Recently, my daughter, Cami, who is presently studying for her master’s in psychology, turned twenty-eight.
Hopefully, her studies will result in her having some “Good Times,”  which she richly deserves. (Cami and I are shown above at my recent birthday party.)

As usual, Cami’s birthday party occurred at my condo in West Palm Beach.
As I sat there watching them play drinking games, I couldn’t help but think about how different the times were when I was twenty-eight.

When I was her age, I was married to my High School sweetheart and also had a daughter, and we were already living in our second new home.
However, that was 1968, and it’s 2024 now, and one can only wonder when the “Good Times” ran dry.

I’m presently living in my eighth new home, but sadly, I realize my kids have very little chance of living in their first.
Where and when did the American Dream go wrong? It must have happened long ago because there hasn’t been any “Good Times” for some time now.

We’ve now got more rich people living in spectacular mansions and homeless folks living in the streets than ever before.
Oh, and have you noticed that the middle class is shrinking? How can this be good?

Hey, even though the government, along with a million-and-a-half charity organizations, claim they’re helping all the poor minorities, the only minorities they’ve helped so far are the wealthy.
Shame on you, America, and I’m talkin’ to you too, Canada.

COMMENTS

Ron Below: Does anybody remember Beta Max? Yep, me. Bought a Sony Beta Max combo in a beautiful cabinet. Extra nice Sony TV picture, only one problem… 1-hour playback limit and worse yet… very few tapes. I had a Paul McCarthy and one other I can’t remember (there might be other reasons for that). I often wonder who ended up with this boat anchor. (Miss Kaye Ville)
Geo: I heard that Beta Max had better quality, but I feel your pain, Mr. Below; most porn is longer than an hour.

Jed Duval: George: I have heard variations of the “Last Contest” compilations over the years and never fail to hear details that still amaze me. After Kent Burkhart fired me as P.D. at WHBQ-AM, Memphis, in the great R.K.O. Radio purge of September-October 1980, Larry Knight (Stein) called me out to interview at KCBQ-AM in early October 1980 to be morning show producer and Assistant P.D. for the upcoming format switch to country and “Charlie and Harrigan (Whoever was to be Jack Woods’ Irv Harrigan at that time.)” mornings. During my trip to KCBQ’s studios, I was amazed at how unsophisticated the “Q”‘s studios were, including the windowless closet news booth and the production studio where Jack McCoy created magic: Four Ampex 352s, a pair of microphones (not Neumanns), an Invosonics variable capstan control and a Gates mixer. (Bartell’s capital budgets must have resembled Fairbanks’ before 1968.) The production library was old 1950s-1960s M.O.R., easy-listening, and movie soundtrack records. Only Charlie Tuna in this composite is of Chuck Riley caliber (Good Top-40 jocks, but not great production voices, in my opinion, which does not count as the best my voice was then and now is for telegraphy.) Jack McCoy was and is a genius. He did so much more with less. I am still blown away by the prize package that offered a W.A.T.S.-line in 1972. WIBC and WNAP had many great production minds, hands, and voices, but in my years there between 1973 and 1990 (and afterward, as well), the stations never quite achieved the production greatness of Jack McCoy at KCBQ. Poor Willet Brown: KGB never had a chance with first Buzz Bennett and then Jack McCoy. (The Last Contest)
Geo: Jed, I was also amazed that The Last Contest Came out of that studio. When I was there to do promos for CFTR in Toronto, Jack had to put an old station jacket over the cart machines so you couldn’t hear them clunk as he was recording.

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