WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Danger! Canadians Ahead!

WARNING: These Canadian "Prevent It" Public Service Announcements are not for the squeamish:

Yearning For Big Love

As a fan of the HBO show Big Love - about an LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) splinter-group member with three wives - I was heartened to see the news this week of the government raid of a polygamist compound in West Texas. Why "heartened", you wonder? Because I have no idea when the show's coming back and the news coming out of the Yearning For Zion compound (Investigators determined that there is a widespread pattern and practice of the ranch in which young, minor female residents are conditioned to expect and accept sexual activity with adult men at the ranch upon being spiritually married to them...) should hold me over until Harry Dean Stanton once again dons the creepy mantle of Roman Grant, patriarch of the fictional Yearning For Zion ranch, Juniper Creek.

Struck Truck

For the last two years Meredith Ochs and I have hosted a daily 3-hour talk show - Freewheelin' - on Sirius Satellite Radio's Road Dog channel 147. We just returned from MATS - the Mid-America Trucking Show - in Louisville, Kentucky where anyone who's anyone in the trucking industry displays their new wares or peddles their services. Before getting the gig on Sirius I never truly considered all that trucking means to this country. I've always enjoyed truck driving songs (the more maudlin the better), I'm old enough to remember the C.B. craze and can name just about every truck driving movie ever made: but pondering the importance of the American Truck Driver in the grand scheme of things is not an activity in which I ever engaged. My eyes have been opened.

Most four-wheelers (those folks in cars) view trucks as a hindrance on the highway and stereotype truck drives as a bunch of lard-ass rednecks with little or no brains. These people speed home from a store bitching about that 18-wheeler in their way and never make the connection between the stuff in their shopping bags and the cargo in that truck. As the saying goes, "If you bought it, a truck brought it." These same myopic four-wheelers don't realize there are women truckers, gay truckers, trans-gendered truckers, African-American truckers, Latino truckers, etc., etc. Nor do they understand there are company drivers and independent owner-operators, those who are over-the-road (OTR), moving loads long distances, never knowing where they might go next - and those who run dedicated routes. On Freewheelin' we've heard from 4th and 5th generation drivers whose great-grandfathers ran mule teams and who say "Trucking's in my blood..." and we've also gotten calls from former "corporate pukes" who gave up their desk jockey jobs so they could get out on the road, see some of the country and enjoy a little freedom.

But perhaps what the average four-wheeler understands least is just how fed up most truckers are. With the price of a gallon of diesel now over $4.00 in most states, tolls and highway taxes ticking ever upwards and the price of truck insurance skyrocketing, independent owner-operators are working on razor-thin margins with many claiming they'll soon be out of business. These are small business owners, the very people our current administration claims are the "backbone" of our economy. They feel betrayed by a country to which they've sacrificed so much, including any semblance of a family life. Even company drivers for whom operating costs are not an issue feel as if they get little or no respect on the road.

Truckers see the bail-out of Bear Stearns, wonder "What about us?" and begin - once again - to talk again about striking. Or shutting their trucks off for a day or taking a "vacation", since a strike would be declared illegal. Legal or not, the strike chatter has reached a fever pitch, with some drivers creating websites like truckers4change.com to carry their message and test the waters. In the last few weeks there have been stories all over the web, in print and on TV and radio, including this article by Barb Ickes in the Quad City Times  as well as a report on KTKA-TV about a strike set for April 1 (or perhaps it's April 3 or some other day in the next month or two). Two recent documentaries - Alligator on the Zipper and Big Rig - also shine a light on how hard it is to be a trucker these days.

Will a strike actually happen? And - if it does - will anyone notice or care? There was a trucker strike in Italy recently and it did bring similar issues to light and force the government to take those issues seriously. Can it work here? Only if the independent owner-operators who take part are joined in significant numbers by their company driver brethren. Otherwise, the numbers would be too small to make an impact. The trade organization OOIDA (Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association) has taken the position that a strike would be at best unwise, at worst criminal. The Teamsters haven't released any statements about a possible strike. And no one has mentioned - as far as I can tell - that a strike was attempted about four months back, to no avail. But tomorrow is April 1st and if there is a nationwide trucker strike (shutdown, stoppage, vacation, etc.) it will not be a joke. This country will come to a standstill.

The Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia 2008

A WFMU Marathon-end tradition since the turn of the century, the Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia pairs a great house band* led by Scott Williams with a revolving cast of WFMU DJs, hosts, and staff members pressed into the role of "singer". Here's Scott's post from last year, with links to many of the Hoof & Mouth performances to date, in video and/or audio form: Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia.

This year, more performers than ever - around forty WFMUers - will musically soil themselves for your pleasure beginning 7:30 PM, Sunday, March 9. From Bacharach to Hawkwind, Charlie Feathers to John Cougar and including both Zager AND Evans, you'll hear a range of musical genres sonically strangled for your strange pleasure.

*House Band:

• BASS: Mac, Matt Fiveash, Jerry Fabris
• DRUMS: Evan "Funk" Davies, Bryce, Irwin
• GUITAR: Scott Williams, Brian Turner
• KEYBOARD: David Goldman
• FIDDLE: PGB
• SAX: Chris Stubbs
• ENGINEERS: Irene Trudel, Gil Shuster, Chris Stubbs

Chris T.'s Oscar Picks 2008

I'm stranded in Hollywood due to the winter storm on the East Coast, so I thought I'd take advantage of my proximity to the Kodak Theater, where the 2008 Oscars will be awarded Sunday night, and see if I can go five for five in the top categories, as I did last year:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: The true contenders are Ruby Dee in American Gangster and Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There. I was leaning toward Blanchett but she won a few years ago for The Aviator. Ruby Dee has never won an Oscar and that will be rectified this year.

BEST ACTRESS: The race is between Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose, and Julie Christie, Away From Her. They're both earning raves but Miss Cotillard gets my nod because my friend Jim says she was amazing.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: This one is a lock: Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men.

BEST ACTOR: Another lock: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood.

BEST PICTURE: Some folks hated the ending - not me: No Country For Old Men.

StupidBowl IV

For five or six years beginning in 1996, the StupidBowl reared its ugly head on the airwaves of WFMU. The idea was simple: watch their SuperBowl video, listen to our StupidBowl audio. If memory serves, StupidBowl IV featured myself, Bob Rixon and John Hajeski helping with the mix. Here's an excerpt:

Don't be assholes, America: Meet Mitt

From the folks at black20.com

This just in: RIP Smooth Jazz CD101.9

Today must be a sad day for NY-area lovers of that other Kenny G. (from the CD101.9 website):

Dear CD101.9 Smooth Jazz Listeners,

The staff of CD101.9 would like to thank you for your support over these past 20 years of Smooth Jazz CD101.9. Due to a declining audience for Smooth Jazz over the past few years, we are sad to announce that Smooth Jazz will no longer be available on the 101.9 signal. On February 5th we launched an innovative new adult rock format on the 101.9 frequency called 101.9 RXP The New York Rock Experience. 101.9 RXP is a respectful and intelligent mix of new music, classic rock and alternative - we invite you to try it. If you are solely a Smooth Jazz lover, "Smooth Jazz CD101.9" will continue to exist on our HD2 channel. Just purchase an HD capable radio and you will be able to listen to your favorite Smooth Jazz artists for free as always! CD1019.com will continue to provide you with upcoming smooth jazz events in association with the HD2 channel, and if you are a member of the CD101.9 Loyal Listener Club you will continue to receive e-mail updates. If you do not have an HD radio and are not a fan of Rock, we invite you to try 98.7 Kiss FM The Best Variety of Old School and Today's R&B as an alternative.  Listen to 98.7 Kiss FM for your chance to pick up tickets to the "Concert In Red" Valentine's concert at the Beacon Theatre February 14th. It's one of the many amazing shows coming in 2008 that you can find out about on 98.7 Kiss FM.

We hope that this note finds you sharing the same excitement that we feel!  We look forward to many more years of providing New York with Smooth Jazz in HD, and The New York Rock Experience on 101.9 RXP!

The switch takes place at 4 PM Eastern time...

Flea Market Finds: An Endangered Species?

Visitors to my home sometimes remark on the interesting objects I've gathered over the years. Unintentionally, I've amassed collections of - among other items - radios, lighters, flashlights, knives, paperweights, electric fans, etc. I'm not interested much in simply adding to these collections: what usually draws me in is the appreciation I feel for well-made items from America's long-gone manufacturing past.

Yes, a few of the previously-mentioned items were found on eBay. But the bulk came from flea markets. I've been trolling them since I was 9 or 10. A cheap family outing on a Sunday meant driving one town west to Copiague, visiting my grandmother and then heading to the Johnny All-Weather Drive-In Flea Market. The Johnny All-Weather (because it had an indoor theater, too) was - supposedly - the largest drive-in in the country, so you can imagine the size of the parking lot. I'd rummage up and down the rows, scrutinizing every folding table piled high with other people's junk in search of anything that took my fancy, sometimes something practical - a toolbox - more often something utterly without utility: a stuffed squirrel. It was all the same to me because it was all A) a bargain and B) to be pressed into service somehow.

The toolbox is long-gone, since replaced by other flea market tool boxes, but I still have the squirrel, nick-named "Mr. Nibbles" by a friend. By his mere presence he once convinced a real, live squirrel - who had fallen through a shoddy suspended ceiling into the front room of my crummy Hoboken railroad apartment - to jump out the window I opened for him.

But where will tomorrow's stuffed squirrels come from if the flea markets go away? One of my favorite, the Sixth Avenue flea market in Manhattan (it was actually several markets, stretching from 25th to 28th street, on both sides of the avenue) is long gone, replaced by condo towers. Now I hear my favorite (and nearest) flea market, the open-all-year Meadowlands Flea Market, might also become a victim of development.

Located in one of the parking lots for Giants Stadium, it's been rumored the flea market will go away when:

1. The Giants finish construction on their new training facilities.
2. The Giants and Jets begin construction on a new stadium.
3. The hideous eyesore known as Xanadu is complete.

Xanadu, for those of you who haven't been eagerly following its history, is supposed to be an "entertainment destination", with an indoor ski slope, Formula One racetrack, the country's largest movie theater, a giant Ferris wheel, etc., etc. The project was to be completed by now but has been mired in controversy and shady business dealings. Whatever it ends up being (and the surest bet is "glorified mall"), Xanadu will certainly gobble up any available parking at the Meadowlands. Which is why you should start patronizing the Meadowlands Flea Market now. It's open Saturdays, 9 AM to roughly 2 PM, has an ATM machine and bathrooms and plays a nice selection of 50's, 60's and 70's oldies over the PA system.

On our most recent visit, this past Saturday, my wife and I picked up a nice metal bistro set (two chairs, a small, round table) for the backyard for $35 (bargained down from $40) and I replaced the small Swiss Army knife that disappeared from my keychain for $4. Here's some other temptations:

Now It Can Be Told: I Failed Terry Bradshaw

Congratulations to the New York Giants: in a nail-biter, they beat the favored Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime to win the NFC Conference Championship. They now head to Glendale, Arizona to take on the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXLII on Feb. 3.

The last time the GIants earned a trip to the Super Bowl it was Sunday, January 14, 2001 and I was on the sidelines for CBS Sports as a "utility" audio person. Years earlier I'd become a member of IBEW Local 1212, Radio and Television Broadcast Engineers Union, whose members work the Meadowlands for CBS. I had previously been called to join the crew for three or four late regular-season Giants games and - even though my employment was sporadic and the pay was good (around $40 an hour) - I dreaded the gigs. First, to state the utterly obvious, it's damn cold in Giants Stadium in late fall/early winter. That wind comes whipping through the Meadowlands and buddy, no amount of layering fends off the chill. Second, it's a long day, usually 14 or more hours on your feet, constantly moving, ducking and dodging players, team personnel, photographers, security people, etc. You probably don't get a sense of it, watching a game on TV, but there are more people standing on the sidelines of an NFL game than live in some of your more quaint midwestern towns. The job's also intensely physical, involving lots of lifting and toting of heavy objects and coiling up of long runs of cable (f you knew how much of the stuff is involved in putting a sporting event on the air you'd tell your kids to forget college and go into the wire and cable business). By the time I'd head for my car I'd be mentally and physically spent, barely able to navigate the few miles home and glad I didn't have a regular job to report to the next day.