Geo’s Media Blog (Don’t Ever Stop Fiddlin’ Around) new for 9/06/20

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I grew up in Canada in a place called Winnipeg where the winter nights were so long that when Easter finally rolled around and you got to venture out, you were either a musician or about to become a new father. I became a guitar man and before long was starting a band and then miraculously releasing a few records. Not bad for a Transcona lad. (see above)
However, even though we the Jury had the #1 record on the Canadian charts, for a couple of reasons I decided to put my guitar down and try my hand at radio.

Luckily, I’d lucked out because as it turned out, I was much better at playing radio than I ever was playing guitar.

Even though radio has been “berry berry” good to me, I tell my fifteen-year-old Grandson, Nathaniel, who plays violin for the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, that I regret not playing my guitar anymore and advise him to never stop playing his violin because it makes you special.(see above)

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of great radio stations but nobody cares. All they want to hear about was what it was like to share the stage with fellow Winnipeggers, Neil Young, Burton Cummings, (The Guess Who) Randy Bachman, (BTO) and open for legends like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash?

Those indeed were great times and very tough to leave behind and even though I still miss my bandmates, Rolly, Terry, Bruce, and Ken, thankfully, I still have my memories.
Unfortunately though, playing with a band in those days didn’t pay well, so when Nathaniel’s m
Mama was born, his buppa got into the radio business and kicked a little ass. In fact, I think I may have become as good at radio as Burton, Randy, and Neil, are at what they do.
As I say to Nathaniel, though, “Don’t ever stop playing buddy,” because no matter what school you go to, or what you end up doing for a career, most folks will only wanna hear about what it was like playing in a symphony orchestra.
GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Nothing happens by accident, if it happened, you can bet it was planned – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I think it’s a lot easier to speak than it is to listen.

Why is the Coronavirus so political? Where any of the other diseases such as Smallpox, Measles, Spanish Flu, Yellow Fever, Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, and Polio as political as this?

Speaking of the virus, it may not be over, but the new ratings indicate talking about it is.

I wonder how Vince Lombardi would have reacted to knee bending (a submissive gesture) and political correctness?

I wonder what God had on mind when he put women in charge of sex?

What with the Corona Virus hanging on, I can’t help but think about how long Cancer has been around and still no cure in sight. So far it’s resisted all the money and prayers thrown at it and the only real results I see, are rich researchers and fundraisers.

Don’t you hate it when the movie makers cheap out and put bogus tunes into a movie and all the actors sing and dance to them like they’re hits?

So with the power companies doing power outages whenever they want to in California, I’m re-thinking my position on “going electric.”

Until women feel strong enough to enter the workplace without “war paint,” they’ll never be equal.

I wonder why they’re not protesting and rioting in Mexico, aren’t things worse there?

COMMENTS
Doug Chappell: George, the Daily Sheet is exactly what is missing in most radio. Since the wife and I moved to Niagara Falls, we have the radio on all waking moments and have yet to find “Our Station.” One of the local stations has the John Tesh Show, it’s OK, but it is a syndicated no local content program. Another station has Ryan Seacrest the same thing, no local. As we have always believed radio was important because it was a “Hot Medium”, it was ours, and it was informing us of what was happening now. When I first started listening to radio and fell in love with it, Rock ‘N’ Roll was just starting, and I hung onto the DJs every word as they told me stuff about the music, the artist, and what was happening in my city. I got hooked, I became a musician then morphed into a record company guy, BUT if that was not my route, I think I would have gone into radio. I loved working with radio people and did my best to understand their industry and how we could have a symbiotic relationship…attempting a result where we both became winners. I was lucky enough to run some labels; I hired great people, including a great financial guy, so I only had to spend a small amount of time thinking money, and most time was spent with artists and music….what a good time we had. (Righteous)
Geo: I always enjoyed your visits, Doug, and because I did, I remember taking a flyer on a couple of your tunes. However, as I read your comment this morning, all that popped into my head was an embarrassing moment that occurred during one of your fun visits.
When I was hired as the PD of CFTR, I always wore Beatle Boots, which I continued to do even when they made me the Station Manager. Anyway, when you were shown into my office one day, I arrogantly put my feet up on my desk only to discover a black leather boot on my left foot and a brown suede one on the other. You were so cool; you didn’t even mention it. 🙂

Doug Chappell: I thought it was a new fashion…considered trying it myself.
Tom Hoyt: Thanks for the memory, Geo! Your notions of what the on-air folks did every day were passed along thru your consulting to my morning show at KFRG, Scott & Bo, “The Frogmen in the Morning.” Bo was the goof, but Scott was the glue, and he did his own “The List” for the show that was used and passed on the following hosts.
The FROG’s secret was LOCAL baby! Everything from that little list of what’s happening to the charity involvements to community service. The other guys never did figure that out. We did twice as much w’ the time we were on-air talking than our competitors
Our listeners grew to trust us….that visceral connection to the station that you NEEDED to listen because it was your neighborhood! It was fun to work there, and I was honored to be the GM for 16 years. Thanks. (Righteous)
Geo: What a great station, Tom, and other than a few of our adventures in LA, my favorite moment was, not only did you got a Cardinal to come in and bless the new studios but beneath all his finery, he was wearing Cowboy Boots. I believe our next book was the best ever.

 

5 thoughts on “Geo’s Media Blog (Don’t Ever Stop Fiddlin’ Around) new for 9/06/20

  1. Buzz Barnett: God Bless You, George Johns, fondly known as “RadioGeo”! You weave threads of culture and un-matched experiences with notorious Success into these fun-lovin’ free-form expressions, and I am deeply grateful. Just wanted You to know. Buzzy (Don’t Stop Fiddlin’ Around)
    Geo: Thanks for the read Buzzy, and the kind comments. Miss our days together at WRMF.

  2. Bruce Walker: Too bad you quit playing George. I still practice regularly, write songs, and sing my heart out. Music is invaluable to me. It is a place to go and drown all your cares for a while. Extremely relaxing. (Don’t Stop Fiddlin’ around.)
    Geo: I hear ya, Bruce after I left the Jury for the radio biz, I couldn’t go to concerts let alone play my guitar in fear of wanting to crawl back up in the stage again.

  3. Jed Duval: George: One of the factors about the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic was that it had already claimed many victims in Europe and when it hit in the late Spring/Summer of 1918 in the U.S., the world and the U.S. were still engaged in World War One. Woodrow Wilson never spoke of it, although it may have begun the deterioration of his own health when he was stricken by something in April 1919, in Paris negotiating the Treaty of Versailles. The Republicans were disorganized and would remain so into the 1920s, which is how Warren Harding won the nomination. Remember, the only instantaneous communications were the telephone and the telegraph. Commercial radio didn’t begin until 1920, with KDKA in Pittsburgh and WWJ in Detroit. When you don’t know what really ails you, and everybody is still spitting in spittoons and on the ground, sanitary practices seem a little silly. (Don’t Stop Fiddlin’ Around)

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