Short (9 minute) piece on Dex and Sarah, playing together for the first time since they were in, what, junior high? The performance bits are as amazing as you'd hope and it's great listening to them talk about playing together. Still having trouble grasping the fact that Dex is well into his forties now...
The rockin'-est guy that ever walked the freaking planet.
For years, WKRP in Cincinnati has been one of the most requested shows to go to DVD. The holdup has been licensing of the music from the shows. If you watched any of the episodes in syndication, you remember that scenes were cut and lots of the music was replaced by what was effectively the same kind of elevator music that Travis showed up to change.
There's finally a DVD set for season 1. There are still licensing issues with lots of the music and a couple of the episodes are the cut syndicated ones (the originals were not available) but they ain't bad. I know the WKRP purists are totally unhappy and swear they'll refuse to buy the DVDs, but after much thought I decided I'm a fan, not a purist, and I've missed the damn show! So far we've watched the 2-part pilot (including Lex's favorite line from Johnny Fever after the station is invaded by aging protesters - "I think you should know that I've killed a lot of old people!"), Les on a Ledge and the Hoodlum Rock episodes. Flying Turkeys is coming up soon!
Somehow those same licensing problems apparently were overcome by whoever is putting out the Saturday Night Live DVDs because the 1st season in its entirety (including all music performances AND the Muppets, which I thought was another licensing problem) is now available. Haven't bought it yet but you know I will - I remember watching the original episode with George Carlin as it aired and I was never the same afterwards.
I know a bunch of people (myself included) who have talked seriously about writing a history of Chapel Hill music or at least a history of the Cat's Cradle. Kathleen Kearns has now written a very good article on the history of the Cradle but unfortunately it was published in the Carolina Alumni Review, which requires one to be a member to read online. I've pdf'ed the article and while I don't want to post it here, I'll be happy to email it to anyone that is interested (just drop me a line). PC/Lex - I've already sent you a copy. I remember walking down Franklin Street while we still owned Rhythm Alley and being introduced to Frank Heath by Richard Fox, who was going in with Frank and with Billy Johnson to buy the place from DR. Twenty years later, Frank is still running the show (and booking shows in venues in Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh and further afield) and still putting the music before anything else. Unbelievable.
There's also a very good article on some of the 60's protest movements on campus (civil rights, free speech/anti-Speaker Ban, anti-war, etc.) written by UNC professor and fellow photographer Peter Filene. If you're a member, you can find the Review here online.
Anybody know why all my local Harris-Teeters have all been out of Pepperidge Farms Croutons for the last four or five weeks? My salads are suffering...
