#national disc jockey day

[alwaysamaritimer]

(via GIPHY)

[murderousink23]

01/20/2024 is National Buttercrunch Day 🇺🇸, National Disc Jockey Day 🇺🇸, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀🇬🇧

[ami-ven]

Happy National Disc Jockey Day!

[djmissmilan-blog]

Happy National DJ Day! I’m DJ Miss Milan and I’ve been spinning professionally for almost 8 years now and I completely love what I do! I’m grateful for this journey to provide the vibes worldwide!

[discjockeyetc]

After being a husband and a father, my journey as a DJ has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Happy National Disc Jockey Day! 🎧🎶🎤

[hooked-on-elvis]

ELVIS' DEBUT ON TV — 📺 [CBS] The Dorsey Brothers 'Stage Show'

Elvis with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey at CBS Studio 50, New York, March 17, 1956 [that would be Elvis' 5th appearance on their TV show, out of 6 total.].

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By December 1955 Elvis had still not made an appearance on national television. His manager Colonel Tom Parker negotiated a deal through Steve Yates with CBS's "Stage Show" for four appearances on the show in January 1956 at $1,250 each and an option for two more at $1,500 each.

On the January 28, 1956, Elvis was broadcast for the nation for the very first time, performing "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Flip, Flop and Fly" and "I Got a Woman".

[ABOVE: the January 28th 1956 FULL PERFORMANCE]

On Elvis' first appearance on American television, Bill Randle, one of the most influential disc jockeys of the time, was the man who actually presented Elvis Presley to the nation. He said:

"We'd like at this time to introduce to you a young fellow, who like many performers, Johnnie Ray among them, come up out of nowhere to be overnight very big stars. This young fellow we met for the first time while making a movie short*. We think tonight that he's going to make television history for you. We'd like you to meet him now - Elvis Presley. And here he is!" — Bill Randle, Disc Jockey, the man presenting Elvis Presley to America for the first time. January 28, 1956.

After this, things would never be the same, specially the society. Such a good beginning for a year, that special day in a January month! ♥

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🎞️THE SHORT-FILM THAT NEVER SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY (for the general public... at least until now...)

The movie short Bill Randle referred to during his introduction to Elvis was "The Pied Piper Of Cleveland - A Day In The Life Of A Famous Disc Jockey" a short film made by Universal pictures about Bill Randle himself. Filmed on October 20th, 1955, at a concert in Brooklyn High School, Cleveland, it featured the stars Bill Haley & The Comets, The Four Lads, Pat Boone, plus the addition of a little-known Elvis Presley.

The original forty-eight-minute film was supposed to be cut down to a twenty-minute "short" for national distribution, but never made it that far. We're in 2024... 69 years went by since this shortcut was produced but the movie remains unreleased.

There is some dispute over whether or not this film actually exists, although it's said it was shown publicly, albeit only once in Cleveland, and excerpts were also aired on a Cleveland television station in 1956. Marshall Lytle, bass player for Bill Haley's Comets, corroborates the existence of the film in his memoir, "Still Rockin' Around the Clock", but he makes the unsubstantiated claim that Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's manager, bought the film and destroyed the existing copies. According to historians, tho, DJ Bill Randle, before his death in 2004, sold the rights to the film to PolyGram (it has been reported that Universal Studios has the negatives of the film in its vaults).

Much uncertainty about this short film, but can you imagine this film being release in Elvis' birthday centenary celebration? We watched, and listened, on Elvis' 89th birthday a few days earlier this year, to them playing during his birthday celebration at Graceland the original "That's All Right" record as it was cut at Sun Records studio in 1954, so who knows? There's always rare things surfacing here and there, so... we better keep our hopes this Bill Randle's 1955 movie, with some new 'baby Elvis' footage, will be release any day now [such as we know there's 'Elvis On Tour' and 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is' never seen before footage coming our way, as confirmed by the "Elvis" 2022 biopic's film director, Baz Luhrmann — finally! We hope it will be released soon].

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But enough daydreaming... Back to Elvis' 1st television appearances.

After the premiere on America's television on January 28th, 1956, Elvis would do five more appearances on 'The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show" for the next eight weeks. Those would take place on February 4, February 11, February 18, March 17 and March 24th, 1956.

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February 4th, 1956 | "Baby Let's Play House" and "Tutti Frutti"

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February 11th, 1956 | "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel" *

* This is a special arrangement for 'Heartbreak Hotel', so good! Jazzy, dramatic, really rarity. I loved this! ♥

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February 18th, 1956 | "Tutti Frutti" and "I Was The One"

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March 17th, 1956 | "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel" *

* This is the usual arrangement for the "Heartbreak Hotel" song. On February 11th, 1956, Elvis performed this same song onstage of 'The Dorsey Brothers Show' but it sounded something more… dramatic (I guess it matched the lyrics after all, but I love the usual arrangement better yet).

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And the last one... the 6th appearance on 'Dorsey Brothers Stage Show':

March 24th, 1956 | "Money Honey" and "Heartbreak Hotel" | [FULL PERFORMANCE]

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We can see how on those first TV shows Elvis still looks quite shy. Although he moves the usual lot, he doesn't flirt with his audience as much as he would on the upcoming TV appearances (and throughout his life, actually). It's funny how he grew comfortable with being in front of the cameras so fast tho. As his photographer Wiliam Speer said, "I guess you must really like being photographed."

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Elvis with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey at CBS Studio 50 in New York, on March 17, 1956. That would be Elvis' 5th appearance on their TV show. 'The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show' (CBS) was the place Elvis debut in his TV appearances, on January 28th 1956. He would appear on the show for 6 times total, from January to March 1956. ♥

Performing on the 'Dorsey Brothers Stage Show' at the CBS Studio 50, New York City, on March 24th, 1956. His 6th and final appearance on the show.

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EDIT: THE BLUE MOON BOYS

I hate it when I forget to mention such important, trivial, facts — and this shouldn't be footnote info and I feel guilty it is now but I forgot mentioning — The Blue Moon Boys. I love them so much! I watch those footage looking at them as much as I look at Elvis.

Like, I love Bill Black's energy onstage! I love him hollering, vibing to their sound, as loud as Elvis (on occasion). I love how he seem to love chewing gum (Bill is chewing gum in some of those footage), because it makes me look at the Blue Moon Boys and Elvis as a unit, real close friend who look alike, just how it should be. We know although EP for obvious reasons can't chew gum while singing, he loooooved gum and kept this - should I say "habit?" - throughout his life. It's sounding silly what I'm saying, I know, but I think this Elvis habit in fact date from back when he was rocking onstage with Bill, Scotty and DJ Fontana and it makes my heart warm how close and similar they seem to be, as friends, real friends. Bill is actually said to be the one cheering the crowds onstage when they first begun performing, when Elvis was still learning how to be the great leading man he became. When EP was still learning how to act onstage, how to manipulate the audience, creating the mad passionate reactions he learned to create whenever he wanted, Bill was the one heating things up, joking with the audience, cheering, hollering. Bill is amazing! His energy is intoxicating, and we can see it clearly on those first TV appearances performances. ♥

--

I also love how hot Scotty Moore looks! I kinda laughed thinking 'Oh my goodness' ... So this thing about rock and roll bands always having hot vocalists and hot guitar players as a rule, it looks like it all started from the 50s with EP and Scotty! (really, at least the singer and guitar player in most rock bands are hot AF, am I lying? *lol*). I have a thing for Scotty... When he smiles at times on those footage, I'm like: 🤤🥹🥴🫠 And I also love how he's elegant but at the same time menacing looking holding and playing his guitar like the guitar hero he was. Really, if you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and read Scotty's book "THAT'S ALL RIGHT, ELVIS: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore", by Scotty as told to James Dickerson (1997). Scotty's life story is fascinating and as interesting as Elvis'. ♥

--

And last, but never least, I love how together, calm and concentrated DJ Fontana looks. Ok, unfortunately being the drummer has it's disadvantages. We can't see DJ Fontana as much as we see the other boys onstage, but I listen to the songs until the very last minute and it's amazing how the music always has the closing, the important and dramatic ending, done by DJ's talented hands. I love that guy. ♥

Elvis Presley and The Blue Moon Boys were the best rock and rollers! I love their energy together. As much as I adore 70s Elvis onstage, the TCB Band, the Sweets Inspirations and all, if I only had one performance of Elvis' I could attend, just one to choose, I would go for - undoubtedly - the 50s ones, when those guys, The Blue Moon Boys and Elvis, were playing together.

That's Rock and Roll royalty. ✨👑 ♥

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There you go. All the videos together so you can watch of them easily. ♥

[broadcastarchive-umd]

#DJmonday Jimmy Youngblood did the morning show on WPAD in the 1950s and then switched to WDXR in the 1960s, where he broadcast through the early 1970s. Both stations are located in Paducah, Kentucky. Youngblood, often called "J.Y.," was the area's longest-running radio personality. In the late 1950s, he was chosen as one of the top twenty radio disc jockey personalities in the nation by Movie Mirror magazine. (The Paducah Sun, 8/9/1967).

"In addition, according to the Arbitron rating system, his show reached listener ratings so high that it has never been equaled before or since. More than 62% of the listening populace was tuned into Jim Youngblood's broadcast every day." – "Jim Youngblood: The Radio Icon," by Per Jensen

Special Collections in Mass Media and Culture  |  Tumblr Archive

[lboogie1906]

President Andry Nirina Rajoelina (born May 30, 1974) in Antsirabe, Madagascar. His father, Roger Yves Rajoelina, was an army colonel. No information is available on his mother. He decided not to pursue higher education but instead to become an entrepreneur. He became an event organizer and promoter. He launched Injet, a digital printing company.

He purchased a television and radio station and became a well-known disc jockey. He decided to enter politics. He was elected mayor of Antananarivo (2007). He and the President of Madagascar became political competitors. In 2009, street demonstrations broke out against President Ravalomanan. He supported the demonstrators and accused the central government of the misappropriation of funds. He described the government as a dictatorship and used his control of many media outlets to broadcast his views. A group of the military organized a coup and he was made President of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar (2009-14).

In 2014, a presidential election was held. He was barred by the new constitution from running but the candidate he endorsed won the election. He was on the ballot in the 2018 presidential election along with 47 other candidates. He won having garnered 55% of the votes cast after the second vote.

Over 75% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day. Madagascar has the 4thhighest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and food insecurity is a major issue. In 2021, a famine impacted one million of the 29 million in the nation. On July 22, 2021, an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on his life and in February 2022 cyclone Batsira swept over the island displacing 120,000 people and damaging 124,000 homes.

He has been criticized for spending government funds on vanity projects such as sports stadiums. Illegal logging of rosewood and other rare trees has occurred in some parts of the country. COVID-19 has negatively impacted the tourist industry and resulted in increased poverty in the country.

He married Mialy Razakandisa and they have two sons and a daughter. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[onenettvchannel]

FLASH REPORT THIS MORNING: Calambanon Radio Announcer 'DJ Johnny Walker' gunned down from an Unnamed Suspect during an Online TeleRadyo Broadcast of Gold FM (updated as final!!!)

(with reports from 106.1mhz's FMR Babe Radio: Dipolog and DWPM-AM's Radyo 630: Manila)

CALAMBA, MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL -- In a shocking and tragic incident that is recently unfolded in the morning on Sunday (November 5th, 2023 – Calamba local time)… Juan Jerrebel Anggoy Jumalon, popularly known as “DJ Johnny Walker”, a 57 y/o part-time hard-hitting local radio announcer and Disc Jockey [born on August 2nd, 1966], morning radio host and on-board provincial station manager of 94.7mhz’s Gold FM: Calamba was shot dead inside on his own home radio booth at Purok 2, Brgy. Don Bernardo A. Neri, Calamba, Misamis Occidental during an exclusive Facebook live video broadcast of his local morning radio program 'Pahapyod sa Kabuntagon’ (Early Morning). This devastating event has sent shockwaves throughout the local Calambanon community and the radio broadcasting industry in Misamis Occidental.

DJ Johnny Walker, a beloved not-so-fictional figure in the local radio scene, was a prominent personality on 94.7 Gold FM: Calamba. His real name “Juan Jerrebel Anggoy Jumalon”, was known to very few as he went by his radio alias, which had become synonymous with the morning airwaves. More than several years or decades of experience in radio broadcasting, Mr. Jumalon had become an integral part of the local community, providing entertainment, information and a sense of connection to his listeners each day.

94.7 Gold FM: Calamba is an affiliated local FM radio station of the Kalayaan Broadcasting System Inc. (KBSi), and DJ Johnny Walker played a pivotal role in its success. His morning radio program, 'Pahapyod sa Kabuntagon’ was not only known for its entertaining content but also for its community engagement, discussing local & regional issues in Misamis Occidental, and bringing the community together through various interactive segments. This made Mr. Jumalon, a cherished figure among his listeners and colleagues.

In 2014, his personal broadcasting setup of the aforesaid local FM radio station within a decade before the male suspect gunned down to Mr. Jumalon during an exclusive televised interview of DXTE-TV 8's TV5: Cagayan de Oro for News 5. In his personal health reasons back then, Mr. Jumalon was part of the Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Several years later aside from murder case, local and regional issues to be followed when discussing land and business all across the Misamis Occidental area as a motive.

Per the exclusive spot report as obtained by 106.1mhz’s Favorite Music Radio: Babe Radio Dipolog and the selected KBP-member stations in Misamis Occidental, in cooperation with DWPM-AM’s Radyo 630: Manila, when the tragic incident took place during the said LIVE Facebook video broadcast of 'Pahapyod sa Kabuntagon’ around 5:35am on that fateful Black Sunday. This was the world's first online horrific, TeleRadyo-like broadcasting history in Southern Mindanao.

Outside the CCTV video as mentioned, another suspect to be illegally trespassed, who were pretending in disguise as a local listener for a potential public service without a security guard on-duty.

Within the final moments develop, the unnamed male suspect who remains at large and carries a firearm of caliber .45 pistol, disrupted the live FM radio program and shot twice to Mr. Jumalon (even in audible transistor radio simulcast in general), leading to his untimely demise by shooting his lower lip towards his back portion head, then stealing a gold jewelry worth PHP150,000 (U$D2,682.45), and quickly fled off the scene shortly after. Overall, two or three suspects have yet to be later identified on national internet TV. The aforesaid live video on the radio station’s Facebook page on 94.7 Gold FM: Calamba, captured the horrifying event as it unfolded, leaving online viewers in shock and disbelief.

As we gather a lot of information and investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event, there is an outpouring of support and condolences from the listeners, avid fans, friends and colleagues of Mr. Jumalon on various disclosed social media platforms. The incident has prompted discussions about the safety of media professionals, particularly in the realm of live radio broadcasting and online media.

Local authorities in Misamis Occidental have embarked on a detailed probe, and the motive is suspected to be a work-related situation. He was now confirmed dead on arrivial (DOA) from a physician doctor named Dr. Geopeter L. Manisan at Calamba District Hospital (CDH) in National Highway, the said city.

A hot pursuit operation of the Calamba Municipal Police Station (CMPS) is on its way, in relation to a brutal murder suspect from an unidentified gun man.

The untimely demise of “DJ Johnny Walker” is a profound loss to the local radio industry and the community he served for several years or decades. His legacy as a passionate radio personality who connected with his audience on a personal level will be remembered and cherished on him. He is one of the 199th journalists killed since 1986 until the present, which includes Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Dumaguete City, Mabinay and Negros Oriental, as according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

As the investigation unfolds from the Calamba-Philippine National Police, the community and his fellow broadcasters mourn the loss of a beloved figure and await justice throughout the weekend for this heinous act.

EDITOR's NOTE (as of November 7th, 2023): We edited out for clarification from our previous update, as we all learned from our media friends at Radyo 630: Manila and other KBP-member FM, AM and TV stations in Mindanao to come up with a conclusion.

Amalia Sheran Sharm, Miko Kubota and Ridley Terrance have all fully contributed to this news report.

PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: 94.7mhz's Gold FM: Calamba via FB PHOTO BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.facebook.com/100064859973484/posts/333407976049356 [Referenced FB News Article via DXJN-FM 105.3mhz's Radyo Bandera News FM: Cotabato] *https://www.facebook.com/100093017771931/videos/356914123385052 [Referenced FB LIVE Video via DXKB-FM 89.3mhz's Radyo Bandera Sweet FM: Cagayan de Oro] *https://www.facebook.com/100077562834152/posts/359801613281930 [Referenced Police Blotter in PR via Arianna Trisha] *https://www.facebook.com/100094088475887/posts/191863797293235 [Referenced FB News Article via DWPM-AM's Radyo 630khz: Manila] *https://www.facebook.com/100075706497836/posts/356802900186590 [Referenced FB News Article via DZMD-FM 100.7mhz's MyFM: Bataan] *https://www.facebook.com/100064616655120/posts/734630538700828 [Referenced FB News Article via The Philippine Star] *https://www.facebook.com/100047471591140/posts/865352015057177 [Referenced FB News Article via Xymon Jeremiah Pedro the 2nd] *https://www.facebook.com/100064282075832/posts/737856285033767 [Referenced FB Captioned Statement Post via Presidential Communications Office] *https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/11/05/2309128/misamis-occidental-radio-broadcaster-gunned-down-while-air [Referenced News Article via The Philippine Star] *https://www.facebook.com/100067938276705/posts/669891301952140 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO via MOPPO] *https://www.facebook.com/100067938276705/posts/669997835274820 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO via MOPPO] *https://www.facebook.com/100064809663843/posts/730885619081754 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO via Presidential Task Force on Media Security] *https://www.cnnphilippines.com/regional/2023/11/5/misamis-occidental-juan-jumalon-death.html [Referenced News Article via DXKO-TV 5's CNN Philippines: Cagayan de Oro] *https://pinoytrend.net/2023/11/05/radio-announcer-na-si-johnny-walker-pinatumba-habang-nasa-gitna-ng-kanyang-programa/ [Referenced News Article via PinoyTrend] *https://rmn.ph/radio-announcer-patay-matapos-pagbabarilin-habang-nagpoprograma-sa-calamba-misamis-occidental/ [Referenced News Article via DXDR-AM 981khz's RMN: Dipolog] and *https://remate.ph/radio-broadcaster-binaril-patay-sa-gitna-ng-programa/ [Referenced News Article via Remate]

-- OneNETnews Team

[suremonty]

i. “the tide is turning” - roger waters // ii. “two suns in the sunset” - pink floyd // iii. “four minutes” - roger waters

( nyle dimarco, cis man, he/him ) — Look who it is! If you take a look at our database, you’ll find that MONTGOMERY “MONTY” ROMANO is a THIRTY-TW0 year old RADIO DISC JOCKEY that’s been in Chicago for TWO YEARS, OFF AND ON. According to the file, they’re a mutant on LEVEL ONE with the power of ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION + TIME TRAVEL. That must be why they’re DEDICATED and OBSESSIVE. If you ask me, they remind me of morse code desperately tip-tip-tapping, the sole with no eyes, the desolate confines of a busy wasteland. They are affiliated with NOBODY.

QUICK FACTS:

full name: montgomery “monty” romano

date of birth: december 5th, 1934

zodiac big three: sagittarius sun, scorpio moon, libra rising

gender & pronouns: cis man & he/him

sexual orientation: straight gay bi queer

ethnicity: white ( may loves italians :\ )

nationality: american

religion: christian (protestant, very loose in his practice), starting to lean agnostic

languages spoken: english (5), asl (5), morse code - technically an alphabet (5)

enneagram: 3w2

mbti: enfp

temperament: sanguine

alignment: neutral good

ability: time travel + electronic communication

affiliation: n/a

alias: sonny/sunny

BACKSTORY:

triggers: war, nuclear wasteland, nuclear tensions, institutionalization ( very brief mention ), VERY brief mention of suicide

monty’s world was silent from the moment he entered it. he would never know it any other way. teachers tried to force him into the mold, deaf educators in the dime-a-dozen oralist schools teaching him English, speech, and as-good-as-it-could-be lipreading, all while restricting the usage of ASL at best, forbidding it at worst. 

and, though it made socializing with his peers, understanding his lessons, and connecting with his family much more difficult... in the end, maybe it’s for the best. there would be so many disastrous things to see and smell and feel -- adding one more sensation would tip him over the edge.

despite his parents and hoard of siblings, his eldest brother, jack, was the only one who put time and effort into learning ASL with monty. for that reason, they connected well. his brother would go on to have his first and only child at eighteen, leaving monty an uncle at only six. but it was absolutely poor timing...

because the usa could no longer just sit on the sidelines in silent support of the allied powers. in 1941, his eldest brother enlisted to join the army in the war effort, leaving his wife and family with the baby -- but promising he’d be back.

monty spent much of the time his eldest brother was gone connecting with his brother’s girlfriend, mary, who let monty teach her ASL. so those next three years were spent with her, with baby, and keeping up with the news.

1944, jack was sent to the frontlines in the normandy landings. the story went that he went out blazing, that he at least had that much to his legacy, but who could tell any of the thousands of d-day bodies apart ?

monty didn’t need to hear to know that silence fell over his family. he could feel it, even when they were talking at dinner. life only returned in 1945 as a broadcast celebrating two nuclear bombings played ! and monty... he didn’t know what to feel. this meant the war was over, right ? finally, a sigh of relief ! but how many innocent people had died in the fallout of it ? how long would those effects last ?

he did not wake up in his bedroom the next morning. he woke up when a piece of rubble blew against his forehead. and he was surrounded by complete and utter waste. it was hot -- no, it was cold. he assumed it was loud -- no, he assumed it was quiet. there were a few fires burning in the snow, and there was plenty of rubble to spare. nothing was standing. it was completely empty, completely desolate. 

he didn’t know where he was or how he got there. the more he explored, a terrified young boy trying to get home, the more he wondered when he was. 

a few weeks in, unsure of how he was still alive -- but not questioning it -- he came across a tunnel that led underground. already figuring he was going to die if he didn’t find something fast, this was the first sign he’d seen of any life since he’d woken up -- he kept going, past extra doors until he reached one that was bolted shut and looked to serve as some kind of vacuum. 

he did not know it. he could not know it. but, on the other side of that wall, a radio picked up the first broadcast it had heard in ages -- some sort of morse code. a few hours of sitting against that final door that he could not even begin to open, it opened with a gust of air. he dragged himself in. it was shut with that same gust of air.

a man peered through a slit and, after hours of trying to communicate when all monty could see were his eyes, a sentence of 1s and 0s... he stripped himself of his clothes, scrubbed himself with the water and sponge that sat in the corner, and was swiftly let into that final room and tossed a pair of clothes that were a few sizes too big for him. but he wore them, of course.

he was given half a can of uncooked sweet beans, half a bottle of water, and half of some... futuristic chip that he was prompted to sit on his tongue. and half of his nutrient requirements were met.

the man would point viciously to the radio, tap on it... all sorts of insanity that meant nothing to monty until he took a sheet of paper and wrote out a cipher: morse code and the related letters. he, the man, couldn’t risk losing paper to the amount of letters in a word -- a few dots and lines were a quicker solution, and, as he told monty, he could hear him over the radio... which would be cause for concern later.

what year is it ? ive stopped counting. i thought every1 was ded. where am i ? used 2 b canada. what happened ? the east. the east ? yes. what do you mean, the east ? ur not from here. no. where? illinois. america.  u dont know? i don’t. do u know what yr it is? it was 1945, last i checked.

he and the man spent the next four months together underground, the man eventually coming up with a way to express morse code without the paper. tap monty on the shoulder, make him watch him tap the wall in morse code. but it was far from paradise, and, more than that ? their supplies were running out faster than expected, what with the man only having prepared supplies for himself.

he volunteered to go look for supplies aboveground, but monty realized that he was the one who was communicating through the radio. if something happened to the man, monty would have no way to know ; if something happened to monty, however ? so he left with a walkie-talkie, an extra coat, and half a canteen of water.

it grew colder and the conditions grew worse. by the time he finally found a few non-perishables locked away in a safe, he didn’t know where he was. he couldn’t find his way back to the man. and the signal only worked one way. so he had two options of what to tell the man: he was going to stay where he was, or he was going to keep moving and hope for the best.

if he did the former, there was a good chance the man would have to leave and try to find him. if he did the latter, he was diving further into the possibility that he’d never see that shelter again... but there was also that slim possibility that he’d be saving them both if he could find him... so he sent a signal that he was lost, but he was going to keep moving and hope for the best. the walkie-talkie wave seemed to tap against his mind, to offer the only description possible: ‘goodbye, ed.’ ‘goodbye, monty.’

he was thirteen when he hopped again, this time quick as a flash. hopped just far back enough to watch the missiles fall from the sky, cars ‘screeching’ to a halt, mothers holding their children close, and pulled forward just in time to survive the blast. this time, a different country. this time, closer to the fallout. 

there was no one for him this time, though. he was on his own. he sent out frequencies, but saw nothing. felt nothing. 

certain his streak of good bad luck had finally run out, turned to simple bad luck, he was only days away from succumbing to his hunger or his dehydration or the elements or all three... but, instead of dying, he woke up in his bed. in 1949. four years after he went missing.

his family had been certain he, too, had died. perhaps ran away first, gotten lost, then gotten himself killed. it had been four years after they woke up and didn’t find him in his bed, after all ! was it a miracle ? yes ! did it also feel like some kind of abomination, like something ungodly ? yes ! 

after the initial many-a-hug, they grew... frightened ! he connected to the house radio and morse code played, explaining his unbelievable absence... but no one there knew morse code ?! and no one there knew asl ?! and speaking took more effort than he’d like to put in, especially after all those years completely shut up ?! where was mary to translate for him ? where was baby ?

that much, he could express. chicago. as ed taught him how to say in morse code: what a goddamn shithole !

but, only moments later, everyone’s attention snapped to the radio. they understood what he was trying to say. after the initial shock, they were mouthing: we can hear you. with vicious points: the radio. we hear you.

the story he told was completely unbelievable. but so was being able to hear his speech through the radio, so... live and let live...

they did take note of how he began to draw more into himself. he became obsessed with this nuclear apocalypse he claimed to have witnessed, he drew a strange man with dots and lines underneath and hung it up in his room. he couldn’t focus in school and his grades suffered terribly. at 17, seeing he was still as distant as ever, still writing in morse code, still drawing that man and trying to tell everyone who it was and what was going to happen and no he didn’t know the year or the details or- they had him institutionalized.

before he could undergo more than two rounds of electroshock therapy, he was an 18y/o in 1962. just in time for the cuban missile crisis. and this time ? not only had he seen the after effects of nuclear bombings, he understood the magnitude of this threat. and this time ? they were not fighting to free concentration camps and prisoners of war, they were fighting just to prove who was more powerful. they were building walls and sending dogs into space because they had to prove one was better than the other... and if they had to press the button to really show who was who, then they had to press the button. 

was this the wasteland monty had witnessed ? he didn’t know. he didn’t want to find out. he could put a stop to it somehow, right ? he was the only person who’d seen both, as far as he was aware...

traveling to the 70s, the country was still together -- and tensions were still high. without any other ideas, he began doing what only idealists would think would work: sending false reports over radios and broadcasts. but instead of bringing people together through shared fear -- and shared gratitude that they were still alive when they learned that the report had been a hoax -- he just scared them, then brought them back to their regular lives (those who didn’t kill themselves or run to their shelters, that is).

he continued moving back and forth within the timeline of the cold war, relentlessly trying to stop the crisis... but he only had so much he could do without making it even worse. he could activate it. if he wanted to, he could activate it.

in 1991, when the announcement that the cold war was over was made, something in his timeline glitched. he spent three days in wwii, the first two being... entirely random to him, the final one being right there in d-day... where he got to see that jack didn’t go out blazing. and he was pulled just in time -- but this time, to three days in the trenches of the vietnam war, a useless side effect of the cold war. about to be taken prisoner, he was pulled forward into the year 1999 in the middle of a countdown to a new kind of apocalypse, just to be pulled even further forward into 2020... and he finally had reprieve.

but if wwii wasn’t the cause of the nuclear apocalypse, and if the cold war wasn’t the cause of the nuclear apocalypse, then it still had yet to come. and the doomsday clock was moving fast.

left in actual civilization and... no immediate peril in 2020 chicago, he spent the next two years starting to cultivate a life. every now and again, he would glitch to a different year for a few days, but the power he had never been able to tame... seemed to be beginning to tame itself as he spent more time in a calm, but focused, state of mind.

he took on a job as a disc jockey, using the walkie-talkie he’d always held onto to transmit his thoughts across the microphone. a very standard american voice. and, so long as he had the walke-talkie with him, one that he could transmit from anywhere in the city. as long as he intercepted at the necessary times, it didn’t matter if he was in the station or not... which has been very helpful for his digging.

the end ?

TIMELINE:

BORN - in late 1934, completely deaf. already had three siblings... would have even more later on.

GENERAL EARLY SCHOOL YEARS?: was discouraged from, sometimes punished for, using ASL at school due to oral education being at its peak. he was taught english, speech, and lip-reading, but that only extends so far. his eldest brother, jack, learned sign to communicate and connect with him. the rest of his family was a little bit busy with the amount of kids...

AGE 6: at eighteen, his brother has a child with his first wife, mary. monty becomes an uncle.

AGE 7: jack goes off to fight in wwii. mary takes up his torch when it comes to providing monty with company. 

AGE 10: word is sent that jack died fighting in the frontlines in the normandy landings.

AGE 11-12: atomic bombs fall on hiroshima & nagasaki and everyone is celebrating. this is something that monty both does and does not understand... wakes up in the fallout of a nuclear apocalypse. it’s not 1945 anymore, it’s not illinois anymore.  he hopelessly travels around for weeks, unsure of how he’s alive! and, right as he’s sure he’ll be succumbing to the elements, he finds the passage to an underground bunker. after a whole series of events, he manages to get inside a safe place with a man named ed. ed manages to communicate to monty that he had sent morse over the radio. and when monty doesn’t understand, ed creates a morse-code-to-english-alphabet cipher and begins speaking to him using that as monty communicates over the radio. monty learns he’s in canada, but ed doesn’t know what year it is anymore. the cause of the atomic bomb that had hit was ‘the east.’ they eventually devise a strategy that’ll use no paper at all. ed taps monty on the shoulder and has him watch him tap the wall.

AGE 13: they start running out of supplies. ed volunteers to brave the elements, but, ultimately, monty figures that he’s the one who can communicate through technology. if ed tried to send word to him over the radio, he wouldn’t hear it, but the same wouldn’t be said when it came to monty. monty took a walkie-talkie with him and traveled out. when he finally came across non-perishables, he realized he was completely lost. he decided to tell ed that he was going to keep walking and hope for the best. they exchanged goodbyes. monty felt ed’s morse coming through the walkie-talkie. he hops back in time, just a few years, and watches as the missiles head right towards him -- whatever new country he’s in. disaster occurs all around him as women hug their children and cars come to a sudden halt and the timeline saves him by mere milliseconds, jumping him forward a few months. he spends the next year trapped in this side of the wasteland with no one to talk to.

AGE 14: he wakes up in his home, just barely making it out alive. but it’s 1949. after a few mistrials, he communicates with his family over the radio. and they cannot believe their eyes or ears: first of all, he’d just literally spoken through the radio? second of all, he... had been in a nuclear apocalypse? not just missing? hmm...

AGES 14-17: he is constantly preoccupied with this ‘fallout.’ he’s drawn into himself. he talks about it, he draws pictures of some guy with some symbols underneath... wtf?

AGE 17: his family decides to institutionalize him.

AGE 18: after going through two rounds of electroshock therapy, he is transported to 1962, just in time for the cuban missile crisis.

AGES 18-28: the timeline decides it wants him right in the middle of the cold war. he’s certain that this is what will bring the nuclear apocalypse if he can’t stop it. he goes about it by sending false broadcasts, hoping to unite people under gratitude when they come out with their lives... or maybe fear... or maybe love... but nothing seems to work. everything he tries tends to just make things worse. he could activate it if he wanted to.

AGE 28: he’s in 1991 and the cold war is over. with that news, the timeline fritzed.  he was in wwii for a few days. the final day, he was by his brother and saw that he did not go out blazing. then he was in the vietnam war for a few days. about to be taken as prisoner, the timeline yanked him to a party he was not invited to on december 31st, 1999. it was in a bunker with a group of people counting down to the end of civilization. when the clock was one second away from hitting january 1st, 2000, he was pulled forward to 2020. nothing seemed to be immediately off, unlike his past three destinations...

AGE 29: he decides it would be best to stop relying on homeless shelters -- the timeline has not interfered in a while, so he pools together some money and eventually gets a shoddy apartment in chicago.

AGES 30-32: he builds a life in chicago. he still travels every now and again, but he hasn’t spent more than two days in a different time in years. although he still can’t quite tame his power, it seems to be taming itself. he becomes a disc jockey. due to the main requirement being, you know, working through radio waves, so long as he has his walkie-talkie to communicate over, he can run the job from anywhere in the city. this is in the headcanons section, but it’s important to note that he also uses his walkie-talkie to talk to other people. ever since it started translating morse into direct words, he doesn’t have to rely on sign, and what they say gets translated in his mind through the walkie-talkie. 

HEADCANONS:

I’M GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL REQUEST THAT, IF YOU KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE, IGNORE WHAT HE’S SAYING IN ALL OF THE GIFS.

much like his fc, he is completely deaf. he is familiar with and fluent in ASL, but carries a walkie-talkie to communicate his thoughts and translate the words of others into morse code to ensure the general ability to communicate with anyone he comes across. (yes, it would probably work with other devices. no, he is not going to give his walkie-talkie up to experiment with that.)

identified as straight until he was 15 (...i mean, the 1940s-50s + four years spent without other people, save for a few months with a guy closer to a father figure than anything else...). identified as bi until he was 20. identified as gay until he was 25. identified as bi until he was 27... has always really relied on the decade... doesn’t fully know what to label himself as, simply uses queer.

moving back and forth in the timestream has its pros and its cons. one pro ? he can survive for weeks, even months, after traveling forward without food and water. traveling backwards ? he better get to some water damn fast.

his father had some sort of dormant mutation related to bad luck, hence why monty only seemed to travel to shitty historical events. a secret his eldest brother kept was that he had telepathy... and used that to understand what monty was saying, not ASL. 

his on-air persona is ‘sonny/sunny,’ inspired by the ‘sunshine units’ & project sunshine ; the station is radio KONT - aka, radio contingency (with a ‘k’ because all american radio stations have to either start with a ‘k’ or a ‘w’ and actually chicago is based in the ‘w’ region, but... i came up with that name before i knew that so... pretend with me!)

has also kept the clothes that ed gave him to change into. is not an artist, but does have a picture of a poorly-drawn ed hanging in his apartment with morse code for ‘goodbye’ beneath it.

uses 40s-80s slang like any of it is still applicable. but with most of his childhood spent in the 30s/40s and most of his early adult years spent in the 60s-80s... look at that tubular dish! she sure is groovy!

CONNECTION IDEAS:

relatives ! as i said, he had a hoard of siblings and should, technically, be 88. plenty of time there ! could even have a child ! who’s older than him...

exes/flings/ons/etc ! you have to be careful when you have an untamable power that’ll put you in peril one second and drag you out the next. although he loves the company of others, he’s never gotten very close to anyone due to this... but...

regular listeners/callers ! eye think that could be fun.

people whose relatives he knew ! the 1940s-1990s were a wild time !

plenty of other things ! my mind is just getting fried from my cormac mccarthy novel :\ 

[murderousink23]

01/20/2023 is National Buttercrunch Day 🇺🇲, National Disc Jockey Day 🇺🇲, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀🇺🇲

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.21 (1950-2000)

1950 – Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash; the death toll is 21, with 17 of them Canadian troops bound for Korea. 1953 – The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax. 1959 – American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal. 1961 – The "La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, first revolving restaurant in the United States. 1962 – The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War. 1964 – The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opens to traffic. At the time it is the world's longest bridge span. 1964 – Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes. 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing." 1969 – U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Satō agree on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. The U.S. retains rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free. 1969 – The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI. 1970 – Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast: A joint United States Air Force and Army team raids the Sơn Tây prisoner-of-war camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there. 1971 – Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur. 1972 – Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung Hee and the Fourth Republic. 1974 – The Birmingham pub bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but subsequently acquitted. 1977 – Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" and "God Defend New Zealand". 1979 – The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four. 1980 – A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally's Las Vegas). Eighty-five people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history. 1985 – United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying after being caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations. He is subsequently sentenced to life in prison. 1986 – National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran–Contra affair. 1990 – Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashes on approach to Samui Airport, killing 38. 1992 – A major tornado strikes the Houston, Texas area during the afternoon. Over the next two days the largest tornado outbreak ever to occur in the US during November spawns over 100 tornadoes. 1995 – The Dayton Agreement is initialed at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 1996 – Humberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico explodes. 1998 – Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.

[hgono]

HJS - again in writing (in all things and any) her literary style makes me melt.

this is her academic introduction dep. English Vanderbilt University:

https://as.vanderbilt.edu/english/bio/hortense-spillers/

Having taught in the U.S. academy for three decades now (and counting), I am reluctant to look back for all those mythical reasons that warn against the backward glance. (I never figured out why doing so might turn one into a pillar of salt, but it is alleged from quite reputable sources to have happened to at least one person!) In any case, when I conjure up 1974, when I started post-doc teaching at Wellesley College, I always find something to cut the memory short, since remembering is to suggest that you have more past than future, but it doesn’t feel so to me at all. Actually, I feel as though I’m just getting started good!  Though I think I wouldn’t have been half bad at either, I am nevertheless grateful to myself that I didn’t pursue a career in the practice of law, or tv/radio broadcasting, having spent my last two years in undergraduate school at the University of Memphis as a disc jockey at WDIA radio in Memphis. This historic organization—among the first, if not the dead absolute first, all-black radio station in the United States—might have been my launching pad, I’d hoped, to a career in national news; as I recall, I was preparing to take the broadcasters’ examination, administered by the Feds (and the equivalent of our SATs, or in those days, CEEBs) and about to cut a tape, at their request,  to post to the executives who ran WHER in Memphis—the first all-woman radio station in the country, I think. But after all that, William Blake’s prophetic books won the charm offensive! Is that not a surprise, or what! Not many things were more interesting to me then than Walter Cronkite, Pauline Fredrick, and Edward R. Morrow, unless it was “Vala, or the Four Zoas”! And one thing led to another and another and finally a career of literary and cultural interrogation that has taken me literally from my birthplace on the southern tier to the East and Mid-West of the country and several decades later, back again. It would be an understatement to assert that it is not today the same South from which I departed my parents’ driveway in my little Buick Skylark, three months after MLK’s assassination, enroute to Boston and Brandeis.  The changes have been momentous for everyone and precisely frame my own professional development.

Try to imagine this: I hired someone to type my doctoral dissertation, though I was competent enough to have done it myself. But one hired out the work before computers because the professional typist was expected to be very fast, very capable, and expert at the proper formatting. You did everything else. The distance that separates the mid-70s from the turn-of-the-century world is a matter of light years, but I wonder how we are doing today with an old-fashioned aim in mind, and that is to say, teaching reading and writing in the age of twitter, although we apply far fancier names to what we do. It is likely that I wrote my dissertation on the rhetoric of black sermons by hand first, then made a rough copy of it on my Olivetti, then gave the secretary the rough draft from which to make the perfect draft. I think I paid the lady $200.00 and change, as the first “real” painting I bought from the same era—a striking head of Miles Davis on a black ground-- cost five hundred. Living in Haverford rather than Philly, Ithaca rather than the Big Apple, not taking a job in Chicago, but staying in central New York, I survived the 80s, 90s, and the new millennium; what bothers me now is that we haven’t figured out yet the implications of inflated costs, e.g;, that of higher education and the speeds that are supposed to match the global flows of capital.  I think we need to spend a little time trying to imagine what all the latter mean to and for the tasks of higher education.

[djrobblog]

How a cheesy medley by a one-hit DJ, and inspired by political violence brought tears during a recent Sunday drive

How a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and a song by a one-hit grifter disc jockey on a one-hit Motown label brought lots of tears one recent Sunday

(July 15, 2024).  You never know when or how your emotions might be triggered, or from what you might draw inspiration to write about the experience in a blog post. I began writing this article days before this past Saturday’s events, in which political violence reared its head once again during an attempt on Donald Trump’s life (July 13, 2024). I completed it today. The inspiration for this…

[discjockeyetc]

Bar Harbor, Yarmouth, Halifax, & Pictou

Whew, what a busy couple of days! I'm a day behind on my updates, so this is going to be a LONG one. I'll explain why later.

At the end of my last update, we had arrived in Bar Harbor for the night. As the sun rose on Wednesday, we got up a little early so we could accomplish a couple things; check in to the ferry, grab some breakfast, visit Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park, and do a bit more exploration of Bar Harbor. We managed to do ALL of those things. What can I say? We pack a LOT of stuff into our adventures.

Breakfast was at a wonderful little diner called Jordan's. The best way to describe it? Well, if you've ever been to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, you might be familiar with a famous breakfast place there called The Log Cabin. It's sort of a hybrid of that and Waffle House.

Bar Harbor

Acadia National Park is amazing and the view from Cadillac Mountain is STUNNING. If you ever get the chance to visit here, make sure you go. We were ill prepared for hiking like most people were doing, so we didn't spend much time there. It was also unseasonably warm for this time of year in Bar Harbor. Next time we go, we'll do it right; proper hiking shoes, lighter clothing, more time, etc.

Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park

Before we left for the ferry, we grabbed some appetizers at a funky little place called the Dog & Pony Pub. It's the kind of place that has stickers all over the restroom doors. If you look closely at the pictures below, you'll see where I added a Disc Jockey Etc sticker to both. ;)

Do you see the Disc Jockey Etc stickers?

We made our way to the CAT Ferry, which was a highlight I was VERY much looking forward to. It goes directly from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in a little over three hours. We drove right on to the boat and got the van all settled and secured. We then made our way up to the passenger area where we took our seats.

We played cards and also got to relax for a bit, too.

The views from the ferry were gorgeous. Driving on to a boat was also a first time thing for me, too. That was pretty cool.

CAT Ferry, Bar Harbor to Yarmouth

We arrived in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and made our way off the boat. After going through customs (and figuring out how to use our phones in Canada), we headed straight to dinner. Yarmouth is a cool little town, but we had virtually NO time to explore it. Our hotel for the night was in Halifax, which was about three hours away. More on that later. We did manage to get these two pics there, though. Rudders was pretty much the only thing open and close to the ferry terminal, but it was lovely and worked out great. Yarmouth seems like the kind of town that pretty much shuts down at 8pm, but this place, Rudders, was still open... and, subsequently, quite busy. We saw quite a few familiar faces from the ferry there, too.

We had dinner on the outside deck which was perfect for sunset. These were the only pictures we got in Yarmouth.

Rudders, Yarmouth NS.

After dinner, we hopped in the car and started making the three hour drive to Halifax. Yes. THREE HOURS. In hindsight, it might have been better to stay the night in Yarmouth instead of trekking up to Halifax... because we didn't arrive there until a little after midnight... which is why I didn't post an update last night. We were all BEAT.

We actually got to sleep in a bit Thursday morning, which was nice (and much needed). We got ourselves re-packed and headed out to explore the city of Halifax. Like our time in Bar Harbor, we didn't have a whole lot of time, so we wanted to make the best of it. We found a cool little breakfast/lunch spot called Elle's Bistro.

Elle's Bistro, Halifax, NS.

Right next door to Elle's was the location of our pre-planned escape room adventure. We've done probably 100+ escape rooms in many different states. We wanted to add Canada to that growing list of locations. This place was super cool, and we totally CRUSHED that escape room! (and by "crushed", I mean we escaped with time to spare LOL).

Captured Escape Room, Halifax, NS.

After the escape room, we got to explore the waterfront area a bit. There are a ton of cool shops and eateries down there. And just like every area of coastal Nova Scotia, the water views were spectacular.

It's tough to see, but the four of us are in that rectangle next to the word CANADA.

Did you know that Lululemon was founded in Canada? Yep. And our girls knew that. So they HAD to visit the Lulu store in downtown Halifax. I didn't mind, though... because while they were shopping at Lulu, I got to visit this cool record store. I felt it was necessary to purchase an album from a Canadian act while at a Canadian record store. That just makes sense, right? ;)

Taz Records, Halifax, NS The purchase: "Fully Completely" from Tragically Hip, 1994.

It was time to make our way to the town of Pictou... which was the primary reason we went on this adventure in the first place. It's only about a 90 minute drive from Halifax to Pictou... by far, the shortest distance between two destination cities on this entire trip.

If you read my first update from before we left, you may remember that the reason I wanted to visit Pictou is because it's where my mom was born, and where my grandparents started their family.

At long last, we finally arrived in Pictou.

Pictou, NS

We're staying with Bruce & Eloise MacDonald who have known me since I was born. Bruce was a very close cousin (by guardianship) to my mom, and Eloise ended up being one of my mom's best friends. These folks were (and still are) a big part of my life growing up. We would visit them when they lived in London, Ontario pretty often. They also were guests at mine and Jill's wedding in 2002. On this trip, they were so incredibly kind to open up their home and host us for the next couple nights.

They also treated us to a lovely home cooked meal; something we haven't had since the night before we left for vacation. This is the only picture I got with them today, but there will be plenty more in the days ahead.

Bruce & Eloise MacDonald

After dinner, we went into town (all of 200 yards away) to explore a little bit at sunset. My goodness, how pretty is this town??

Pictou at sunset is just gorgeous.

It's hard to believe I'm actually here; a town I've only heard about my entire life. A place where my mother and grandparents walked and lived... and I get to experience it first hand. Even better, I get to do it with my OWN family. It's truly a blessing.

[borntobecheap]

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… THE NICEST KIDS IN TOWN!”

IF I HAVE one regret in life, it's that I wasn't a Buddy Deaner. Sure, as a teenager I was a guest on this Baltimore show. I even won the twist contest with Mary Lou Raines (one of the queens of "The Buddy Deane Show") at a local country club.

But I was never a Deaner. Not a real one. Not one of the Committee members, the ones chosen to be on the show every day—the Baltimore version of the Mouseketeers, "the nicest kids in town," as they were billed. The guys who wore sport coats with belts in the back from Lee's of Broadway (ten percent discount for Committee members), pegged pants, pointy-toe shoes with the great buckles on the side and "drape" (greaser) haircuts that my parents would never allow. And the girl Deaners, God, "hair-hopppers" as we called them in my neighborhood, the ones with the Etta gowns, bouffant hairdos and cha-cha heels. These were the first role models I knew. The first stars I could identify with. Arguably the first TV celebrities in Baltimore.

I'm still a fan—a Deaner groupie. I even named some of the characters in my films after them. So you can't imagine how excited I was when I finally got a chance to interview these local legends twenty years later.

"The Buddy Deane Show" was a teenage dance party, on the air from 1957 to 1964. It was the top-rated local TV show in Baltimore and, for several years, the highest rated local TV program in the country. While the rest of the nation grew up on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" (which was not even shown here because Channel I3 already had "Buddy Deane"), Baltimoreans, true to form, had their own eccentric version. Every rock 'n' roll star of the day (except Elvis) came to town to lip-sync and plug their records on the show: Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon and Fabian, to name just a few.

You learned how to be a teenager from the show. Every day after school kids would run home, tune in and dance with the bedpost or refrigerator door as they watched. If you couldn't do the Buddy Deane Jitterbug (always identifiable by the girl's ever-so-subtle dip of her head each time she was twirled around), you were a social outcast. And because a new dance was introduced practically every week, you had to watch every day to keep up. It was maddening: the Mashed Potato, the Stroll, the Pony, the Waddle, the Locomotion, the Bug, the Handjive, the New Continental and, most important, the Madison, a complicated line dance that started here and later swept the country.

Although the show has been off the air for more than twenty years, a nearly fanatical cult of fans has managed to keep the memory alive. The producers of Diner wanted to include "Buddy Deane" footage in their film, but most of the shows were live and any tapes of this local period piece have been erased. Last spring five hundred people quickly snapped up the $23 tickets to the third Buddy Deane Reunion, held at a banquet hall in East Baltimore, to raise money for the Baltimore Burn Center. Buddy himself, the high priest, returned for the event. And more important, so did the Committee, still entering by a special door, still doing the dances from the period with utmost precision. I was totally star-struck and had as much fun that night as I did at the Cannes Film Festival. All on tacky Pulaski Highway.

IN THE BEGINNING there was Arlene. Arlene Kozak, Buddy's assistant and den mother to the Committee. Now a receptionist living in suburbia with her husband and two grown children, Arlene remains fiercely loyal, organizing the reunions and keeping notebooks filled with the updated addresses, married names and phone numbers of all "my kids."

She met Winston J. "Buddy" Deane in the fifties when she worked for a record wholesaler and he was the top-rated disc jockey on WITH — the only DJ in town who played rock 'n' roll for the kids. Joel Chaseman, also a DJ at WITH, became program manager of WJZ-TV when Westinghouse bought it in the mid-fifties. Chaseman had this idea for a dance party show, with Buddy as the disc jockey, and Buddy asked Arlene to go to work for him.

On the air "before Dick Clark debuted," the show "was a hit from the beginning," says Arlene today.

The Committee, initially recruited from local teen centers, was to act as hosts and dance with the guests. To be selected you had to bring a "character reference" letter from your pastor, priest or rabbi, qualify in a dance audition and show in an interview ("the Spotlight") that you had "personality." At first the Committee had a revolving membership, with no one serving longer than three months.

But something unforeseen happened: The home audience soon grew attached to some of these kids. So the rules were bent a little; the "big" ones, the ones with the fan mail, were allowed to stay.

And the whole concept of the Committee changed. The star system was born.

If you were a Buddy Deane Committee member, you were on TV six days a week for as many as three hours a day-enough media exposure to make Marshall McLuhan's head spin. The first big stars were Bobbi Burns and Freddy Oswinkle, according to Arlene, but "no matter how big anyone got, someone came along who was even bigger."

Joe Cash and Joan Teves became the show's first royalty.

Joanie, whose mother "wanted me to be a child star," hit the show in early 1957 at age thirteen (you had to be fourteen to be eligible, but many lied about their ages to qualify), followed a few months later by Joe, seventeen. Like many couples, Joe and Joan m* through the show and became "an item" for their fans. Many years later they married.

"I saw the show as a vehicle to make something of myself," remembers Joe. "I was aggressive. I wanted to get into the record business" —and years later he did.

Joe started working for Buddy as "teen assistant" and, along with Arlene, oversaw the Committee and enforced the strict rules.

You received demerits for almost anything: Chewing gum. Eating the refreshments (Ameche's Powerhouses, the premiere teenage hangout's forerunner of the Big Mac), which were for guests only.

Or dancing with other Committee members when you were supposed to be dancing with the guests (a very unpopular rule allowed this only every fourth dance). And if you dared to dance the obscene Bodie Green (the Dirty Boogie), you were immediately a goner.

"I got a little power-crazed," admits Joe. "I thought I was running the world, so they developed a Board, and the Committee began governing itself." Being elected to the Board became the ultimate status symbol. This Committee's committee, under the watchful eye of Arlene, chose new members, taught the dance steps and enforced the demerit system, which could result in suspension or expulsion.

Another royal Deaner couple who met on the air and later married was Gene Snyder and Linda Warehime. They are still referred to, good naturedly by some, as "the Ken and Barbie of the show." Gene, a member of "the first Committee, and I underline first," later became president of the Board. Linda reverently describes her Committee membership as "the best experience I ever had in my life." They later became members of the "Permanent Committee," the hall of fame that could come back to dance even after retiring. "That was our whole social life, being a Buddy Deaner," says Gene. "It was a family: Buddy was the father, Arlene was the mother."

Even today Gene and Linda are the quintessential Deaner couple, still socializing with many Committee members, very protective of the memory, and among the first to "lead a dance" at the emotion-packed reunions. "Once a Deaner, always a Deaner," as another so succinctly puts it.

The early "look" of the Committee was typically fifties. And although few will now admit to having been drapes, the hairstyles at first were DAs, Detroits and Waterfalls for the guys and ponytails and DAs for the girls, who wore full skirts with crinolins and three or four pairs of bobby socks. Joe remembers "a sport coat I bought for $s from somebody who got it when he got out of prison.

I was able after a while to afford some clothes from Lee's of Broad-way" (whose selection of belted coats and pegged pants made it the Saks Fifth Avenue of Deaners).

One of the first ponytail princesses was "Peanuts" (Sharon Goldman, debuting at fourteen in 1958, Forest Park High School Chicken Hop), who went on the show because Deaners were "folk heroes." She remembers Paul Anka singing "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" to her on camera as she did just that. She became so popular that she was written up in the nationwide Sixteen magazine.

"On the show you were either a drape or a square," explains Sharon. "I was a square. I guess Helen Crist was the first drapette: the DA, the ballet shoes, oogies [tulle scarves], eye shadow—eye-liner was big then—and pink lipstick."

Helen Crist. The best little jitterbugger in Baltimore. The first and maybe the biggest Buddy Deane queen of all. Debuting at a mere eleven years of age, taking three buses every day to get to the show, wearing that wonderful white DA (created by her hairdresser father) and causing the first real sensation. She was one of the chosen few who went to New York to learn how to demonstrate the Madison and was selected for the "exchange committee" that represented Baltimore's best on "American Bandstand." She was the only one of the biggies who refused to be on the Board ("They had power; a lot were disliked because of it").

Helen's fans flocked to see her at the Buddy Deane Record Hops (Committee members had to make such personal appearances and sign autographs). "I got all these letters from the Naval Academy," Helen remembers, "so I went there one day, and all the midshipmen were hanging out the windows. It was a real kick!" Her fame even brought an offer to join the circus. "This man approached me, telegrammed me, showed up at the show. He wanted me to go to a summer training session to be a trapeze artist. I wanted to go, but my parents wouldn't let me. I was really mad. I wanted to join the circus."

Two other ponytail princesses who went on to the Buddy Deane hall of fame were Evanne Robinson, the Committee member on the show the longest, and Kathy Schmink. Today they seem opposites.

Over lunch at the Thunderball Lounge, in East Baltimore, Kathy remembers, "I could never get used to signing autographs. Why?' I'd wonder." She wasn't even a fan of the show. "It was a fluke. My mother wanted me to go; she took me down to the tryouts. At first I was so shy I hid behind the Coke machines."

But Evanne "used to come right home and head for the TV. I had always studied dance, and I wanted to go on (the show]. I'm the biggest ham." Although she denies being conscious of the cam-era, she admits, "I did try to dance up front. I wasn't going to go on and not be seen." But even Evanne turned bashful on one show, when Buddy made a surprise announcement. "I was voted prettiest girl by this whole army base. I was so embarrassed. Buddy called me up before the cameras, and I wasn't dressed my best. The whole day on the show was devoted to me."

BEING A TEENAGE STAR in Baltimore had its drawbacks. "It was difficult with your peers," recalls Peanuts. "You weren't one of them anymore." Outsiders envied the fame, especially if they lost their steadies to Deaners, and many were put off by boys who loved to dance. "Everybody wanted to kick a Buddy Deaner's ass," says Gene, recalling thugs waiting to jump Deaners outside the studio.

"It was so painful. It was horrible," says Joe. "I used to get death threats on the show. I'd get letters saying, If you show up at this particular hop, you're gonna get your face pushed in?" And Evanne still shudders as she recalls, "Once I was in the cafeteria.

One girl yelled 'Buddy Deaner' and then threw her plate at me. My mother used to pick me up after school to make sure nobody hassled me."

The adoring fans could also be a hassle. "I must have had ten different phone numbers," says Helen, "and somehow it would get out. There were a lot of obscene phone calls."

And the rumors, God, the rumors. "They all thought all the girls were pregnant by Buddy Deane," remember several. "Once I was off the show for a while, and they said I had joined the nun-nery," says Helen, laughing. "It was even in the papers. It was hilarious."

Some of the rumors were fanned on purpose. Because "Buddy Deane's" competition was soap operas, the budding teenage romances were sometimes played up for the camera. "One time I was going with this guy, and he was dancing with this guest I didn't like," says Evanne. "Buddy noticed my eyes staring and said, 'Do the same eyes.' And the camera got it." Kathy went even further. "I was with this guy named Jeff. We faked a feud. I took off my steady ring and threw it down. We got more mail: 'Oh, please don't break up!' Somebody even sent us a miniature pair of boxing gloves. Then we made up on camera."

Romance was one thing; sex was another. Most Deaner girls wouldn't even "tongue-kiss," claims Arlene, remembering the ruckus caused by a Catholic priest when the Committee modeled strapless Etta gowns on TV. From then on, all bare shoulders were covered with a piece of net.

Other vices were likewise eschewed. If a guy had one beer, it was a big deal. Some do remember a handful of kids getting high on cough medicine. "Yeah, it was Cosenel," says Joe. "They would drive me nuts when they'd come in the door, and I'd say, 'Man, you're gone. You are out of here. You are history.' "

Although many parents and WJZ insisted that Committee members had to keep up their grades to stay on the show, the reality could be quite different. With the show beginning at 2:30 in some years, cutting out of school early was common.

"I'd hook and have to dance in the back so the teachers couldn't see me," says Helen. "I had to get up there on time. My heart would have broken in two if I couldn't have gone on." Finally Helen quit Mergenthaler (Mervo) trade school, at the height of her fame. "The school tried to throw me out before. I couldn't be bothered with education. I wanted to dance."

"We had a saying: "The show either makes you or breaks you,'" says Kathy. "Some kids on the show went a little nuts, with stars in their eyes; they thought they were going to go to Hollywood and be movie stars."

Yet Joe was a dropout when he went on the show and then, once famous, went back to finish. And according to Arlene, Buddy encouraged one popular Committee member (Buzzy Bennet) to teach himself to read so he could realize his dream of being a disc jockey. He eventually became one of the most respected programmers in the country and was even written up in Time magazine.

WITH THE 1960s came a whole new set of stars, some with names that seemed like gimmicks, but weren't: Concetta Comi, the popular sister team of Yetta and Gretta Kotik. And then there was teased hair, replacing the fifties drape with a Buddy Deane look that so pervaded Baltimore culture (especially in East and South Baltimore) that its effect is still seen in certain neighborhoods.

Some of the old Committee kept up with the times and made the transition with ease. Kathy switched to a great beehive that resembled a trash can sitting on top of her head ("I looked like I was taking off"). And Helen, Linda and Joanie all got out the rat-tail teasing combs.

Fran Nedeloff (debuting at fourteen in 1961, Mervo High School cha-cha) remembers the look: "Straight skirt to the knee, cardigan sweater buttoned up the back, cha-cha heels, lots of heavy black eyeliner, definitely Clearasil on the lips, white nail polish. We used to go stand in front of Read's Drugstore, and people would ask for our autograph."

Perhaps the highest bouffants of all belonged to the Committee member who was my personal favorite: Pixie (who died several years later from a drug overdose). "You could throw her down on the ground, and her hair would crack," recalls Gene. Pixie was barely five feet tall, but her hair sometimes added a good six to eight inches to her height.

But by far the most popular hairdo queen on "Buddy Deane" was a fourteen-year-old Pimlico Junior High School student named Mary Lou Raines. Mary Lou, the Annette Funicello of the show, was the talk of teenage Baltimore. Every week she had a different "do" —the Double Bubble, the Artichoke, the Airlift -each topped off by her special trademark, suggested by her mother, the bow.

"We really sprayed it," remembers Mary Lou today from her home in Pennsylvania. "The more hair spray, the better. After you sprayed it, you'd get toilet paper and blot it. Sometimes you'd wrap your hair at night. If you leaned on one side, the next day you'd just pick it out" into shape.

Mary Lou was the last of the Buddy Deane superstars, true hair-hopper royalty, the ultimate Committee member. "We have a tele-gram," Buddy would shout almost daily, "for Mary Lou to lead a dance," and the cameraman seemed to love her. "When that little red light came on, so did my smile," she says, laughing. At her appearances at the record hops, "kids would actually scream when you'd get out of the car: 'There's Mary Lou! Oh, my God, it's Evanne!' Autograph books, cameras, this is what they lived for. They sent cakes on my birthday. They'd stand outside my home. They just wanted to know if you were real. I was honored, touched by it all."

Mary Lou was aware that in some neighborhoods it was not cool to be a Buddy Deaner. "Oh sure, if you were Joe College (pre-preppie), you just didn't do 'The Deane Show.'" "Did you ever turn into a Joe College?" I ask innocently. "No!" she answers, with a conviction that gives me the chills.

But as more and more kids (even "Deane" fans) did turn Joe College, many of the Committee made the mistake of not keeping up with the times. Marie Fischer was the first "Joe" to become a Committee member-chosen simply because she was such a good dancer. As with the drapes and squares of the previous decade, she explains, "there were two classes of people then-Deaners and Joe College. The main thing was your hair was flat, the antithesis of Buddy Deane," she says, chuckling. "I was a misfit. Every day I'd come to the studio in knee-highs, and I'd have to take them off. You had to wear nylons. Before long I started getting lots of fan mail: I think you're neat. I'm Joe, too.' There was a change in the works."

Part of that change was the racial integration movement. "I had a lot of black friends at the time, so for me this was an awkward thing," says Marie. "To this day, I'm reluctant to tell some of my black friends I was on 'Buddy Deane' because they look at it as a terrible time."

Integration ended "The Buddy Deane Show." When the subject comes up today, most loyalists want to go off the record. But it went something like this: "Buddy Deane" was an exclusively white show. Once a month the show was all black; there was no black Committee. So the NAACP targeted the show for protests. Ironi-cally, "The Buddy Deane Show" introduced black music and artists into the lives of white Baltimore teenagers, many of whom learned to dance from black friends and listened to black radio. Buddy offered to have three or even four days a week all black, but that wasn't it. The protesters wanted the races to mix.

At frantic meetings of the Committee, many said, "My parents simply won't let me come if it's integrated," and WIZ realized it just couldn't be done. "It was the times," most remember. "This town just wasn't ready for that." There were threats and bomb scares; integrationists smuggled whites into the all-black shows to dance cheek to cheek on camera with blacks, and that was it. "The Buddy Deane Show" was over. Buddy wanted it to end happily, but WJZ angered Deaners when it tried to blame the ratings.

On the last day of the show, January 4, 1964, all the most popular Committee members through the years came back for one last appearance. "I remember it well," recalls Evanne. "Buddy said to me, 'Well, here's my little girl who's been with me the longest.' I hardly ever cried, but I just broke down on camera. I didn't mean to, because I never would have messed up the makeup."

IN 1985 THE COMMITTEE MEMBERs are for the most part happy and healthy, living in Baltimore, and still recognized on the street. "They kept their figures, look nice and are very kind people," says Marie from her lovely country home before taking off for the University of Maryland, where she attends law school.

Most are happily married with kids and maintain the same images they had on the show. "We are kind of like Ozzie and Harriet," says Gene Snyder as Linda nods in agreement. "I'm a typical middle-class housewife," says Peanuts, "Girl Scout leader, very active in my kid's school." Mary Lou is still a star. That she has an affluent life-style surprises no one on the Committee. In her home, near Allentown, Pennsylvania, she serves me a beautiful brunch, models her fur coats and poses with her Mercedes. "When I get depressed, I don't go to the psychiatrist; I go to the jeweler," she says.

Oddly enough, few of the Deaners I've talked to went on to show biz. Joe Cash has Jonas Cash Promotions ("my own promotional firm—we represent Warner Brothers, Columbia, Motown-eighty-five percent of the music you hear in this market")-and Active Industry Research (a "research firm-I'm chairman of the board"). Evanne and her brother run the John Brock Benson Dance Studios and have a line of dancers who appear at clubs all over the state. But most have settled down to a very straight life.

And none are bitter. Although the Committee was a valuable promotional tool for WJZ at the time, and belonging was a full-time job, no one (except teen assistants) was paid a penny. Even doing commercials was expected. Mary Lou laughs at the memory of doing a pimple medicine spot on camera. And who can forget those great ads for the plastic furniture slipcovers that opened with the kids jumping up and down on the sofa and a local announcer screaming, "Hey, kids! Get off that furniture!"? Or the Bob-a-Loop? Or Hartford Motor Coach Company? Or Snuggle Dolls? The Deaners didn't mind. As Marie puts it, "The rewards were so great emotionally that you didn't have to ask for a monetary award."

Many had difficulties dealing with the void when the show went off the air. Gene calls it "a big loss." "It was living in a fantasy world," says Helen, "and later on, growing up, it was a definite blow: reality." "I still have a whole box of fan mail," says Evanne. "If I'm ever depressed, sometimes I think, 'Well, this will make me feel better,' and I go down and dig in the box."

Holding onto the memories more than anyone is Arlene Kozak, who is by far the most loved by all the Committee members. (They gave her a diamond watch at the last reunion.) "Do you miss show biz?" I ask her. "Not show biz," Arlene answers, hesitating, "but the record biz, the people. Yes, I miss it very much. I don't think I'll ever get over missing it, if you want to know the truth."

Many of the Committee members' spouses faced an even bigger adjustment. In "mixed marriages" (with non-Deaners), many of the outsiders resented their spouses' pasts. "At twenty-one I married a professional football player," Helen remembers, "and he made me burn all the fan mail. I had trunks of it. He was mad because I was as popular as he was. He just didn't understand."

But some have dealt with the problems in good humor. When Mary Lou's husband gave me the long and complicated directions to their home on the phone, he ended with, "And there you will find, yes, Mary Lou Raines." He later confided that when he first started dating her, he had no idea of her early career. "Everywhere we went, people would say 'There's Mary Lou.' I wondered if she had just been released from the penitentiary."

THE BUDDY DEANE phenomenon is hardly dead. Each reunion (and a new one is in the works) seems bigger than the last. Deaners seem to come out of the woodwork, drawn by the memory of their stardom. Buddy returns on a pilgrimage from St. Charles, Arkansas, where he owns a hunting and fishing lodge and sometimes appears on TV, to spin the hits and announce multiplication dances, ladies® choice, or even, after a few drinks, the Limbo. Some of the really dedicated Committee members get tears in their eyes. Was it really twenty years ago? Could it be?

Why not do "The Deane Show" on Baltimore TV again? Just once. A special. The ultimate reunion. From all over the country, the Deaners could rise again, congregate at the bottom of Television Hill, and start Madison-ing their way ("You're looking good. A big strong line!") up the hill to that famous dance party set, the one that now houses a talk show. The "big garage-type door" they remember would open, and they'd all pile in, past George and "Mom," the Pinkerton guards who used to keep attendance, and crowd into Arlene's office to comb their hair, confide their problems and touch up their makeup. Buddy could take his seat beneath his famous Top 20 Board, and the tension would build. "Ten seconds to airtime. . . . three, two, one. Ladies and gentlemen. . . the nicest kids in town!"

John Waters (Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters, 1986)