Introducing: Rumer

The ability to pick a song that will be a hit is an art.  That was one area in broadcasting where I missed the mark.  Some people have an ear on what makes a song popular.  These days, however, the art of a disc jockey or music director of a radio station picking which hits will click are rare.  A lot of music played on the radio is determined by the big music companies and consultants.

There are some signs that this is changing.  With the advent of the internet and websites like SoundCloud and YouTube, the listener has a greater role as far as what makes a song popular.  The antiquated formula or sales and times a song is played on the radio is being replaced by the number of times a song is streamed online.

I mention this because I discovered an artist a few weeks ago who I think will make a big splash in the music world in the coming year.  May I present for your listening pleasure, Rumer.  

One of my hobbies online is to check out music and I frequently check out the offerings on iTunes.  Under the "Featured Pre-Orders" section I found an album called "Into Colour" by Rumer.  I honestly thought that the performer was the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.  There were two tracks that you can purchase now.  I listened to the samples and was blown away. 

The album has already been released in Europe, and will be available here in the U.S. this coming February.  "Into Colour" is her third album and she has received lots of acclaim in her native England.  Fans of her work include Elton John, Burt Bacharach, and Jools Holland.  The Guardian and many other critics have compared her voice as being reminiscent of Karen Carpenter's.  

She hasn't had much notice here in the United States except for an episode of Live From Daryl's House and a segment on CBS' Sunday Morning in 2012.  That could all change this coming February.  I predict that her label, Warner Music, will work to land her on a lot of talk shows.

The song that won me over is "Dangerous."  Forget that this song was produced in 2014.  It sounds like it was produced in 1978.  One response I read on SoundCloud nailed the song's arrangement perfectly: a mix of Thom Bell's Philadelphia sound mixed with Burt Bacharach's trumpets.  

The video is outstanding as well.  It tells a story in less than five minutes.  I don't know if the words in the song match up with story, but it's better than most of the videos out there today.

Check out Rumer's website here.  Included is a free download of the song "Sam" off of "Into Colour."  I've downloaded it and it is great.  I can definitely hear the Karen Carpenter similarity in her singing of this song.

So there you have it, my vote for the breakout artist of 2015.  I have a feeling that you'll hear a lot from her soon.

Late Show Predictions - An Addendum

In my last post I wrote about David Letterman setting May 20, 2015 as that date for his final "Late Show."

There were be a lot of memorable moments between now and then.  Here are some predictions of things I think will happen between now and then.

• Jay Leno will be a guest.  Jay and Dave started out together on the L.A. comedy scene in the 1970s.  They were good friends until Leno got the nod to take over the "Tonight Show."  That marked one of the longest feuds in the history of television.  I have a feeling that the booking of Leno as a guest will be a huge TV moment.  It will be a huge ratings win for Dave and one that will be talked about for years to come.  
  

• Harry Letterman will make an appearance.  Dave's son is now 11 years old, and from the stories he tells, there is no one that means more to him than his son.  We rarely get to see hm except for an occasional picture that he shows every so often.  I think it would be neat to see the two chat on TV.  
  
  
  
• Bill Murray will be his final guest.  Bill was Dave's first guest on "Late Night" in 1992 and "Late Show" in 1993.  Murray has always been a great guest, and always finds a way to top himself with each new appearance he makes. There is no other guest that could send Dave out in style.  It would be the perfect bookend for Dave's late night career.  
  
  
  
• Dave's final show won't have guests.  I believe that Dave will take a page from Johnny Carson's book and will do his final show by himself.  It will consist of some of his most favorite moments over the years, and it will be a time for him to speak from his heart.  No one on television today can do that quite like Dave.

Dave Sets A Date

A date has been set for David Letterman's final "Late Show."  It will be Wednesday, May 20, 2015.  Letterman made the announcement during Wednesday's taping of the show. The date is two days shy of the 23rd anniversary of Johnny Carson's final night on the "Tonight Show."

Letterman will leave the late night arena as it's longest serving host.  By the time he hangs up his microphone he will have 6,028 episodes of "Late Night" the "Late Show" under his belt.

The news comes with finality.  Beginning next summer, Dave won't be there to provide his take on current events, give us a Top 10 list or banter with Paul.  The occasion will be a somewhat sad one for me, but it doesn't seem to have the gravity behind it as when Johnny Carson retired.  Maybe it's because Johnny was the only game in town when he left compared to these days where there are many other offerings at 11:30.  It could also be that maybe my tastes have change.  Maybe it's that Dave has changed.

I was one of those teenagers that would fight sleep to stay up on Friday nights to watch Dave.  It was the night when he read viewer mail, one of my favorite bits.  Sometimes I would tape his show during the week just to see what he would come up with to break the barriers of TV.  To say that he was an influence on me is a huge understatement.  Tina Fey remarked during Letterman's induction at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 that most of the guys she knew in high school and college wanted to be David Letterman.  They repeated his jokes, his mannerisms, and even the way he dressed.  Tina Fey described me as I was in the 1980s.

But things changed.  I don't watch much TV after 11:00 pm anymore.  I usually keep up with the late night shows the next day either on the DVR or online.  Chalk that up to job responsibilities.  

Maybe it's because that I got tired of Dave.  I think that it started to happen in 2009 after the news came out regarding his affairs with staffers of his show.  It was unconscionable to think that Dave would cheat on his marriage.  I'm not one to judge, but the whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth.  I give him credit for working on that problem and for working on saving his marriage.  

Another reason is that his humor wasn't as cutting as it used to be.  Letterman was a master at turning broadcasting on its ear back in the day.  He broke the conventional wisdom of how a talk show was done.  He took ideas from Steve Allen and Ernie Kovacs and worked them for a new, young audience of TV viewers who weren't around to see those two comedians in their prime.  Whether it was being dunked in a vat of water wearing a suit made of Alka Seltzer or disrupting the Channel 4 news down the hall at NBC it was inventive.  We had never seen anything like it before.  Dave also wasn't afraid to take on his guests and would find a way to knock them down a peg or two.

The David Letterman we see today is a shadow of what we saw in the 80's and early 90s.  His talk show is more conventional.  He is more polite to his guests, and we rarely see him attempting a stunt that would be talked about at work or school the next morning.  His monologues are often one-sided politically and sometimes it seems as if he is phoning it in.  

Don't get me wrong, I am still a fan of David Letterman's.  He was an influence to me when I started out in broadcasting, and when I try to use humor in everyday situations.  There are many moments and memories that he created over the years and they will be ones that we will remember for a long time.  I'll be one of the millions that will fight sleep on May 20, 2015 to tune in and salute a TV legend.

Meeting The Fonz

I crossed two items off of my bucket list this weekend.  The first was that I finally attended a ComicCon.  It wasn't the big one in San Diego.  It was at the Convention Center outside of Pittsburgh.
The second item was about who was appearing at this show, Henry Winkler. 

As a child of the 70s and 80s you could find me on Tuesday nights as well as the rest of America in front of the TV watching "Happy Days."  It was 30 minutes depicting what life was like in the 1950s.  It was one of my favorite shows to watch.  Things stopped at 8:00 in order to see what dilemma Richie and the Fonz got into that week.  On Wednesdays, my friends and I would dissect and breakdown the plot lines of each episode with the same intensity as those that have studied the Kennedy Aassassination.

I had heard a few weeks ago that Winkler would be making an appearance.  It would give me the chance to meet him and get an autograph as a gift for my brother. Saturday morning found me up earlier than I would have expected.  A trip to Monroeville from my home takes about 30 minutes.  With the inbound lanes of the Fort Pitt Tunnel closed, my drive time would be longer with the detours.  I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot of the convention center a little before 10.  I realized that this was a big deal when I found the parking lots filling up quickly.

After paying the admission I quickly found the room where the autograph signings were taking place.  I quickly made my way to the area where Henry Winkler would be signing.  Luckily, I was the eighth person in line.  While waiting, I struck up a conversation with some ComicCon regulars.  We didn't have a lot in common.  These guys were hardcore comic fans who told me about the ins and outs of these shows. They were nice and we discussed some of the hallmark moments of "Happy Days;"  the fire at Arnold's, and jumping the shark to name a few.

After a half an hour of standing in line it was announced that Mr. Winkler was on his way.  A few minutes later he appeared.  I was a little gobsmacked.  The man was dressed in green corduroys and a yellow sweater and was wearing a well worn fedora carrying a leather satchel.  He looked more like an English professor than the man who fixed cars at Bronco's Auto Repair.

When he came to the area where we were standing he made a beeline to a handicapped lady sitting in a chair.  His eyes lit up and he gave her a hug.  I was immediately struck that Henry Winkler was as genuine as I have heard.  He made that lady feel as if she was the Queen of the World.  He then walked the entire length of the line of autograph seekers and thanked them for coming and said that he wanted to meet everyone.

When he got back to the front of the line he stood and greeted everyone individually.  Some folks had their pictures taken with him, others had pictures and personal items for him to sign.  The line moved quickly, but he afforded enough time for everybody to have a short conversation with him.  

As soon as it was my turn to meet him, he offered his hand and asked how I was doing.  For a second I felt as if I was 6 years old.  I pulled myself together and introduced myself.  Mr. Winkler is shorter than I thought.  For some reason I thought he would be at least 6 feet tall.  Another illusion shattered by television.  I thanked him for the many hours of entertainment that he gave me during my formative years and he smiled.  We talked like old friends would who would meet by accident on a street corner after not seeing each other for many years. I also mentioned that to this day I can't go past a jukebox without striking it with my fist.  His smile got even bigger.  I was thrilled to say the least.  He signed my pictures and we wished each other happy holidays and then it was over.

After walking back to the front of the room I turned around and looked at the line again.  He was having the same conversations with everyone else. I felt like I had made a dear friend if only for a few minutes.

There's an old warning about wanting to meet your heroes.  Often times celebrities aren't like what you would imagine and your left being disappointed because they don't match your expectations. This wasn't the case.  Henry Winkler was every bit as I imagined him to be, even more so.  He is a genuinely nice man who cares about everyone he meets and is interested in what they have to say.

Thank you, Mr. Winkler, for giving me a few minutes of your time.  It was an honor and a pleasure to have met you.

Some Thoughts on Podcasting

Podcasting is the new broadcasting.  That's probably the biggest understatement of the 21st Century, but it's true.  What radio was in the last century with it's immediacy, portability, and its ability to make the world smaller has now been usurped by a medium where the listener plays a bigger role than ever before.

I first heard about podcasting when I worked in radio.  We didn't think much of it then.  Podcasting thought of as an extension of the radio station where listeners could hear interviews on the internet after they were broadcast.  It was fine, but it seemed like is didn't attract listeners to the station's website. Another problem was that the average podcast was under five minutes due to the capacity of the website.

A few years ago I got my first iPod and used it primarily for music.  It wasn't until I spent a lot of time at work on a computer that I discovered this new medium. For me, there's nothing like it.  You can listen to what you want when you want.  There's hardly any commercials, and if there are any you don't have to sit through a five or six minute commercial break to get back into the show.  You can even pause it if you need to use the phone or take care of other business.  

The main reason that I like it has to do with the freedom behind it.  Podcasters aren't regulated by the FCC.  If a host wants to drop an f-bomb he or she won't be subject to paying a huge fine or risk the loss of a license.  Plus, there is a podcast for virtually every subject in the world.

Gone are the days where only a handful of hosts got a show on a radio station.  Anyone can do it, and from almost anywhere.  If you have a computer, a headset, and a microphone you're in business.  Plus, it travels farther than radio waves.

These are just my thoughts.  In some upcoming posts, I'll be sharing some of my favorite podcasts. 

A Little Bit About Myself

Let's get to know each other.  For this posting, however, I'm afraid that it's going to be a little one sided.  

I really don't like to talk about myself.  Some of the hardest things that I've ever had to write are cover letters and resumes.  That brings me to this entry.  I have a job, albeit a temporary one, but I would like to have something permanent.  

My background is primarily communications and customer service.  I spent nearly 20 years in broadcasting doing everything except for management and sales.  Radio was always something that I wanted to do.  My first inkling as thinking that it could be a way to make a living came to me in the 4th grade.  A popular TV show "back in the day" was "WKRP in Cincinnati."  I marveled at Dr. Johnny Fever, and thought that he had the coolest job on the world.  This guy played records and talked into a microphone!  I was hooked.  

I began reading anything that I could get my hands on about broadcasting.  It also helped that the college in my hometown had an excellent school of communication, and I began to hitch my star to the goal of being on the radio.  

Broadcasting is a fickle business.  I came in at the time when the the trend started to become that people didn't matter and where automation and profits became more important.  It was a fun ride, but corporate radio got the best of me.  After leaving that area (not by choice) I began to study for the tests to become a financial advisor.  It didn't work out because I didn't want to cost my friends and family a lot of money if an investment when bad.

Then I went into sales.  It was fun, but cut throat.  By the time I left that job, I had regular visions of "Glengarry Glen Ross," and it wasn't pretty.

That brings me to the present.  I have a job.  It's fine, but as I said, temporary.  If a permanent position opens up where I work now, I would consider it.  However, I would love to get back to doing something creative.  Something that fulfills me.  Something that I can be happy doing.

I like to write and create.  Audio production is one of the areas that I felt that I excelled with in radio, and I still do it as a hobby.  Here is a sample of some of my recent work.

So, if you are looking for someone or know someone who is creative, dynamic, hard working, humorous, and dedicated, please free free to contact me.  Click here, if you would like and in-depth look at my skills and abilities.

Thanks for reading this, and for any help that you could provide.

An Introduction

I've always wanted to do a blog.  The problem is that I don't know what I wanted to write about.  There are a lot of things I think about, but a rule that I learned from my 3rd grade teacher is to "share things with people that they think will be worthwhile."   It's a rule I have always followed through the years.

I used to play on the radio, and always talked about interesting things or brought up something humorous between songs.  I'd like to think of this as an extension to those halcyon days where I can share some neat things with you.

This blog won't be a platform for me to espouse my political views, or other things that can be hot topics for debates that go nowhere.  What I want to write about and share are things that I like and that I feel are worthwhile.  Hopefully they may bring a smile to your face.

So, you may ask, what will you be writing about?  Good question. I thought up of some things I'd like to share.  They include:

• Pop Culture
• Music
• Radio
• Late Night TV
• Broadcasting
• Podcasting
• Hot Dogs
• Food
• Trucks
• Travels
• Books
• Humor
• History
• Pittsburgh
• Neat Web Sites
• And anything else that may pop up.

Thanks for visiting this rest stop on the Information Superhighway. Hopefully we can share in the fun.

(Note:  I'm nowhere near the writer that Stephen J. Cannell was.  I've always liked this logo.)