This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 928: Presenting Our 50,000th Spin

I'm not ashamed to admit that we're feeling just freakin' giddy about this.

This week, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl hit an unexpected but significant milestone: our 50,000th spin. From that first introductory spin of The Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio" on TIRnRR # 1 on December 27, 1998, through Duane Eddy's "Shazam" bringing us to 49,975 spins at the end of last week's show, we sure have played a lot of great rockin' pop records over the course of 19 and a half years. This called for a celebration!

When TIRnRR's intrepid stats man Fritz Van Leaven informed us of this impending milestone, Dana and I put our heads together. Er...ouch. We thought better of that idea pretty quickly. Armed with even more stats from Fritz, we determined that we'd use our lead-up 24 spins to acknowledge our legacy: I would replay a few of our past milestone spins (our first spin, our second spin, our 100th spin, etc.), and Dana would count down our 12 all-time most-played tracks. There was no overlap between any of these selections, and it would culminate in Spin # 50,000.

But what should that be? Well, that was easy to figure. Our radio station may not actually have 50,000 watts of power, but we do have the radio on. Congratulations to "Roadrunner" by The Modern Lovers, the 50,000th spin on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

And that was only half the show! After that, we padded our billable hours with new music from Trip Wire, new music from Tokyo Beef, new music from The Outryders, recent faves by Tommy Sistak, Gretchen's Wheel, The Kennedys, and Lisa Mychols, The Greatest Record Ever Made by Dusty Springfield, and our continued determination to play stuff we like on the radio. Now at over 50,000 spins, but we ain't done yet. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

THANKS, FRITZ!

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

TIRnRR # 928: 6/17/18

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century) [Spin # 1, 12/27/98]
THE ONLY ONES: Another Girl, Another Planet (Epic, Special View) [TIRnRR's all-time # 11 most-played track (tie)]
THE POPTARTS: I Won't Let You Let Me Go (PlumTone, Fresh...Out Of The Toaster) [Spin # 2, 12/27/98]
COTTON MATHER: My Before And After (Copper, Kontiki) [All-time # 11 (tie)]
THE FLASHCUBES: All Over The World (Northside, Flashcubes Forever) [Spin # 100, 1/10/99]
THE BEATLES: Revolution [live promo version] [All-time # 9 (tie)]
--
DM3: 1 x 2 x Devastated (JAM, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1) [Spin # 500, 2/28/99]
SEX CLARK FIVE: Fool I Was (Skyclad, Antedium) [All-time # 9 (tie)]
THE EASYBEATS: Good Times (Retroactive, Gonna Have A Good Time) [Spin # 1000, 5/2/99]
SUGAR: If I Can't Change Your Mind [solo mix](Rykodisc, single) [All-time # 8]
SUZI QUATRO: Love Is Ready (RSO, Rock Hard) [Spin # 5000, 11/19/00]
THE LA'S: There She Goes (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets) [All-time # 7]
--
THE DAMNED: Wait For The Blackout (Castle, Smash It Up) [Spin # 10,000, 11/17/02]
MANNIX: Highway Lines (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3) [All-time # 6]
THE 'B' GIRLS: Alibi (Other People's Music, Who Says Girls Can't Rock) [Spin # 15,000, 10/24/04]
THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Rhino, Rocket To Russia) [All-time # 5]
THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS: Keep Me Warm ('Til The Sun Shines) (Viper, VA: Unearthed Merseybeat Vol. 1) [Spin # 20,000, 8/27/06]
THE FLASHING ASTONISHERS: Period Exclamatory (JAM, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1) [All-time # 4]
--
THE PLIMSOULS: A Million Miles Away (Geffen, Everywhere At Once) [Spin # 25,000, 1/11/09]
THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop (Rhino, Ramones) [All-time # 3]
THE MODEL ROCKETS: A Notice To Everyone (The Cops Are Pissed) (Not Lame, Tell The Kids The Cops Are Here) [Spin # 30,000, 11/21/10]
THE STALLIONS: Why (Junk, Hey Baby, It's The Stallions) [All-time # 2]
JOHN HIATT: Angel (A & M, Perfectly Good Guitar) [Spin # 45,000, 7/17/16]
BIG STAR: September Gurls (Stax, The Best Of Big Star) [All-time # 1]
--
OUR 50,000th SPIN:
THE MODERN LOVERS: Roadrunner (Castle, The Modern Lovers)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: Radio, Radio (Rykodisc, This Year's Model)
THE SELECTER: On My Radio (EMI, Greatest Hits)
THE SPORTS: Who Listens To The Radio (Rhino, The Definitive Collection)
SCREEN TEST: Sound Of The Radio (JAM, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2)
MR. ENCRYPTO & THE CYPHERS: Home On The Radio (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
--
TRIP WIRE: Act Fast (tripwire1.bandcamp.com, single)
TOKYO BEEF: Davey's Farm (tokyobeef.bandcamp.com, Kamikaze)
THE OUTRYDERS: Hollow Victory (joealgeri.bandcamp.com, single)
TOMMY SISTAK: Be Alright Tonight (n/a, Ready Set A Go-Go)
GRETCHEN'S WHEEL: Plans (gretchenswheel.bandcamp.com, Black Box Theory)
THE KENNEDYS: Safe Until Tomorrow (n/a, Safe Until Tomorrow)
--
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: I Only Want To Be With You (Mercury, The Very Best Of Dusty Springfield)
THE CYRKLE: Red Rubber Ball (Sundazed, Red Rubber Ball)
LISA MYCHOLS: He's Got Me Dreaming (n/a, Sugar)
THE CRICKLE: Place In My Heart (ROIR, VA: Garage Sale)
THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Got To Have You Back (Motown, Greatest Hits And Rare Classics)
THE MOSQUITOS: Darn Well (ROIR, VA: Garage Sale)
--
THE KINKS: You Really Got Me (Sanctuary, The Ultimate Collection)
THE ROLLING STONES: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Virgin, Forty Licks)
THE MONKEES: You Bring The Summer (Rhino, Good Times!)
XTC: The Mayor Of Simpleton (Virgin, Upsy Daisy Assortment)
EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year (M-Squared, Year Of The Mouse)
THE HIT SQUAD: Best Of Me (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
PURRBOX: Punk Rock [radio edit] (Love Fest, PurrBox)
THE PRETENDERS: Day After Day (Sire, The Singles)
JOHNNY & THE HURRICANES: Rockin' Goose (Moochin' About, VA: The Greatest Instrumentals 1934-1962)

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO: Our 50,000th Spin

Um...wow?

Tonight, somewhere in the middle of this week's show, Dana and I will serve up TIRnRR's 50,000th spin. And we'll lead up to it with a few recollections of past milestones: our first spin; our second spin; our 100th, 500th, 1000th, 5000th, 10,000th, 15,000th, 20,000th, 25,000th, 30,000th, and 45,000th spins. We'll play all of that alongside a countdown of some of our all-time most-played tracks, and it's all designed to get your blood pumpin' and your blue genes primed: The 50,000th spin. And that's just the first half of the show!

Be there. We're pretty good at this. And we're obviously persistent. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at sparksyracuse.org  To 50,000, and BEYOND!!

Tomorrow Night On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

You know how Dana and I often seem to just wing it, making up the playlist as the show goes on? Not this time. As This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio prepares to hit a major milestone in the middle of this week's extravaganza, the first half of the show will lead up to that magic moment. I'll be replaying twelve previous milestones that brought us up to this point, alternating with Dana as he counts down our twelve all-time most-played tracks. And then...well, we'll tell you more about that tomorrow. Warning: your radio is about to combust. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at Spark WSPLJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at sparksyracuse.org Don't miss this one!

GREEN HORNET '66: The Beat And The Sting (introductory pages)

This work in progress was originally distributed privately to my subscribers on May 1, 2018. This is its first public appearance.



As this month's private post for patrons, here's my work in progress for the initial scenes of The Beat And The Sting, a comic book story set in the the continuity of the 1966 Green Hornet TV series starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee. It is, I admit, a pipe dream, but I may keep working at this to flesh it out. You can read my tease for it here. 

CAPTION: Century City Midtown Pavillion, July 18th, 1966

SCENE: The mayor is addressing a large crowd in an outdoor setting while holding a large ceremonial key. Much of his audience is teenaged or younger, some boys and a lot of screaming girls, with a smattering of adults who don't seem overly impressed with whatever's going on. On stage behind the mayor, a rock 'n' roll quintet is ready to play: a group of early twenty-somethings with guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums, and a lead singer smirking and sulking at his mic stand.

MAYOR: ...And in conclusion, as your mayor, it gives me great pride to present the key to the city to the fastest-rising rock 'n' roll group in America, Century City's own BEN ARNOLD AND THE TURNCOATS!

AUDIENCE: Yeah! WOOOO! Awright! Ben, I love you!

MAYOR: To introduce our honored guests, I'd like to welcome the publisher of The Daily Sentinel, whose WSNT-AM was the first radio station to play the Turncoats' records, BRITT REID!

BRITT: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We join you in congratulating these young men today, and we know all of you will join us tonight for their big homecoming concert at Striker Hall. But right now, Ben Arnold and the Turncoats are going to treat us to a performance of their song that's sweeping the nation, the # 1 hit in all of America, "You Won't Get Me." Here they are: BEN ARNOLD AND THE TURNCOATS!

AUDIENCE:  [screaming approval]

SCENE: Close-ups of each member of the band performing.

CAPTIONS: Guitar.
                       Bass.
                       Keyboards.
                       Drums.
                       Singing.

BEN ARNOLD [singing]: Yeah, you love me girl, I can see that you do
                                             But you still ain't ready for me to love you

SCENE: Guitarist Roger Hartwell and bassist James Thomas harmonizing on one mic

CAPTION: Voices raised in ragged harmony.

SCENE: Close-up of young girls screaming in the audience.

BAND [singing off-panel]: You won't get me, you won't get me
                                             You can't keep me, I'm gonna stay free

CAPTION: Fans dance, girls scream, and the moment belongs to the young.

SCENE: Series of small shots conveying the pandemonium, on-stage and in the audience, of a rock concert in 1966.

CAPTIONS: Rock 'n' roll!
                       The sound.
                       The feel.
                       THE BEAT!



SCENE: Britt Reid, Kato, Britt's secretary Casey, and District Attorney Scanlon as they watch the performance.

SCANLON: I wish I'd brought earplugs.

CASEY: Oh, relax Frank. I like them!

KATO: A bit derivative of The Kinks, but not bad.

BRITT: I'm more of an Al Hirt man, myself. But that's not why we're here.

SCANLON: Right. I agree with you that the mob is deeply involved with this band's success. But, as District Attorney, I haven't found any evidence to prove that, or even make the accusation.

KATO: And that's where The Green Hornet comes in!

SCENE: The Turncoats complete their song on stage.

TURNCOATS: You won't get me
                           You won't get me
                           You won't get me
                           You won't get me
                           NO!

BEN ARNOLD: That's it.

STEVE DAVIS [keyboardist]: Thank you! See you all tonight.

SCENE: A scowling Ben Arnold rushes to leave the stage, his bandmates lingering behind.

BEN ARNOLD: I'm outta here.

STEVE DAVIS: Wait a minute, Arnie....

BEN ARNOLD: DON'T CALL ME "ARNIE!" I'm Ben Arnold now. I don't know why I even keep you losers around me!

SCENE: Ben Arnold has descended the stairs from backstage and is walking away.

BEN ARNOLD [T]: Man, I should just fire the lot of 'em. I don't need them....

SCENE: Medium-range shot of Arnold, showing the panic and fear on his face.

BEN ARNOLD: What're YOU doing here...wait! No! PLEASE...!

SCENE: Arnold falls in a barrage of machine gun fire.

SCENE: A van races off as the Turncoats discover Ben Arnold's body.

STEVE DAVIS: Arnie! BEN!!

ROGER HARTWELL: He's been murdered!



TEXT: Another challenge for The Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal The Black Beauty! On police records a wanted criminal, The Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, owner-publisher of The Daily Sentinel, his true identity known only to his secretary and to the District Attorney. And now, to protect the rights and lives of decent citizens, rides THE GREEN HORNET!

CAPTION: Later

SCENE: Reid, Kato, Scanlon, and Casey in discussion

BRITT: How could this happen, Frank?

SCANLON: Your guess is as good as mine, Britt. On the one hand, the police might not think there was much need for extensive security for a pop group. On the other hand, given what we suspect about Ben Arnold's connections, we can't dismiss the possibility that the mob paid someone to look the other way while they made their move.

KATO: Crooked cops?

CASEY: I hate to believe that.

BRITT: We can't rule it out, Casey. This changes things, so we have to move up our timetable. The Green Hornet is getting into the record business!

SCENE: A glass smashes against a wall in a luxury office.

VOICE [off-panel]: WHO DO I HAVE TO HAVE KILLED FOR THIS?!

SCENE: A well-dressed businessman in his mid-forties, and he is pissed. A subordinate tries to calm him down.

CAPTION: Meet Samuel "Sammy" Vincenzo, the head of organized crime in Century City and all surrounding states.

CAPTION: Sammy is not happy.

SAMMY: Who authorized this hit? WHO?

FLUNKY: We...we don't know yet, Mr. Vincenzo!

SAMMY: FIND OUT!!

SAMMY: When will I get these Neanderthals to understand this is a business! High-profile hits are BAD FOR BUSINESS!

SCENE: One of Sammy's thugs comes crashing through the office's glass entryway, hurled forcefully from the waiting room.

SAMMY: What now...?



SCENE: Kato comes flying through the shattered glass to deliver a kick to Sammy's gunsels.

KATO: HAI!

SCENE: The Green Hornet enters the room to face Sammy, Kato still poised to strike. Sammy's hired guns are down for the count. Sammy remains at his desk.

SAMMY: Hornet. Your reputation precedes you.

HORNET: Nice to meet you, Vincenzo. Don't get up. Don't bother trying to send an alarm, either.

SAMMY: No need for an alarm. No need for all this hubbub, for that matter. My secretary could have shown you in. We were bound to meet sooner or later.

HORNET: I like to make a good first impression.

SAMMY: You're flashy. But this is a business. Such flamboyance isn't good for business. What can I do for you, Hornet?

HORNET: Smooth, Vincenzo. I've heard you're more restrained than your predecessors. I didn't get along very well with your predecessors.

SAMMY: It's a business, Hornet. What do you want?

HORNET: What I always want, Sammy. I want a piece of the action.

CAPTION: The Hornet and the crime boss talk business.

SCENE: The Green Hornet and Kato in The Black Beauty

KATO: Do you think Vincenzo's telling the truth? That he didn't know about the hit on Ben Arnold until after it happened?

HORNET: I'm not sure. I think so. Vincenzo's tough to read. It's been a while since there's been a crime boss in Century City who's not afraid of The Green Hornet!

HORNET: I'm more immediately concerned with something else. We know that the mob sometimes pays radio stations to push specific records. It's illegal. My radio station was the first to play the Turncoats. It would be naive to presume my own employees at the station are innocent.

KATO: Time for The Green Hornet to return to radio?

HORNET: Yes and no. This looks like a job for Britt Reid.

Will the sting continue? Will the beat go on? Stay tuned!



TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: "I Only Want To Be With You"

An infinite number of rockin' pop records can be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!


DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: "I Only Want To Be With You"

There is a persistent temptation (and corresponding peril) in attempting to apply contemporary context to past events. It's revisionist history, a sparkly thing that's difficult to resist, even as we just chat about the pop songs that enrich our lives. Please forgive me for the premeditated sin I'm about to commit. Because as I look back, I can't help but wonder what singing a song called "I Only Want To Be With You" may have meant to a closeted bisexual woman named Dusty Springfield.

It's plausible to counter that she didn't even think about the connection between the lyrics of her first big hit record and the love she had to hide away. We look back on the '60s as a time of cultural revolution, an expansion of civil rights, social conscience, a slow dawning of recognition of the disenfranchised at society's margins. Gay rights weren't really seen as part of that at the time. Maybe it started to change, incrementally, with the Stonewall riots in 1969, which served as the flashpoint for the gay rights movement as the '70s beckoned. But in 1963? The closet. The closet was where one stayed if one was gay in '63.



British singer Dusty Springfield (born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien) was a member of a folk trio called The Springfields. Presaging The Ramones, the members of The Springfields (which included Dusty's father Tom) took the group's name as a surname; combining this with a nickname she'd gained as a soccer-loving tomboy in her youth, Mary O'Brien became Dusty Springfield. Dusty left The Springfields in 1963, and began her solo career with a single: "I Only Want To Be With You."

I don't know what it is that makes me love you so
I only know I never want to let you go
'Cause you started something
Can't you see?
That ever since we met you've had a hold on me
It happens to be true
I only want to be with you

A decade later, writer Greg Shaw would note that Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You" explodes with as much pure pop noise as any Dave Clark Five record. The horns propel, the strings soar, the girl-group spirit celebrates, the music leans forward the way a rockin' pop song outta. Miss Dusty Springfield presides over all of it, dancing by herself at the microphone, singing sweetly of her love, her happiness, her contented fulfillment in the arms of her chosen one. Her only wish, only ambition, is to be with the object of her desire. It can--we hope--really be as simple as that.



Falling in love is an experience. In our pop music, we prefer it to be a giddy, blissful experience, free of the heartache and doubt that may often threaten us in our real-world affairs. Pop songs do recognize that love's path may lead through temptation, betrayal, misery, to tests of faith and failures in spite of good initial intent, a path that might reach redemption or fall prey to the hazards that cause us to crash, broken and beaten, before we get to that magic place we so wanted to claim as home. Pop songs can reflect the complications and compromises we may face day to day, every day.

But both pop music and love itself can offer the promise of something sweeter to believe in. Joni Mitchell described the love's illusions she recalled as The dizzy dancing way you feel. Neil Diamond (via Micky Dolenz) saw a face that made him a believer. The Temptations had sunshine on a cloudy day, and so many others have used music to express sacred hopes for new love. Wouldn't it be nice to be together? I've just seen a face, I can't forget the time or place. No matter what you are, I will always be with you. Hey hey, you you, I wanna be your boyfriend.

Nothing has ever embodied that hope and celebration with greater authority than Dusty Springfield and "I Only Want To Be With You." The song is love, new love, everlasting love. It radiates with the sheer delight of falling in love. Even listening to it again now, you still believe Dusty as she sings about the only thing she really wants.



Some may regard "I Only Want To Be With You" as a relatively minor part of Dusty Springfield's career. It was her first single and her first hit (# 4 in the UK, # 12 in the States), but "Wishin' And Hopin'" and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" were bigger hits in America. "Son Of A Preacher Man" didn't match the chart performance of any of those, but it's likely considered the definitive Dusty single, from the definitive Dusty LP Dusty In Memphis. The Bay City Rollers' 1976 cover of "I Only Want To Be With You" precisely matched the UK and US chart peaks of Dusty's original version, and some will speak on behalf of another subsequent cover by The Tourists (with Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, who remained together as Eurythmics). I'm fond of the Rollers and Tourists records, too; however, neither of 'em is The Greatest Record Ever Made.

No. Today that honor belongs to a former tomboy named Mary, who remade herself with glamour and taste into a pop icon called Dusty. We don't know who, if anyone, she had in mind as she sang "I Only Want To Be With You." Dusty's life was not as happy as the infectious exuberance of her song. She did not remain closeted, though she bristled at being labeled gay, claiming that she liked sex with men and women equally. But she drank too much. She suffered from emotional problems. She hurt herself. She was (unofficially) married briefly, to a woman, in a relationship marred by physical conflict and injuries. Cancer took her in 1999, a mere two weeks before she was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

We honor Dusty Springfield by remembering the wonder of her music: the pain of her heartbreak songs, the soul of her performances, the visceral thrill of her artistry. Most of all, I remember the transcendent joy of "I Only Want To Be With You," a triumphant dedication of love and devotion to the only one with whom she wished to be. Whomever that happened to be.



"I Only Want To Be With You" written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde, Unichappell Music, Inc.

TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. 

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO: A Milestone Approaches

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is poised to hit a significant milestone during our very next show. That's this coming Sunday, June 17th, beginning at 9 pm Eastern at sparksyracuse.org Neither Dana nor I was aware of this impending moment until a few days ago, when we were informed of it by intrepid TIRnRR stats man Fritz Van Leaven. The milestone will occur some time near the show's mid-point, though we will lead up to it throughout the preceding 90 minutes or whatever time it takes to arrive at that specific special achievement in TIRnRR's history.

I apologize for being coy, but we're still planning out precisely how we want to commemorate this particular milestone. We'll reveal the nature of the milestone prior to the show, and we'll show you how we celebrate it when we celebrate it.

In the mean time, here's a list of a few past TIRnRR milestones:

FIRST SHOW: 12/27/98, broadcast on WXXE-FM

FIRST COUNTDOWN SHOW: Special edition six-month anniversary show, 5/30/99

FIRST LIVE WEBCAST: 8/20/00

100th SHOW: 1/7/01 [note: there have been additional special editions of TIRnRR that are not part of the show's official episode count]

FIRST COMPILATION CD: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1 (JAM Recordings, 2004)

FIRST SHOW ON WESTCOTT RADIO: 3/25/07

TENTH ANNIVERSARY SHOW: 12/28/08

500th SHOW: 9/27/09

25 YEARS OF DANA & CARL: 1/15/17 [dating back to our pre-TIRnRR incarnation as We're Your Friends For Now on WNMA in 1992]

FIRST LIVE SHOW ON WSPJ-LP SYRACUSE: October 2017; believe it or not, I didn't keep a record of the precise date.

The twentieth anniversary of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio is coming up in December, and TIRnRR # 1000 should arrive late in 2019. That's a lot of songs played on the radio. Another milestone arrives Sunday. We'll have the radio on.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

100-Page FAKES! presents: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD # 111

100-Page FAKES! imagines mid-1970s DC 100-Page Super Spectaculars that never were...but should have been!



Today's fabricated 100-pager is a tiny bit different from past editions of 100-Page FAKES!, only because The Brave And The Bold actually was published in the Super Spectacular format. B & B expanded to 100 pages for issues # 112 through 117. I was never happy with the reprint selections in those issues, so I figure we go back now to The Brave And The Bold # 111 and make the switch to Super Spec one issue earlier than the real-world version.

"Death Has The Last Laugh" was one of The Joker's first appearances after "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!" in Batman # 251, the Denny O'Neil-Neal Adams blockbuster that returned The Batman's greatest foe to his murderous roots. I'm pretty sure this B & B was the first time we saw The Joker after Batman # 251, and writer Bob Haney certainly runs with the character's new-old characterization. This is the interpretation of The Joker that everyone knows now; in 1973 and '74, it was a radical break from the Clown Prince Of Crime that had been The Joker's image for decades. At the age of 13, I was just blown away by "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!," and I was disappointed by Haney's follow-up, which appeared just a few months after Batman # 251.



Looking back on it now, though, Haney's "Death Has The Last Laugh" suffers only from having to follow a classic, and I'd say it's superior to O'Neil's own next Joker story "This One'll Kill You, Batman!" in Batman # 260. It's dark, moody, tense, and exciting, and it benefits greatly from yet another standout performance by artist Jim Aparo. Between Adams, Aparo, and the underrated Irv Novick (who drew "This One'll Kill You, Batman!"), The Dark Knight was in very capable hands at the drawing board in this era.

My beef with the reprints in The Brave And The Bold # 112-117 was that they seemed staid and stiff, and included no Golden Age material whatsoever, nothing earlier than the '50s. Given this chance to right that wrong in 100-Page FAKES!, I respond with a selection of reprints containing...um, no Golden Age material, nothing earlier than the '60s. Man, I'm gonna write a stern letter to me complaining about me.

But as I assembled this package of reprints to support the lead story of The Batman teaming with his worst enemy, it seemed that a collection of some of Batman's strangest team-ups would work best. I threw in the final page of a '40s Batman newspaper serial featuring The Joker, but otherwise stuck with the Silver Age for The Caped Crusader's encounters with Enemy Ace, The Creeper, and...Jerry Lewis?!

Yeah, I had to include The Dynamic Duo's meeting with ol' Jer. In the notebooks I used to keep in this early '70s time frame, one of the 100-Page Super Spectacular notions I jotted down was a "Grab Bag" edition that would include a reprint of Batman and Robin's 1966 meeting with Jerry Lewis. That story originally appeared in DC's The Adventures Of Jerry Lewis # 97, which has never been reprinted, probably will never be reprinted, and which I hadn't yet read when I was 13. The same licensing restrictions that prevent DC from reprinting any of its Jerry Lewis stories would have scuttled any thought of slipping "Batman Meets Jerry" into a Super Spec. But the rules are different here in the Boppinverse, so this epic team-up finally takes its proud place in Brave And Bold history.

The Boppinverse does recognize the copyright concerns of this pesky real world, which means we can only share a few pages to represent this imaginary 100-pager publicly. My subscribers get to see the whole thing, as a thank-you for being subscribers. I love you guys! Meanwhile, here's the information on where these stories came from:

Batman and The Joker in "Death Has The Last Laugh," The Brave And The Bold # 111 (February-March 1974)

Batman and The Joker (untitled), Batman syndicated newspaper strip 12/9/45, reprinted in Batman # 187 (January 1967)

Batman and Enemy Ace in "Ghost Of The Killer Skies!," Detective Comics # 404 (October 1970)

Batman and The Creeper in "And Hellgrammite Is His Name!," The Brave And The Bold # 80 (October-November 1968)

Batman and Jerry Lewis in "Batman Meets Jerry," The Adventures Of Jerry Lewis # 97 (November-December 1966)

All material is copyright DC Comics Inc, except for the late Jerry Lewis, who appears courtesy of Buddy Love. No flavens were harmed in the making of this LAAAAAAAAAdeeeeeee! AND NOW: They're brave! They're bold! They're...a little odd. And here they are.

TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.









COVER GALLERY