Remember Brent Kavanaugh? Or was it Bart? Those noxious hearings seem so long ago, I can hardly remember. I seem to recall something about the rollicking activities of Bart and his bros P.J., Squi, and Tobin having a "drink until you puke" contest during Beach Week on a private island somewhere. In-between alcohol fueled episodes of bird-dogging teenage girls, Kavanaugh's Krewe was directly responsible for the banning of beer on the beach because girls kept getting sand in their Schlitz. It seems Burt may have received serious mental impairment from Beach Week because thirty years later, he sat in front of a Senate Sub-Committee and continued to repeat the phrase, "I like beer," as if it were some sort of alcoholic zombie mantra. The all night benders, the shit-faced stupors, along with the alleged molestations, are just the qualities many fine people look for in a Supreme Court Justice. I heard Thurgood Marshall was known to butt-chug some suds while attending keggers at Howard University Law School. I don't know for sure but many people are saying that. He shouldn't worry. I understand that Thurgood Marshall is getting more popular every day. He and Frederick Douglass rented a loft in D.C. where they have "brewski orgies" every weekend. Bruce Kavanaugh is still waiting for an invitation, but he gets so mean when he's schnockered, he frightens the ladies.
Trump got his Preppie, frat-boy, jock "fixer" onto the Supreme Court just in time to quash any pesky subpoenas he might receive to testify before the Special Council. Weren't the tumultuous Kavanaugh hearings supposed to be the major issue for the Republicans in the mid-terms? But, as usual, Trump had to make it all about himself. He told his rabid cultists to "pretend I'm on the ballot," and they did. Either voters believed his racist and maniacal rantings about the "Caravan" filled with ISIS terrorists and horny, "big, strong men" walking from Honduras to your town to have their way with your women and spread exotic diseases, or you believed the truth. Fox News even featured an ex-ICE agent who said the migrants were bringing smallpox, leprosy, and TB, even though Smallpox was eradicated in 1980. According to President Norman Bates, Democrats are evil people who "don't care about crime and want illegal immigrants to pour in and infest" the nation. When Nancy Pelosi objected to the reference of migrants as "animals," Trump responded by stating that she "came out in favor of MS-13." Miraculously, when the election was over, the Caravan vanished from the news, except for Trump's stunt sending five-thousand troops to spend Thanksgiving in West Texas eating turkey and dressing from a MRE pouch.
Trump's post-election press conference was the most graceless, combative, and condescending yet. Words can't compare with the YouTube video you should see for yourself. His singling out of CNN's Jim Acosta as, "A rude, terrible person (who) shouldn't be working for CNN," was only the beginning of the cratering of decency. After the press berating, the unforgivably recused Jeff Sessions only lasted an hour. The angry and paranoid Trump left it to Gen. John Kelly to do the firing. This was expected, but before Trump flew off to France to become an international pariah, he installed his pool boy as Acting Attorney General. His lackey's name is Matt Whitaker, who looks like a bouncer in a biker bar, but was actually a huckster for World Patent Marketing, a fraudulent invention promotion firm that scammed clients out of twenty-six million dollars, including the doomed investments from their marketing outreach program for veterans. The FTC shut the company down in 2017 citing "threats, intimidation, and gag clauses," and froze their assets. Now who doesn't deserve a job in the White House after that? Especially since Whitaker wrote in USA Today that Hillary should be indicted, and appeared on CNN advocating for a limitation to the Mueller probe. It's become obvious that in the lame-duck session, the cornered Trump will do as much damage as possible before the new Congress comes in and demands to see his birth certificate, so expect more Brownshirt rallies.
Cable news pundits assert that Democrats should feel elated for taking back the House, but this election left me disgusted. I'm dismayed that nearly half the country thinks that this sociopath's blatant racism, sexism, and fear of the "other," is alright by them. This was the most vile, repulsive, and racist campaign in my lifetime, and that was just in Tennessee. The former "image consultant," Marsha Blackburn, embraced every Trump atrocity, and then some. Her television ads were a disgrace. Sure, Phil Bredesen stepped on his dick with the whole Kavanaugh business, but I naively believed enough people thought he was a good enough governor to be elected. He wasn't just beaten, he was slaughtered, proving that fearmongering works among the rural folk. Our little corner of Tennessee was a blue canoe in the midst of a redneck sea. Trump has pledged a "war footing" if the Democrats begin investigating his abuses, meaning nothing gets done for the foreseeable future. There hasn't been one calm day since this duck-tailed Colonel Parker clone took office. California is currently experiencing the most deadly fires in its history, on top of the twelve people slaughtered by a twisted gunman with an illegal extended magazine in a college bar in Thousand Oaks. Trump has yet to utter a word. He has, however, announced the winners of this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom awards. Among Trump's picks are right-wing scourge Antonin Scalia, baseball legend Babe Ruth, and home-boy, Elvis Presley. At least he doesn't have to worry if they'll be showing up for the medal ceremony.
Y'all know me. Heaven forbid that I would use this valuable space to self-promote, mainly because I haven't had much to promote lately. But I couldn't help but notice in last week's front page story in The Memphis Flyer that there's somewhat of a kerfuffle going on concerning community radio station WEVL. This is a subject that I know a little bit about because I was a volunteer programmer at WEVL for twelve years. I left the station under somewhat less that pleasant circumstances, but it was my fault. I was playing protest and anti-war music from the sixties, and I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the arrogant decision to go to war in Vietnam and the idiotic invasion of Iraq. I was told by both the Board and management to cease my on-air political commentaries, and I tried. But then came Hurricane Katrina and I went a little nutty. I prepared some "fight the power" music and some measured personal outrage for my first post-Katrina show and did the modern-day equivalent of locking all the doors and playing "Louie, Louie" for two hours. I thought if I had a platform, no matter the size, and failed to use it to express indignation over the complete neglect of hurricane victims in New Orleans, then I'd be a coward. Considering my longevity, I kind of thought the station would have my back, but unfortunately, I caused a couple of members to cease their contributions in protest. I had committed the cardinal sin. My show was cancelled, and I felt obligated to resign. I still continue to support the station, mainly because I have many friends there who do dedicated work that's worth supporting. Other than that, I have no idea what's going on at WEVL since I haven't set foot in the studio for thirteen years. According to the Flyer, the Board of Directors and station management haven't changed much in that time either, so I have an inkling about what the "Friends of WEVL" are trying to accomplish. But that's no longer my concern. I've returned to volunteer radio now and I'd like to tell you about it.
One of Memphis' best kept secrets is the Public Library's radio station, FM 89.3 WYPL (Your Public Library). I had assumed the station was solely for the purpose of reading to the blind, which they do and much more, but I never knew that after dark, WYPL 89.3 lights up. Daily programming consists of volunteer readings for the visually impaired, not just the daily news, but best sellers, popular magazines, and everything else from the Memphis Flyer to the New Yorker. But when the sun goes down, it's party time, utilizing the library's extensive Memphis Music Collection and much more. For your listening enjoyment, here's what's happening. Monday features guitarist and former Gentry's drummer Alan Heidelburg with "Memphis Music Memories," followed by Ron Hall and "The Roaring Sixties." Author of four books about Memphis Music, including "Playing For a Piece of the Door: A History of Garage and Frat Bands, 1960-1975," and the exhaustively researched, "Memphis: The Rock & Roll Years," which documents all the concerts that took place in Memphis from 1955 to 1985, Ron Hall plays music from every local band that ever cut a record in the sixties, such as the Guilloteens or Tommy Burk & the Counts. Tuesdays belong to the legendary Leon Griffin, veteran disc jockey, entrepreneur, former Weatherman on Good Morning Memphis, and producer/director at WHBQ TV for memorable programs like Talent Party, Studio Wrestling, and even the Happy Hal Show. Leon features music from the 70s and 80s in his "Memphis Radio-Active" show. Wednesdays spotlight the "Memphis Gospel Collection" with archivist and engineer Vance Durbin.
Are you ready for self-promotion, because Thursdays are Soul night in Memphis. That means my show, "The Memphis Soul Revue," features music not just from the world-famous local studios, but from artists that traveled with the great Rhythm & Blues package shows that played the Auditorium and the Coliseum. For many years, I've been asked when was I getting back on the radio. I'm back. Rufus Thomas said, "'The Memphis Soul Revue' is the most exciting new show on the air today." If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'. But then so is everyone else. Friday features the Sun Studio Collection with various hosts and Saturday, singer/guitarist and blues aficionado Paulette Regan hosts "Memphis Women's Music," followed by "Playing Around" with Bob Elbrecht, and former WLVS DJ Tim Mullins playing current music from our local artists. On Sunday, the "Reigning Queen of Beale Street," Ms. Barbara Blue, plays the blues on "Shout, Sister Shout." Former FM 100 and Rock 103 DJ, Mitch McCrackin hosts the "Memphis Music Inner View," where local musicians are interviewed in depth. Musician extraordinaire Jim Spake hosts Memphis legends to discuss and listen to their music. So, just in case you were looking for an alternative to the alternative, how's that line-up fer ya? I've been there for a year now and having more fun than a dunk-tank clown. All the equipment is top-notch and Antonious Smith is the innovative engineer. Station Manager Tommy Warren is ambitious about improvements and additions and the station is streaming on the interstates. It's all financed by the Public Library, so I guess self-promotion's not bad if it's for a good cause.
Funding for both the FM station and WYPL TV Channel 18 comes from the popular twice yearly book sales and support from the Friends of the Library, a non-profit, charitable organization that has existed since 1962. Last year, the group raised $400 thousand from the May and October sales of books, CDs, and DVDs, and through the library's bookstore, Second Editions," which offers gently used books from donors and the library. I just bought "Hitch-22," a memoir by Christopher Hitchens, for three bucks. The Friends give free books to Juvenile Court, the Shelby County Jail, Wounded Warriors and other worthy groups, they fund all adult programs at eighteen different public library locations, they've created an online bookstore through Amazon, and they established the Community Art Academy for kids in conjunction with the University of Memphis. They have volunteers that have been there as long as forty years. If you're like me, I must have driven past the Central Library a thousand times, always intending to stop. It's not just an architectural marvel, there's more going on in there than you can imagine. Plus, they have a wonderful music collection, which brings me back to my self-promotion. Turn off the exhausting news and tune me in on FM 89.3 Thursdays at 7:00pm (c) instead. I mean, where else are you going to hear Bo Diddley and the 5 Royales?
This is the big one. I know that's what they always say, but this really is the big one. The upcoming elections will determine if we can preserve this nation's noble experiment in democracy or sink further into the man-made chaos spewing from the White House. This is the final chance to put a check on the blatant corruption of Donald Trump because no one in his party dares stand up to him. Nobody confronts his ignorance, his cruelty, his self-absorption, his greed, his serial lying, and his disregard for the rule of law. It's imperative that these elections must flush the remnants of the Tea Party, aka the Freedom Caucus, from the body politic. Trump and his weaponized propaganda machine, Fox News, have poisoned the electorate as surely as the governor of Michigan poisoned the residents of Flint. We've had bad presidents before. James Buchanan sided with slave-owners and was an ardent supporter of the Dred Scott decision. (Google it). Andrew Johnson showed up intoxicated to Lincoln's second inaugural and three months later found his drunk ass in the White House. Then there was George W., the first American president to invade another sovereign country with disastrous repercussions that we're still enduring. But this country has never seen a dangerous lunatic in the Oval Office before. Donald Trump may never have taken a drink, but he's most assuredly drunk on power. Let's put Baby in a corner and see what happens.
As his approval rating drops like the Hindenburg, the gaseous menace's conduct over the past two weeks has been particularly disturbing. First came his noxious tweet about the revised death toll from Hurricane Maria:
"3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico...When I left the Island AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths...Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000...This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars (sic) to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!"
There's no need for the Dems to try and make Donnie look bad. He's achieved that all by himself. And there was no Labor Day telethon for Puerto Rico. We have agencies whose job it is to give financial assistance to American citizens effected by natural disasters, so "raising Billions of Dollars" is just another falsehood to pile on Trump's mountain of lies. A study at George Washington University, financed by the government of Puerto Rico, placed the number of deaths related to the storm at 2,975, so at least Trump was correct in stating there weren't 3000. Independent studies by The New York Times, Penn State, and Harvard all estimated deaths in the thousands. After being called "fake news," George Washington University responded: "We stand by the science underlying our study. This study...was carried out with complete independence and freedom from any kind of interference." Yet Trump continues to place blame on San Juan's mayor and the country's fragile infrastructure. Trump claimed it was difficult to get supplies trucked in to hurricane victims because, "This is an island surrounded by water, big water, ocean water." Has he not been informed that we have jumbo cargo jets for that specific purpose? Three thousand dead is the equivalent of Puerto Rico's own 9/11, yet Trump actually said, "I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success." At long last sir, have you left no sense no decency? Residents in the path of Hurricane Florence were warned by the chief executive that the storm would be "tremendously big and tremendously wet." No shit. The President has congratulated himself in advance for responding to this disaster even while area rainfall has set new records and flooding continues.
Speaking of rain, by the time you read this, you should have received a text from the new "Presidential Alert System." FEMA, in partnership with the FCC, has devised the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, which sends direct messages to anyone owning a cell phone. The FEMA homepage divides the alerts into three categories: Extreme weather or "other threatening emergencies; AMBER alerts; and "Presidential alerts during a national emergency." FEMA states, "You can opt-out of receiving WEA messages for imminent threats or AMBER alerts, but not for Presidential messages." On September 20th, at 1:18pm (central), be prepared for your phone to sound a tone and start to vibrate- twice. Your personal text will be headed "Presidential Alert." At any other time in history this might be a good idea, but does anyone doubt that the Infantile Tweeter might use the "Presidential Alert," for his own demented intentions? FEMA officials insist that the system can't be used for political purposes nor track your location. Does it make you feel safer knowing that Donald Trump now has immediate access to every cell phone in the country? We already have warning systems in NOAA weather, the news, and that annoying Emergency Alert System that blasts out every week from television. The FEMA weather alerts include "Tsunami warnings, tornadoes and flash floods, hurricanes, typhoons, dust storms and extreme wind warnings." In good conscience, how can one of our a local weathermen pre-empt Jeopardy! to tell you there's a thunderstorm in Kennett, Missouri if you've already received a cell phone alert?
I've never been much of a conspiracy theorist, but I'll bet my iPhone that as the walls close in, you'll be receiving text messages from Donnie the Liar. And the walls are closing in on a President that historians might well call "The Great Aberration." That's why the upcoming election is The Big One. Certainly the biggest one of my life. Mad King Don's daily assaults on the free press and anyone who has the temerity to disagree with him must end. And the same goes for his cowardly enablers in the bankrupt GOP. The "Witch Hunt" has now snared Paul Manafort, whose plea deal puts Don, Jr., Jared Kushner, Roger Stone, and the President himself in serious legal peril. This "fake Russher," thing has now produced eight convictions plus indictments for twenty-six individuals and three corporations. After Manafort does his Tony Bennett impression, an avalanche of indictments will be forthcoming. One morning, and it won't be long, we'll all awaken to hear Robert Mueller speak for the first time. Pandora's Box is fixing to open, and when it does, all the fraud, the money laundering through Trump
properties, the Russian Mafia connections, influence peddling, graft, tax evasion, and whatever Putin has on Trump will come pouring out, and
when that happens, it will be "tremendously big and tremendously wet."
One of my favorite shows on local television is "Memphis Sounds with George Klein" on the Library Station, WYPL Channel 18. The "Geeker (pronounced jeeker) in Your Speaker" does pretty much what he always has, interviewing artists and musicians, both famous and non-famous, that figure into this thing we call Memphis Music. The only problem is that for the last several weeks, George has taken a leave of absence because of health reasons. His substitutes, Leon Griffin, Dave Brown, and William Bell, have all been great, but nobody does it like GK. Now in its twelfth year, George has interviewed everyone from Isaac Hayes to Justin Timberlake, along with scores of local musicians, while treating disc jockeys from small stations with the same respect reserved for the superstars that show up when George calls. His encyclopedic knowledge of rock n' roll and radio give Klein decades of anecdotes to call upon, from being part of the original "Memphis Mafia," to the list of musical giants who Klein has promoted over the years. Always entertaining, "Memphis Sounds" is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Memphis Music, something that Klein has been squarely in the middle of for his entire professional life.
George Klein has been a fixture in Memphis radio and television since he was an assistant to Dewey Phillips on WHBQ back in the fifties. Dewey may have been the first disc jockey to play an Elvis record, but George was the second. Beginning his radio career in Osceola, Arkansas, like most disc jockeys, George worked several small stations before landing a job in Memphis at powerhouse WMC, who wanted to experiment with this new rock n' roll thing. After a year or so, the stations' management informed George they believed that this rock n' roll stuff was just a passing fad and let him go. Fortunately, George's Humes High School classmate, Elvis, hired him on the spot, beginning with a whirlwind year of traveling with The King and culminating with a bit part in Jailhouse Rock and subsequently seven other Elvis movies. The friendship between Klein and Presley has become legendary, from George's book, "Elvis: My Best Man," to his radio program, "George Klein's Original Elvis Hour," now in its thirty-fourth year. His syndicated, "The GK Show," on Sirius XM, broadcast from Graceland, is in its tenth year. Priscilla Presley even asked George to accept the award for Elvis' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But this is not about what George did for Elvis, it's what GK has done for the city of Memphis.
I first became aware of George when he was the afternoon disc jockey on WHBQ. Back then, he was a rhyming DJ who spoke "hep talk." He could go on a five minute rhyming patter without missing a beat. In a way, GK might have been the first rapper. George enjoys the story of how we met when I was thirteen. Hitchhiking was forbidden in my family- so, I was standing on the corner with my thumb out when a shiny Cadillac pulled over. Of course, it was George. He encouraged me when I told him I had started a little band, and when he found out I was heading for Poplar Tunes downtown, he drove me the entire way and dropped me off at the front door. That's the kind of guy George is- generous to a fault. In 1964, GK's radio popularity led to hosting a weekly television show called Talent Party. He brought in the finest artists around to lip-sync their latest hits, but most importantly, GK hosted every ambitious, young garage band in town. If they didn't have a recording, George sent them to Roland Janes at Sonic Recording to cut songs which they could then perform on Talent Party. Being the beneficiary of several of GK's invitations, I can testify that every time we appeared on Talent Party the bookings flooded in. In essence, GK was responsible for the whole sixties garage band scene which ultimately produced some of Memphis' most notable entertainers. Scores of local musicians owe their start to George's generosity. Klein also arranged for the first African-American to perform live on local TV. Fats Domino not only sang live, he recorded several songs to be broadcast in future shows. After George booked Fats, it was no problem for him to get James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke. Talent Party was on every Saturday afternoon for twelve years.
I recently spoke with artist manager and music entrepreneur Jerry Williams, George's friend of nearly seventy years, who is the producer of "Memphis Sounds." Jerry said the annual George Klein Christmas Charity Show was the longest running charity in Memphis. The first one was held in a wrestling ring at the Mid-South Coliseum. While the grapplers took a breather, GK featured Charlie Rich, The Bill Black Combo, and Ace Cannon. The next year, the show was moved to the National Guard Armory and then to the Fairgrounds to accommodate the crowds. Major artists donated their talents. Jerry Lee Lewis performed every time George called, as well as local bands like Flash and the Board of Directors, who George championed. Donated items were auctioned with a professional auctioneer, who flew to Memphis at his own expense. In fact, everyone worked for free- the bands, the promoters, the building owners, and the concessionaires. One hundred percent of the profits went to local charities. After each show, the promoters put a little money away into what they called a "Rainy Day Fund," so that in years when the crowd was smaller due to ice or snow, the same amount of charitable donations could be made. After forty-two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, the yearly gala ended, but the "Rainy Day Fund" produced enough revenue to establish the George Klein Broadcasting Scholarship at the University of Memphis. Williams said that he knows of no other person who has dedicated his life to the betterment of this city than Klein. Now it's time to say thank you. Thank you George, for convincing Elvis that recording at American Studios was a good idea. Thank you George, for naming the Guilloteens. Thank you George, for the nights at Fridays or Alfred's where you spun records and donated the proceeds. Thank you George, for being the first to play Johnny Cash on the radio. Thank you George, for introducing the Beatles at their Memphis show. Thank you George, for hosting the Memphis Mafia program during Elvis Week every year from 1978 to 2017 and donating the funds to the U of M. Thank you George, for all the years of entertainment. And thank you George, for a lifetime of selflessly promoting the great music and artists that come from your home town. We love ya' madly.
Remember Brent Kavanaugh? Or was it Bart? Those noxious hearings seem so long ago, I can hardly remember. I seem to recall something about the rollicking activities of Bart and his bros P.J., Squi, and Tobin having a "drink until you puke" contest during Beach Week on a private island somewhere. In-between alcohol fueled episodes of bird-dogging teenage girls, Kavanaugh's Krewe was directly responsible for the banning of beer on the beach because girls kept getting sand in their Schlitz. It seems Burt may have received serious mental impairment from Beach Week because thirty years later, he sat in front of a Senate Sub-Committee and continued to repeat the phrase, "I like beer," as if it were some sort of alcoholic zombie mantra. The all night benders, the shit-faced stupors, along with the alleged molestations, are just the qualities many fine people look for in a Supreme Court Justice. I heard Thurgood Marshall was known to butt-chug some suds while attending keggers at Howard University Law School. I don't know for sure but many people are saying that. He shouldn't worry. I understand that Thurgood Marshall is getting more popular every day. He and Frederick Douglass rented a loft in D.C. where they have "brewski orgies" every weekend. Bruce Kavanaugh is still waiting for an invitation, but he gets so mean when he's schnockered, he frightens the ladies.
