January 26, 2011

Have you longed for the days of American Bandstand , Soul Train, and The Midnight Special? I had the privilege of working with the great Dick Clark on a couple of occassions. I was a guest announcer on a short lived Country music television show on NBC called Hot Country Nights. Mr. Clark flew me out to the Burbank NBC studios where Johnny Carson did the Tonight Show and Red Foxx roamed the halls between takes of Sanford and Son. Dick Clark's contributions to American pop culture can't be fully measured. How many of you remember rushing home from school so you could turn on Channel 11, then the ABC affiliate and watch people do the Stroll and the Twist? Dick Clark was live from Philadelphia where he worked in radio with a fellow named Ed McMahon who later became Johnny Carson's sidekick on the Tonight Show. Dick Clark Productions has produced the Golden Globes, the American Music Awards, Rockin' New Year's Eve, and the Academy of Country Music Awards over the decades. His right hand in producing television shows was a fellow who was a former disc jockey in Miami named Gene Weed. Getting to know Gene, he was thrilled when he found out that I was from Tallapoosa. It seems his mother was born and raised here. I sent him the framed 1880 something print of Tallapoosa. He was thrilled and hung it in his office in Los Angeles. He wanted to fly to Georgia and for me to personally give him the tour of the only place I've truly called "home." Gene was stricken with severe health problems and died before he could get to our town. Mr. Weed's fascination with Tallapoosa made me realize just what a special place this is. Dick Clark has also battled health problems over the years after suffering a stroke several years ago. He is still behind the scenes in producing programs that we see on television. It is hard to believe that MTV has been around 30 years. Music Television probably saved the record industry back then with the ever growing trend of video gaming back then. How many still have your Atari game system? MTV was responsible for the meteoric rise of many pop stars to international stardom. MTV seems to lack "M" in MTV. It seems that music is no longer part of their marketing formula. Reality shows like Real World and the currently popular reality program about 8 young "adults" sharing a house together in New Jersey. Jersey Shore has given instant fame to the clueless fellow who calls himself "Situation." Munchkin like Snooki loves to get drunk wearing a bikini and get arrested. I think most cast members of Jersey Shore probably sign autographs with a crayon. The latest programming offering from MTV that has become a runaway hit is a dramatic program about the exploits of some misfit teenagers. Skins pushes the envelope unlike any program on television ever has and frankly while I am a strong believer in the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression, I am a dad first. Viacom the parent company of MTV is about to have the rath of millions of parents and lawsuits that will state that Skins may violate child pornography statues. The Parents Television Council labeled Skins the "most dangerous program that has ever been foistered on your children." As a parent, the v-chip is now keeping MTV from potentially be seen by my impressionable children. Is it any wonder that we share burdens of teen pregancy and teenage drug and alcohol abuse? We have allowed an "anything goes" attitude to poison the waters of our culture. You can show teen sex on television. You can see teens getting blind running drunk on the small screen but you'd better not mention Jesus Christ. That would get the American Civil Liberties Union on you. The reason I think we have become numb to the list of problems we have in this country is because we are allowing our minds to just go along with anything that is considered "entertainment." Songs that praise the merits of killing law enforement officers or music that is laced with vile obcentities can be downloaded by anyone with a computer. Have you asked yourself just how low what passes for entertainment can go? It is believed that it is all about corporate broadcasting ownership. The bean counters don't care what gets on the air as long as the company makes a profit. Radio and television at one time was required to serve in the public interest. Wish they'd do it again. I got a very nice letter from Mae Thornton suggesting that local music legend Harold McWhorter be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Many of us agree with Ms. Thorton. The only inductee from Haralson County is Harold Shedd who at one time owned WWCC in Bremen and moved to Nashville in the early '70's to produce records on Music Row. His Music Mill Studios cranked out a string of number one hits for supergroup Alabama. He also produced Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, and signed Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyruss to rocord deals. Harold Shedd's first production success came in the mid 1970's with a project called Sunday Night in Nashville for Harold McWhorter. Harold's album got rave reviews by Elmo Ellis when he was at the helm of programming for Atlanta's WSB radio.