A Ford Not A Lincoln

I’d opine on the death of the great James Brown here, but I said it much better on my radio program on 12/31. If you want to hear that, hit that seven day archive at www.wrek.org .

They bury Gerald Ford tomorrow. I always kind of liked ol’ Jerry as a politician (what little my young, at that time, mind could understand) who kind of straddled a middleground and tried to get things right. Still, the only President I have seen in person (he spoke at Peachtree High School  in the spring of 1976, a year and a half before I started 8th grade there) and I was always a little envious that in our seventh grade mock election Andrew Nunns got to portray Ford while I was roped into being Jimmy Carter. The guy actually taped a segment for NBC’s Saturday Night when that crew were ripping the piss out of him on a weekly basis, was a football star at Michigan, survived the Warren Commission and invented the WIN button! OK, those Whip Inflation Now buttons kinda sucked. But he did have a darn catchy re-election theme song that, thirty years later, I remember most of and he almost made it possible for the vice-president’s wife to be someone my dad dated in high school (my dad dated Elizabeth Hanford later Dole, FYI) and the vice-president he did have (Nelson Rockefeller) flipped off some hecklers. So he was an interesting guy, Gerald Ford, and I’ll have a decent memory of him.

Another reason to check out the seven day archive of the 12/31 Personality Crisis is to hear my new promo which makes a “light-hearted (?)” statement about what might happen to the station.

And though you should always check out WREK 24/7, you could also figure out a way to listen to some of the excellent music programming the BBC provides. Huw Stephens’ indie show on BBC One has introduced me to a band called Tall Pony who have a song called “I’m Your Boyfriend Now” that’s sort of silly lyric-wise, but musically reminds a bit of the icy synth stylings of early Ultravox/Human League. (the only other song I’ve heard by them really sucked, so I’m wary of pushing you to investigate them further.) I’ll play “Boyfriend” this week and let you guys decide what you think. There’s also a couple of live concert programs of worth (one recently featured the Stones’ 1971 Leeds show) which will soon air live performances from Hawkwind (from 1972 or 1973) and Guided By Voices and all these shows are also on seven day archive, imagine that.

So remember President Ford, listen to WREK/the BBC and, having seen “The Mayor Of Sunset Strip”, I hope your existence is of a happier one than what Rodney Bingenheimer seems to have.

7 thoughts on “A Ford Not A Lincoln”

  1. Hi,

    I came across your blog doing a Google search on “WREK GPB”. Nice job on the “Got HD Radio” post. I’m trying to organize an alumni/friends group to make some noise. We just sent President Clough an open letter signed by 67 alumni suggesting that WREK should continue to be a student-operated station.

    This and the “basic facts” are on a new “Friends of WREK” blog (http://friendsofwrek.blogspot.com). I intend to keep adding articles as the situation develops.

    Feel free to link to it if you like.

    John

  2. thanks for the “really sucked” remark…whatever that song was, it’s now my favourite

  3. Well, Paul, Huw Stephens listed the track as “untitled”. If you wanna venture down that blues-rock path like Cast & Spiritualized eventually did, then continue to write more Tall Pony songs like that. You can do better mate. Haven’t heard the other songs of yours on MySpace because I haven’t. So I still don’t know whether you’re set on being the next Radiohead or the next Regular Fries but best of luck from Atlanta.

  4. Ah the BBC would print the title of that blues-rock song…which is a shame…i like that song because its sounds angry and the words are nasty…it’s real feeling.,..so i though it wasnt derivative of Cast etc…but some int he tradition of delta blues – although its not a replica of that sound – its still very basic…hey the fact music is out this just great…lets agree to disagree….

    that said – you may just hate track 2 on the single thats coming out in June…available through HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME label in, i think, seatle???

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