” these days. But once upon a time, talk radio was enlightening, entertaining and attracted loyal followers in every market where it aired. Joe Pyne, John Nebel, Jean Shepherd,…