Don’t Believe A Word I Say with Bob Segarini

The Monday Morning Mailbag for November 30^th, 2009

In today’s Mailbag: Radio!Radio!Radio! The Frozen Road! The Segarini Band!

Quick Comments:

No room for a quick comment today, the Mailbag is bursting at the seams. Well…just one short comment: Hope you all saw the HBO Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25^th Anniversary show last night. Some of the performances were outstanding! Some…were just wrong. Running tonight, (Monday), on HBO2.

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll!!!

hbo.com/events/rocknroll/video.html

Here’s this week’s Mailbag…

Radio Radio Radio…

Mark Vukovich: Funny ass shit about the Beatles 1000 yrs from now…Scottie Pippen for chrissakes…! I’m surprised that you didn’t mention Wolfman Jack, Bob..!

I just finished listenin’ to Led on a classic rock station, as you can well imagine.

SEG SAYS: Ahhh…Led Zeppelin on a Classic Rock radio station, was there ever a more perfect marriage? Although it would be nice to be able to hear more than just a few of the 81 songs they recorded while they were together.  And it’s a shame you can’t hear new music from Robert Plant or Jimmy Page on the same station. Does this mean that ‘Classic Rock’ is a genre? If it is a genre, then why don’t they play new music by new acts who write and play ‘classic rock’ genre music? Classic Rock stations certainly have the audience that loves this kind of music and would probably appreciate hearing it. And if it’s about the Artists from a certain era, say…1967 to 1979, why don’t they play new music from those ‘classic rock’ artists? I mean, have you heard the last couple of Allman Brothers records? Or Jeff Beck’s last 12 CD’s? Or the Paul McCartney, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Metallica, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy Osbourne, output of the last several years as more than just a single spin, if at all? Just curious…

Jim Chisholm: Bob. This is a great lyric about a DJ by The Kinks. I used to play this in a band called Mars Landing. We played it at a high school battle of the bands with a bunch of Calgary djs present but we didn’t win. Go figure…. I’ll dedicate it to guys like you.

AROUND THE DIAL by THE KINKS

Radios of the world are tuning in tonight,
Are you on the dial, are you tuned in right?
One of our d.j.’s is missing.
Are you listening?
Are you listening to me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me clearly?
Around the dial.

I’ve been around the dial so many times,
But you’re not there.
Somebody tells me that you’ve been taken off the air.
Well, you were my favourite d.j.,
Since I can’t remember when.
You always played the best records,
You never followed any trend.
F.m., a.m. where are you?
You gotta be out there somewhere on the dial.
On the dial.

(are you ready) we’re going ’round the dial,
(are you listening) around the dial,
(are you tuned in) around the dial,
(are you searchin’) around the dial.
F.m., a.m. where are you?
You gotta be out there somewhere on the dial.
On the dial.

Where did you go mr. d.j.?
Did they take you off the air?
Was it something that you said to the corporation guys upstairs?
It wasn’t the pressure,
You never sounded down.
It couldn’t be the ratings,
You had the best in town.
Somehow I’m gonna find ya, track you down.
Gonna keep on searchin’,
Around and around and ’round and ’round…

(they’re searchin’) around the dial,
(they’re listenin’) around the dial,
(poor station) the best in town,
(poor d.j.) who never let us down.
While the critics kept on knocking you,
You just kept on rocking around the dial.
Around the dial.

I’ve been searchin’ for you on my radio.
This time your station really must have gone underground
Somebody said you had a minor nervous breakdown.
Was it something that you heard,
Or something that you saw,
That made you lose your mind,
Did you lose control.
Did you step out of line?
If you’re there, give us a sign.

I can’t believe that you’ve been taken off the air.
Think I’ll sell my radio now that you’re not there.
You never gave in to fashion,
You never followed any trends,
All the record bums tried to hack you up,
But you were honest to the end.
Gonna keep my radio on,
’till I know just what went wrong.
The answers out there somewhere on the dial.
On the dial.

Can you hear me (around the dial)
Are you listenin’ (around the dial)
Are you out there (around the dial)
Can you hear me?
Around the dial.

SEG SAYS: Great track from a great band. This song was originally released on 1981’s “Give the People What They Want”, one of the Kink’s several overlooked gems. It is interesting to note that this lyric comes from 28 years ago, but sounds like it was written yesterday. 

Keith (Keef) Fraser: The guy I loved to listen to was Big Jim Brady (CFTR, CFGM, CJCL, KOPA). ”Come get me mother, I’m through.” Was his sign off.
It was a time when radio was really wonderful. Now we’re under siege by aspiring reality TV stars.

SEG SAYS: Ah yes, sign offs! Does anyone still use them? Jimmy Durante’s famous, “Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are”, Red Skelton’s “Goodnight and God Bless”, Dave Garroway’s, “Peace”, and of course my own, “Turn off the electric blanket, baby, I’m comin’ home.”…but no one can touch Howard Stern’s immortal, “Fuck off, I’ll fart you tomorrow”.

Glenn Peacock: Bob, These days….So little time, so much media. I think of the days I listened to CHOM FM in Montreal and give thanks to the DJ’s back then who provided some artistic leadership in my youth. This guided my artistic evolution. The opportunity these days for this kind of leadership just doesn’t exist. My kids are faced with a unmanageable density of content that is so diluted I can only hope that the upside is a evolution of increased awareness of garbage and nonsense. Like we move past the “tipping point” and return to true appreciation for artistic quality.
Kind of like waves through history…..
Cheers,
Happy American Thanksgiving from the Arizona desert

SEG SAYS: Because radio is no longer the risk taking musical savant that lead us all on our path to appreciating and seeking out new bands and music, the massive, easily available recordings that are let loose on the public with no regard to quality, creativity, or craftsmanship in overwhelming numbers, can easily obscure the great stuff out there that radio no longer seeks out and presents to us. Without the leadership and support of radio, audiences have taken to doing the job themselves. It occurs to me that everyone who loves music and does try to discover it, could act as a music department by sending their suggestions to their local stations that play the kind of music they like. Maybe radio stations could provide a couple of streaming internet sites for the kids to put up their choices for the stations listeners to hear and vote on. Just a thought…

Find this movie. Watch this movie:

Carla Lockhart: Yet another great column Bob. And so very true. I am sick to death of oldies stations, hate talk radio, and lament the loss of a great station that points the way to my next musical obsession. In fact I find the whole thing so depressing, my radio is off more than it is on. But then there are little sparks of hope in columns like yours, a place I can turn to when jonesing for a new listen. It may lack the magic of riding around Stockton listening to a mono mix of Purple Haze on a dinky radio that fades in and out of reception, but if what I have now is you to lead the way, well I’m happy with that! Just don’t go anywhere, OK?

SEG SAYS: There are some fine alternatives out there, Carla. Check out the internet radio stations that have deep playlists of the classic stuff, and the ones that expose new recordings by new artists. Just google ‘Internet Radio…you’ll find plenty of suggestions.

For older stuff, check out my own “RadioZombie”, “Iceage”, and “PsychShack”, plus all the other great archived shows at www.radiothatdoesntsuck.com Most “A&R Online shows there feature new stuff as well…

S. White: “Wolfman Jack”, how could you forget him, Mr. Seg.! To me he was like the father to all DJ’s, the voice of reason, fun, excitement, wacky stories, etc. Coming home “alone” at the end of a night out on the town, you never felt alone when you turned on the dial to hear the voice of “Wolfman”, a friend in the night. I was born in the late 50’s and you are sooo right, radio is in the blood, all my albums were purchased because of a DJ’s influence and I was never disappointed. Keep on ‘rockin in the free world’. Cheers!

SEG SAYS: You aren’t the only person that pointed out my error of omission concerning the Wolfman. He was, of course, one of my favourites growing up in Stockton, California. Wolfman Jack could actually be heard throughout most of North America because he was broadcast on a couple of Mexican radio stations that had MASSIVE towers just across the border aimed north to reach the American, and sometimes, Canadian, audiences. He was on XERB in the Western United States, broadcasting from Chula Vista, California, although the tower was South of the border. The call letters were different further East, but the show was the same. From Wikipedia:

“In 1963, Smith took his act to the border when the Inter-American Radio Advertising’s Ramon Bosquez hired him and sent him to the studio and transmitter site of XERB-AM at Ciudad Acuña in Mexico, a station whose high-powered border blaster signal could be picked up across much of the United States. In an interview with writer Tom Miller, Smith described the reach of the XERB signal: “We had the most powerful signal in North America. Birds dropped dead when they flew too close to the tower. A car driving from New York to L.A. would never lose the station.”^[3] Most of the border stations broadcast at 250,000 watts, five times the U.S. limit, meaning that their signals were picked up all over North America, and at night as far away as Europe and the Soviet Union.” You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfman_Jack

There was a parking space at the Foster Freeze Drive In on Pacific Avenue where Wolfman came in loud and clear. It became my parking place on the weekends, and where I hung out with the windows down and the doors open, blasting XERB to anyone in the parking lot. The Family Tree used to listen to the station on tours from San Diego to Vancouver. Later, when he became an icon thanks to his appearance in American Graffiti, he was syndicated everywhere and had a very successful career until he died suddenly, and unexpectedly at 57, after returning home from a book tour. More Wolfman: http://uncasnetworks.com/xerb/pages/xerb.shtml

Craig Jones: Hey Ice, We showed up for our air shift 2 hours early so we could play pacman in the jock lounge and stayed 2 hours after just to hang out with the next jock on air. We showed up on our days off because we thought we would miss something wonderful. We went to the concerts and clubs together as a group and wore our colors proudly. We were co-workers, team mates, brothers-in-arms and most of all family.
It was an honor and privilege to share a mic with you and others who would have done it just for the love of radio. For those of us who now work in retail, food service, are retired, or just couch surfing…You are the last DJ.

Jonesie

SEG SAYS: Jonesie and I worked at CHUM FM back in the early ‘80’s. A fine Pac-Man player, incredible operator, and cool part of CHUM FM’s morning show. He had an insanely loyal following and was the young pin-up boy of 1331 Yonge Street, even making the cover of a great collection of hit songs with a classic picture. We did, indeed, all hang out all the time, every station was well represented on the street and in the clubs. Thanks for the kind words. Jonesie…I had to use a tissue after I read it.

The Wack and Roll Circus Hits the Road Part 5…

Mark Vukovich: Now I’M freezin’ my balls off..!

Frank Gutch Jr.: I was going to comment, but I have to read this at least three more times before I will be able to figure out just what the hell has happened. A real nail-biter.

Kenny Blue Ray: Anyone that thinks doing Music for a career, just read this a few times, That’s why Tours shouldn’t be past October. Us Californians, should know better, but you Cats (& Kittens) were very young, then …
I’m kinda glad I’m semi retired, those Tours from Hell, just ain’t worth it.
I did Australia, in 1999, and the 12 1/2 hour flight about did me in.

Denise: I like the fact that we are reading the actual journals from this trip. Documentation of the way you all had to survive and from each person’s perspective makes it very interesting.I am so glad you all made it without seriously freezing a body part, or giving up and surrendering to the stress and craziness of the whole situation.
Talk about roughing it wow! This takes it to a whole new level and I say kudo’s to the ladies for sticking it out!! And the guy’s for their strength to carry this through.

Carla Lockhart: Leave it to Kootch to be from a town of 2000 that had 30 bars.

SEG SAYS: The story of Hurley Wisconsin, Kootch’s relatives, and the Legend of Trout Creek are all discussed in this week’s “Rock Files” on Wednesday…

Melanie Pickrell: Cherie and I really really wanted to have a reunion in Eureka if possible at the Wackering Heights house. All of the band members had certain requirements and criteria that would make a reunion a mission impossible.Bob refused to fly. Bob wanted to have 2 weeks to spend in California. Rand didn’t want to do it unless there was a performance involved. Kootch didn’t think he could find the time or $ for the trip. Ernie was the only Wacker that thought that meeting in Eureka would be a good idea, of course he lives there. And Mike Stull well he is playing in the band that has Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and James Morrison in it. I say wouldn’t it just be great to all be in the same room again? Come on guys before any more of you end up in that great band on the “other side”.

SEG SAYS: We would all love to get together, Mel, but money, commitments, and logistics make it really difficult. That said, there is always a chance…

Television…

Toni: Feel the same way! Here comes Monday night football and there goes Who Wants to be a Millionaire! Flipped over to ESPN the sports network and no Millionaire showing there!!! LOTS of people don’t want to watch sports!!!

SEG SAYS: Frustrating, isn’t it. I can hardly wait until you can simply subscribe to the shows you want and have them delivered to your desktop/laptop.mobile device, to watch at your leisure…

The Segarini Band at International Pop Overthrow…

Howard Brown: Get er done Bob and don’t forget Steady Eddie….

David Macmillan: Damn bob I am going to miss this! Damn. Have fun without me.

Michael Tomasek: You’re on Sat? Great! I was bummed cuz I work tonit and thought I would miss it. Can I shoot some video of you and the fellas?

Margaret Catto: See you tonight Bob!!

Lisa McDonald: I plan to be there too, Bob. It would be nice to meet you Margaret.

Freddie Pompeii: Sure wish I could be there Bob….Break a leg!!!!!!

Melanie Pickrell: Wish I could be there! give me more notice next year and maybe I will however today my teleporter is broken

Mark John Vukovich: Yeah more notice would be good…same date next year..? Rock that house Bob…!

SEG SAYS: A sincere ‘thank you’ to all of you that came to the show, and to all of you who wished you could have been there. It was a great time as always. We will be doing it abain next year, and possibly even getting together to do some shows before that.

The Beatles a Thousand Years From Now…

Lisa McDonald: Oh thanks Mr Segarini, I needed a good laugh!

Gordon Eckstein: Not bad at all….but I’m easily impressed…

Freddy Pompeii: Thanx Bobby! That was terrifantastagreat!!!!!

SEG SAYS: Yep, fucking hilarious. The beauty of the Internet…finding stuff like this, and sharing it. YAY Intertoobz!!!

Thanks to all of you who wrote and shared your stories with us. That’s why we’re here. See you all on Wednesday…

That’s enough for now. Email me at segarini@fyimusic.ca with your comments, complaints, and thoughts, and remember…don’t believe a word I say.

Bob “The Iceman” Segarini was in the bands The Family Tree, Roxy, The Wackers, The Dudes, The Segarini Band, and Cats And Dogs, and nominated for a Juno for production in 1978. He also hosted “Late Great Movies” on CITY TV, was a producer of Much Music, and an on-air personality on CHUM FM, Q107, SIRIUS Sat/Rad’s Iceberg 95, (now 85), and now provides content for radiothatdoesntsuck.com with RadioZombie, The Iceage, and PsychShack. Along with the love of his life, Jade (Pie) Dunlop, (who hosts and writes “I’ve Heard That Song Before” on RTDS), continues to write, make music, and record.