A Golden Era of Broadcasting Lost To Reusable Tape

I've been heartbroken by this for years. When videotape started being used in 1958 it quickly became a popular means of prerecording television programs that previously were usually broadcast live. Using videotape, it eliminated the process of developing film, if used. It allowed post-production editing which made stage programs end on time and eliminate missed cues by actors/personalities, cameras, microphones, & lights. It also allowed recording programs at decent times of the day instead of any time the program was scheduled for broadcast. What turned out to be a problem was that videotape was reusable. So a lot of videotaped programs, especially throughout the 1960s, were erased and the videotape reels were reused. It was rarely thought that most programs would be of any interest in the future. The sale & rental of old programs for use on home video equipment hadn't even been thought of. So, the wide belief was that the TAPE ITSELF was more valuable than what was recorded on it. Perhaps the worst offender was BBC in the United Kingdom. Its budget was mostly from a tax rather than the sale of advertising spots so this network saved money where it could. What is doubly bad about this is that so many wonderful programs were aired on BBC. It was during years like these that this television & radio network built upon its stellar worldwide reputation which remains to this day. By the 1970s television & radio networks realized the value of maintaining archives for several reasons, one of which was for copyright purposes, for protecting their intellectual property. The following article explains the process of worldwide searches for programs thought to be lost.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/wipe-out-when-the-bbc-kept-erasing-its-own-history?utm_source=pocket-newtab

"Wrestling Polka" Theme Song

"The Wrestling Polka" was used as the theme song on some professional wrestling television programs during the 1950s & 1960s. I heard it throughout the 1960s on "Wrestling With Bob", later "Big 2 Wrestling" on television station KFEQ, later, KQTV, in St. Joseph, Missouri. But here is the 78rpm of "Wrestling Polka" by the Satisfiers, a five-member vocal group who sang backup on a lot of Perry Como records. It appears the song was originally recorded for use by the wrestling promotion in Chicago run by Fred Kohler in 1954.  How many other wrestling programs over the years used it I have no idea.  But I heard it throughout the decade. This television station in St. Joseph, Missouri, was ninety miles away and reception was never great, using our rooftop antenna to pull it in.  Even at the time, I thought "Wrestling Polka" was really corny but this was many years before any kind of rock music was heard on professional wrestling television programs.  A generational shift would be necessary before that would happen.  Still, "Wrestling Polka" was burned into my memory forever.  Hearing it again on this 78 rpm record after all these decades is a thrill. UPDATE: I now also have the 45rpm record! Listen here: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daddyodilly/49489944196/

 

UPDATE: I now have the 45 rpm, also.

Visit To the Everly Brothers Childhood Home in Shenandoah, Iowa

On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Cindy & I drove 150 miles almost straight North to Shenandoah, Iowa, to see the childhood home of the Everly Brothers. We visited Shenandoah in 1987 at which time the one room house was still a private residence on the same lot as when the Everly family lived in it in the 1940s & 1950s. Our tour guide told us that the house was not originally on that lot but that it was one of a few one-room shacks on the side of town used as housing for railroad workers when repairing tracks in the area.  When the railroad no longer wanted the shacks a local person bought one and moved it to 6th Avenue where it stayed until 2006. Now, the restored house sits next door to the Greater Shenandoah Historical Society Museum. Inside the museum on display we saw lots of photographs, newspaper & magazine clippings related to the Everly Brothers (Don & Phil), their parents Ike & Margaret and the two radios stations where they sang and played guitars on live radio broadcasts on a daily basis.

Across the street is the Depot Deli, an old railroad passenger depot converted into a restaurant & bar.  The interior is a filled with lots of Everly Brothers memorabilia and other artifacts of the era.  The Depot Deli is owned and run by Bill Hillman, who has been the instigator of most/all of the local efforts made to acknowledge Shenandoah as the boyhood hometown of Don & Phil Everly. In 1986, Hillman and his crew brought the Everly Brothers back to Shenandoah to play an outdoor concert which attracted thousands of people including hundreds of people who lived there the same time as the Everly family.

The Everlys moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1950s.  In a few years, Don & Phil were recording hits records that were heard on radio stations around the world like "Bye Bye Love", "Wake Up Little Suzie", "When Will I Be Loved", & "On the Wings of a Nightingale" (written for them by Paul McCartney).  They became among the biggest stars of first generation rock 'n' roll music.  Their hit records & concert tours continued into the 1970s at which point they had an acrimonious break up that lasted for ten years. Upon patching up their relationship they made fresh, contemporary music that retained the essence of their sound.  Today, Don Everly survives the passing of his younger brother Phil. (UPDATE: Both of the Everly Brothers have passed. Phil on January 3, 2014, Don on August 21, 2021.) The Everly Brothers still have millions of fans everywhere.

Cindy & I thank everyone in Shenandoah who made our day there pleasant.

Now here are the photographs I took, all with captions.  Feel free to share these photos--do with them whatever you like. https://www.flickr.com/photos/daddyodilly/albums/72157600861976127/page1

Frostie Root Beer

My Frostie root beer story: In the 1960s we never had Frostie in Kansas. Every year my parents and I would drive on the (newly built) interstate highways to Southern Indiana to visit the grandparents. Frostie was not available in Southern Indiana, either. On perhaps our first drive there I managed to buy a bottle at a gas station and discovered it was (back then) the best tasting root beer I'd ever had, every bit as good as A&W, which in those days was not available in bottles or cans. You could only get it at A&W drive-ins in frosted mugs. Frostie had a thick sweet taste and a foamy head which would just sit there on the top of my glass. I could eat it with a spoon. Hence, every time we traveled back to Indiana, I would plead with Dad to fill the car up at a station next to a grocery store so I could spend my allowance money on a couple of six packs (which I would space-out for about six months, usually drinking the final bottle on New Year's Eve). Anywhere in Illinois East of St. Louis grocery stores were likely to carry Frostie. Even the bottles were unique, slightly wider and thicker than other brands of soda with a a textured surface to mimic frost (just like those shown above). And what about the bearded character on the bottles, cartons, and promotional materials? No name that I am aware of. Santa Claus? Jack Frost? Old Man Winter? Or just Frostie?

Another thing, if you remember seeing Frostie in stores back then or look it up on eBay now, it becomes apparent that the Frostie company thought highly of back-lit clocks bearing the names and logo. Over the years Frostie made lots of different designs for clocks and thermometers for display at retailers. Like so many brands, Frostie has spent the last several decades caught in the corporate conglomerate vortex. It's availability remain elusive. In its current configuration, the Frostie name is put on several different flavors of soda. In spite of claims on the cartons that the original 1930s recipe is still used, I think Frostie root beer now tastes thin and watery. There is no foamy head anymore, just some momentary bubbles.

These days, I recommend Dang! as the best root beer, found at micro-brand soda boutiques that have proliferated in many parts of the country.

Definitive History of the Collingwood Magpies

In 2018, a Collingwood Magpie super-fan from Melbourne very generously sent me a copy of the book "Kill For Collingwood", which he described as the good, bad, and ugly history of the football club from its earliest origin through the time of the book's publication in 1985.  I was very surprised at this kind gesture.  My offer to pay, at least for the airmail postage, was politely declined. So, I made a donation to his favorite local charity* and informed him.

Author Richard Stremski is an American who moved to Australia to teach at La Trobe University.  His tenure at La Trobe included his research and writing of this book.  My friend says that the author is qualified as an unbiased perspective on the subject matter having not grown up in the culture of Australian rules football.  Still, Stremski digs deep into every source available to come up with this account of the origins and growth of the club.  Printed materials on the subject appear to be exhaustive and dozens of people from as many decades as possible are quoted at length.

Stremski stresses the point that Collingwood was a poor suburb of Melbourne from its beginnings. Australian suburbs like Collingwood were more like neighborhoods in the American sense, where a street marks the boundary between them and not at all far from the central business district.  Even in the 1880s there were civic disputes like where manufacturing and processing plants could dump waste. Personal transportation was very limited in those days so it was common for people to pretty-much stay in their own part of town.  A trip to the other side of Melbourne was considered a major excursion.

It was in this environment that the new, fast growing sport of Australian rules football had lots of local fans and many young men willing to play it either for fun or for local fame.

The circumstances of how the Collingwood Magpies came to exist may not be a whole lot different than that of other clubs, and the author really doesn't make comparisons.  I confess to not knowing the origins of competing clubs so I'm no expert.  Still, the Magpies, the players, the fans, the investors, and the organization's higher-ups seemed to never shake the feeling of sensitivity to their impoverished roots.  Competing clubs never stopped reminding them.  It was energy borne of this feeling to prove themselves that has been a source of inspiration to the club.  The author uses phrases like "most loved and the most hated team in Australia" (1) and "fanatical devotion or detestation" (2).  This quote encapsulates the story of the Magpies' early decades:

"Collingwood has been on the receiving end of this kind of animosity [from the Carlton Blues] for eighty years.  The extraordinary success of the Club generated this reaction.  By 1922 Collingwood had only missed the VFL finals twice, had competed in twelve of the 25 grand finals and had won five flags.  No team had competed in the finals or the grand final as often as Collingwood.  Only Fitzroy [the Lions] had won more premierships, and Fitzroy was beginning its long descent while Collingwood's golden years were just on the horizon.  The reason why other teams sought victory over Collingwood is obvious: the Magpies were the team to beat; they were the yardstick by which others could measure their own success." (3)

Structural growth of the club is also described year by year, including who stepped forward to manage and finance the club, the animosities and subterfuge between club leaders, the construction of ovals, the various permutations of seating and accommodations for spectators, the coaches, the players, and by the post World War 2 era, the sudden appearance of massive amounts of money pouring into sport as a whole including the Magpies.  As big business assumed club leadership, the Magpies' humble beginnings seemed to appear ever more distant but never forgotten.

As the book concludes, the Collingwood Magpies were experiencing an extended drought of Premierships.  The 1990 Grand Final was five years in the future and couldn't come fast enough.  The nickname "Colliwobbles" had become very old.

My thanks to Joffa Corfe for his gift of this informative book.  Rare book websites offer copies at prices too rich for my blood. I hope this was a spare copy of his.

*  https://www.epilepsyfoundation.org.au/

1. R. Stremski, Kill for Collingwood, (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1986), back cover

2. Ibid., ix

3. Ibid., 75

Albert King - 1980

I dig Albert King soooo much! I love Freddie and BB, too, but Albert is my fave. Once I saw Albert in concert. It was in 1980 and amazingly here in Topeka. It was at the older exposition hall at the fairgrounds. There was room for over 500 but there were only about 200 people there. The acoustics were terrible. Worst of all, there were a dozen Shawnee County deputies fully armed and with billy clubs and teargas there and I think they must have been selected for duty based on their size! The audience was mostly middle aged and older black folks. The only white people there were me and Cindy and Carl "Crazy Legs" Palmer and Janice. This was back when Carl could really dance like James Brown which the crowd loved. Problem is, every time anybody tried to get up and dance these deputies would form a line in front of the stage and glare at the audience. It was intimidating. Albert even commented from the stage but in muted language. It was a shame that the only time I ever saw Albert King in person was under conditions that were far from conducive to celebration. This was probably the last time I ever saw those old-fashioned "telephone pole" gig posters. I still have one.

BABYMETAL = "Three Dog Night Minus One" or "Peter, Paul But Not Mary"

I've never attended a concert that was immediately followed by widespread disappointment expressed online.  We saw Babymetal at the Uptown Theater last night, May 8, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri.  The place was packed full and the anticipation was jubilant.

1.)  For me:

     A.) It was the first "metal" concert I've ever attended.
     B.) It was the first time I've ever seen a band from Japan.
     C.) It was the first time I've even seen a rock concert where choreography was a key element. 

     D.) I wore ear plugs plus my headphone ear cover, the one I use while mowing grass. I'm sure it reduced the volume by 50 decibels and was very necessary.  Still, the throbbing of the bass sounds bounced off my chest and cause my teeth to vibrate, so I'm certain it was an unhealthy environment for me.  No effect on my permanent vertigo so far.  No increase in lifelong tinnitus. (I have Meniere's Disease and going to loud concerts is something I have not done for over a decade.)

2.) Points of explanation:

     A.)  Babymetal is a trio of young ladies. 
          1.) The lead singer is Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-metal). She is 20 years old (as of this writing) and taller than the other two.  She was the center of the show last night.  At previous concerts she would occasionally leave the stage while the other girls would sing as a duo.  At other times all three would take a break as the band, the Kami (spirit or ghost) Band would come forward and play instrumentals.  Not so last night.  She carried the whole show.    
          2.)  Yui Mizuno (Yui-Metal) is one of the two younger and shorter girls who perform backing vocals for Su-metal and do synchronized dancing with partner Moametal.  She is 18 years old.    
          3.) Moa Kikuchi (Moametal) is 18 years old. She performs as a duo with Yui-Metal.
      B.) The Kami band is their hugely loved and respected band.  One of its two guitar players, Mikio Fujioka, died from injuries in Japan in January 2018 after falling over a railing on the roof of building. The band members wear face paint and white floor length robes to make them look like ghosts, which can make them somewhat unrecognizable facially. The bass player was definitely the same.
     C.) The performance in Kansas City on May 8 was the first of an eight city tour of the Southeastern United States where the band has never toured before.  Previously, Babymetal has headlined their own shows in New York and Los Angeles and has performed at a few outdoor metal rock festivals in the U. S. and Canada.  Babymetal has also played as the warm-up act for Lady Gaga and Korn.  Almost all of these shows were in the Western states.
     D.) In the days leading up to this tour there has been a number of press releases from the band's management.    
           1.) There had been reports that Babymetal would be the subject of a comic book.  The latest news is that this will be a 144 page graphic novel and will be published in October, including an edition published in the United States.    
          2.) Babymetal has started a line of fashion wear for young ladies, beyond the t-shirts sold at concerts.    
          3.) Babymetal is starting a record label in the U.S.

          4.) Babymetal released a new song and video the day before the tour.  None of the members of Babymetal appear in the video.

          5.) Now here is where everything gets confusing.  Babymetal has always operated with a fictional back story about how they are three spirits chosen by the Fox God (which is an ancient character from Japanese folklore and is interesting to read about).  And as these spirits sing and dance their way through the cosmos, each new concert tour and album represent a new chapter in their saga, very much like the chapters of the Star Wars saga. The new chapters are even introduced with a narration complete with tilted type scrolling upward on screens just like Star Wars, telling their symbolic stories (which I think are rather corny).  The latest chapter has included this row of human figures draped from head to toe in shrouds, sometimes seven of them, sometimes eight, sometimes ten, almost like they were undecided how many there ought to be.  Who these characters are and what they are supposed to be was never explained and it made the fans nervous, fearing it was a hint of personnel changes.
     E.) So, with all that has been announced about Babymetal in the last week, absolutely nothing was said that Yui-metal was apparently no longer in the group.  She missed two performances in Hiroshima in December and that raised yellow flags among fans.  At these shows in Hiroshima it was announced in advance that she was ill. An open and honest explanation like this from Babymetal is rare, instead of crafting a chapter in the back story. Finally, the group's management released a short statement that Yui-metal is still a member of the group...and nothing else.

3.) Reaction to first performance on this U. S. tour:

     A.) There was no appearance or mention of Yui-metal (and it may well be that they choose not to discuss personnel onstage and that's OK)
     B.) There was no tribute the passing of guitarist Mikio Fujioka (ditto).
     C.) There were two additional dancers who appeared onstage throughout.  They did not sing. Whether or not they are considered part of Babymetal or just as dancers appeared unclear.

     D.) Moametal's singing and dancing was minimal and looked awkward like they couldn't figure out where to put her.
     E.) There were so many lights flashing and strobing from the back of the stage toward the audience it obstructed a clear view of the performers.  That was the effect.  I do not know if this was intentional to further detract from the absence of Yui-metal.

     F.)  After one hour a white curtain was quickly lowered and a video was screened on it.  I actually thought it was an intermission, but, no, it was the end of the show.  The audience had no opportunity to applaud the group or request an encore, unlike previous concerts as shown on the groups DVDs. It felt like a quick abrupt ending to prevent the audience from giving a tepid or negative reaction.

Just everything looked and felt awkward and clumsy.  Granted, it was the first public performance of the new Babymetal show, so there is that to consider.  The internet exploded immediately. Reactions were stunned, disappointment, confusion, and some anger. Some fans were determined to cheerfully accept whatever the new Babymetal show had to offer.  I think everyone was taken off guard.

I was disappointed.  I hope I don't experience anything like this again.