Scene from a silent movie?

A woman I know was trying to avoid another member of an orchestra whose personality exasperated other orchestra members and her.  One day before a rehearsal, she went to the storage room, grabbed her instrument, and headed off to the elevator.  A few seconds later, she heard footsteps behind her.  Seeing who it was, she started running.  He began running, as well.  Beating him to the elevator, she closed the door quickly and headed to rehearsal alone.

That doesn't sound out of the ordinary--except that both players were running with double basses.  If they'd been carrying harps or pianos, it would have been even more unusual.

Persistent earworm alert XLVIII

For some reason, an '80s KYKY jingle, sung to the tune of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah," has been on my mind:

"Phillips and Wall!  Phillips and Wall!  In the morning, in the morning, on KY98!"

When the station changed its abbreviated identifier from KY98 to Y98 FM in 1985, different singers cut another jingle in a similar style, but it just wasn't the same.  Y98 FM has too many syllables to work effectively in that context.

More than a fair weather fan

An inevitable constant of sports talk radio--having the illusion, as a fan, that you can change a player's or the management of a team's mind about going to another team, retiring, or broadcasting the team's games on a different radio or TV station.

I remember a fan calling KMOX's "Sports Open Line" in the '80s, upset that our hockey team, the St. Louis Blues, was taking its broadcasts to another radio station.

"I'm upset.  I'm disturbed," the caller said.  "Can we do anything?"

"No, there's nothing we can do," host Dan Dierdorf responded.  "They signed a five-year contract, by my understanding, over at another radio station...It's out of my hands.  It's out of our hands..."

Although it isn't realistic for a fan to think (s)he can prevent a team from seeking a new outlet for its broadcasts, there's something heartening in hearing from a fan who cares that much.  That tenacity keeps people following their favorite hometown teams and attending their games, even during their weaker seasons.  Those are a team's true fans.

No pesky newscast necessary

I've written before about how I used to record radio shows I created in grade school and middle school.  One friend, hearing that a friend and I recorded such shows, decided to try his own hand at radio shows.  He liked the idea of having a newscast but didn't want to bother with tracking down news copy and rewriting it for the radio.  His solution?  He started each of his shows by saying, "And that's the news..."

And, why not?  After all, when the radio station is your own creation and isn't actually on the air...

A song's (and book's) worth of theories

Inspired by the Bob Welch-penned Fleetwood Mac tune, "Bermuda Triangle," I once bought a book about the eerie phenomenon of ships and planes disappearing in that area.  As I started reading it, I thought, "I can see how there's a song in this, but maybe I shouldn't read about it.  It's disturbing, and this entire book, as expected, is just conjecture.  It could easily have been titled No One Really Knows."

An overlooked cover tune XXIV

While introducing it in concert, Gordon Lightfoot called it his "first real good song."  Peter, Paul & Mary lent their vocal harmonies and guitar playing to an excellent version of it.  Sara Watkins and Eva Cassidy sing it impressively, as well.  The tune: "Early Morning Rain."  Those versions are among the better known ones.

Dr. Corn's Bluegrass Remedy recorded a somewhat obscure concert version of it that's worth seeking out.  Their version of it on the "Live (It'll Tickle Your Innards)" album showcases the ensemble's vocal and bluegrass pickin' abilities. Listening to them perform it in concert reminded me of how strong Lightfoot's tune about watching planes while not being in the best of spirits is.  Regardless of who sings it, though, the tune's wistfulness should resonate with the listener.

Appropriate Groundhog Day Eve listening?

The sentiments Jane Kelly Williams sings in "Come On Spring" struck me as appropriate for Groundhog Day Eve--at first.  Then, it occurred to me that, we've already had more January days than usual in St. Louis when temperatures climbed into the 60s and even 70s.  Although it's cold at this moment, climate change has already made Spring show up ahead of schedule. 

That said, singer-songwriter Williams should be better known for her "Tapping The Wheel" CD.  Among its highlights: "Show Me How To Catch A Fish" and "15 Seconds Of Grace."