Monday, June 02, 2008

New Bloggers Q&A - Welcome to KCAC Lives!

In a few comments by new bloggers I was asked about the blog, so I'm going to attempt to give some history. The archives are the best place to start, but for the short version, here's my shot: First, it's fabulous to see new names commenting on the blog! Tell us about yourselves (if you are not in the witness protection program) (o: Bring up a topic you want to talk about!! Don't be shy! We're truly a community and you don't have to be someone "who was there" in the 1970's KCAC and KDKB days (o: to be part of it. We LOVE hearing from new people and talking about ALL SORTS OF THINGS.

Am I the blog administrator? Well, not exactly, but sort of, by default. How's that for a definitive answer? Seriously, Jimmy Magahern (one of the Valley's long time favorite freelance writers) actually created this blog. Jimmy wrote for New Times for years. You can read some outstanding articles by Jimmy Magahern on intriguing topics (REALLY interesting stuff!) for Phoenix Magazine. He brings a whole new perspective to the magazine. FYI if you want to read some of the best articles written for the New Times over the years, go to their site and archive Jimmy's stuff. No, Jimmy is not paying me to say these things (o: in fact he may be embarrassed that I am saying them but they ARE true.

Somewhere in the KCAC LIVES! archives Jimmy Magahern wrote the story about about how he got involved via Russ Shaw and Marty Manning, original KCAC/KDKB guys. Maybe Jimmy will check in and tell you the story again himself. He can do it much better than I can! The blog was really busy for a long time, lots of stuff happened (go back thru the archives from the beginning if you want a real trip down AZ Mamory Lane!) So it's really a joint effort headed up by Jimmy Magahern. But if he hadn't started this blog it would not exist. There are some amazing (and embarrassing) (o: KCAC circa photos in the archives as well. Check it out.

I got involved when I had a radio show a few years ago. I became aware of the blog because there is a link to Radio Free Phoenix (RFP's a 24/7 commercial free music internet station that honors the KCAC days with its name, format and REAL people doing air shifts!I Gasp!!) I was drawn to it because of the historically fascinating (and entertaining as all get out) stuff written by Jimmy, Marty Manning, Russ Shaw, Ron Wortham, and other veteran radio heads like Radio Free Phoenix creator Andy Olson and RFP and KOOL radio personality Liz Boyle. Jimmy noticed the comments I was writing to their posts and began putting them in as 'articles' such as this one. Then he asked me to be a contributor (see sidebar, there are many of us!)

I really got acquainted with Jimmy when I asked if he'd be interested in contacting Arizona's internationally known rock and roll photographer LISSA WALES to do an article about Promoter Danny Zelisko and drummer Troy Lucketta's huge benefit concert for Lissa called DRUMMER-PALOOZA (October 2005.) Jimmy did a really cool interview with Lissa for a New Times piece about DRUMMER PALOOZA. Lissa was really happy he'd called her and got a big boost out of talking with him. Jimmy emailed to thank me for referring him to Lissa and said he greatly enjoyed talking to her. Jimmy seemed like a really outstanding, authentic human being (o: as well as writer, so when he asked me to be a contributor I was honored to be part of the team.

Sadly Lissa Wales never got to read Jimmy's article, or any of my articles on this and other websites or see the benefit. Lissa knew her sister brought Jimmy's New Times article to her and it was on the table by her hospital bed. She'd undergone a second successful bone marrow transplant and then fate reared its head. Lissa Wale's wonderful, unique spirit kept shining brightly here on terra firma until she died in October 2005 very shortly after the benefit concert. Lissa battled leukemia for 18 months. Lissa's spirit and talent is so well known and cherished by those who knew her, her name STILL appears as a contributing photographer for L.A. based DRUM MAGAZINE (a glossy internationally read drum magazine) and Lissa's famous photos are all over the websites of VERY famous bands. Her specialty was shooting drummers. Check out her photos on own website at lissawales.com and also on the website azmusicandentertianmenthalloffame.org (or just azmusichalloffame.org)

Back to the blog: As a native, long involved in AZ arts and entertainment, I have both an artistic and emotional connection to this website, and when Ron Wortham (another KCAC original) and I started contributing like crazy, Ron became the main administrator along with Jimmy. When he decided not to do it anymore he asked me to step into his shoes, which are way too big for me to ever fill. Jimmy, of course, still is the main administrator, but he is up to his eyeballs with his freelance career. So, I do what I can.

Aaack! Edit, edit, I know! Sorry!

49 comments:

vagabondvet said...

Well, howdy, Mariah,

What a sweet summary! I admire the heck out of your energy and ability, girl. Good to hear that some new visitors are interested in the site, and radio and music and history and... yeah! I've been hibernating, as you know, but I'm still lurking around the edges of the internet, and now that I've finally gotten high-speed cable access my frustration level (with using the www) has dropped significantly and I'm starting to come out of the closet again, so to speak. Not being either a prolific writer, or one with much worthwhile or relevant to contribute, I probably won't have a whole lot to say, but I'll be visiting more often and try to leave a note now and then. To you, and Tom (who we salute for his tireless efforts to create a multimedia record of the history of the music scene in Phoenix), and all those who've helped make this blog such an interesting one - Jimmy, Ron, Marty, Russ, Bob G., Bruce, and so many others who've left their gifts of reminiscence, nostalgia, humor and insight, a big thank you. And you, Mariah, you perpetual motion machine, I don't know where you find the energy and devotion to keep the ball rolling like you do, but I sure admire the sh*t out of you for it. As they say, "You GO, girl!" Seriously, thank you for keeping the spirit alive. And to new visitors to the site, Mariah's definitely right when she suggests you go back quite a way in the archives here, there's some crazy stuff, some fascinating stuff, some boring stuff... oh, I wasn't supposed to mention that?... some hilarious stuff, some touching stuff, and... well, there's lots of stuff. Have a wonderful evening, everyone.

:~)aniel

Mariah Fleming said...

Oh howdy back wonderful Daniel! We've missed you SO much! I can't wait to hear more from you, and don't ever minimize your gifts for sharing your world through photographs, words and your sheer kindness, intelligence and empathy.

YOU are in large part responsible for the Rebirth/KCAC Lives Reunion that took place last year (was it last year or the year before?) and for getting all those people from all over the country back together. THOSE are some awesome archives.

YOU re-ignited my interest in renewing the spirit of Rebirth when you trusted me to send me all those cherished clippings. Even though I was way on the periphery compared to you all in the community who basically LIVED and breathed Rebirth.

YOU ignited my passion for writing about it, and planning a gathering. Your clips of Rebirth newspaper gave me materials to reminisce over and remember how real it all was, to write about it here, and to recall that for all our flaws, I don't think anyone can accuse us of lack of authenticity.

YOU kept the current flowing clear and strong with Ron Wortham and all the other people you mentioned. YOU found Michelle and Joe's son.

Oh, don't say: "Not being either a prolific writer, or one with much worthwhile or relevant to contribute, I probably won't have a whole lot to say." Daniel, I hope you will allow yourself to be acknowledged as much as you do others, my friend. Come back to the blog and remember how wonderful it is to be appreciated and encouraged to be a seeker.

Daniel, I am stunned by all the kind things you said about me in your post. I've felt disheartened to varying degrees for a long time, and have fought the urge to hibernate myself. Every day I psych myself to take the time to do what I love, and to hope that it touches someone and matters.

"The greatest gift is the gift of life and the greatest sin is to leave it unopened."

You're quite a gift, Daniel.

NEW READERS: Rebirth was the first underground paper in the Valley. Daniel told me that Rebirth actually sold their equipment to kindred spirits who were then able to get the small and non commercial New Times on its way. Daniel's got itI If you're interested in the history of the Valley in the late 60's thru the 70's, read these archives.

Jimmy said...

Bart Bull, a former New Times writer and a very original cat in the best sense, recently took me to task for starting this page. Bull's now living in Paris and says, believe it or not, this web archive has become the most accessible history of this particular radio scene - and Bull feels all the wrong people are running it! With great Google results comes great responsibility, is his basic message.
Bart, if you're reading this drivel, please chime in with your party-crashing view of this whole thing. Me, I've got no axe to grind, but here goes:
If people are actually using this blog as a source of information about early 70's FM radio in Phoenix, let's make sure we represent it right. Are we celebrating the wrong people (like, uh, ourselves)? Instead of reminiscing, shouldn't we be pointing out fresh sources of the kind of stuff we loved on these old stations (we're all on the Internet, after all - radical stuff is happening a click away in any direction).
Hopefully Bart Bull will read this thread and feel compelled to vent. If so, watch out!

Mariah Fleming said...

Geez, I sure hope Bart will tell us how to do this thing right! All this "celebrating of ourselves" is out of control!! Is it okay to 'celebrate' if we, say, 'dance to the music' while we do it?

But really Jimmy, shame on you for starting something and inviting others to participate in it. And, dear god, for bringing this rag tag group of KCAC era participants and devotees together!

Wishful thinking: if only you had creds (or any of us for that matter!) such as knowing people like Marty Manning and Russ Shaw to provide you and the rest of us inspiration "from the horses mouth", so to speak!

As for 'reminiscing' since it is the act of remembering, without it, it's unlikely many of the facts that have been unearthed again about those days, along with the pictures that go with them, would've once again seen the light of day. And as for 'the rules' they keep changing, so why should anyone honestly give a damn?

Damn! My mother WAS right: "The road to hell IS paved with good intentions!" - Marx (no, not Groucho)

"A man will walk straight into hell with his eyes wide open, but even the devil can't fool a dog."

Mariah Fleming said...

P.S. The only completely 'fresh source' for what we had and loved in those radio daze is Andy Olson's Radio Free Phoenix. We oughta talk about them once in awhile, and ask Andy, who is the brainchild and guts of the thing, to be a contributor or something.

Heck we should put a link to Radio Free Phoenix in the sidebar. And maybe we'd better come up with a good old fashioned corporate style "Mission Statement" so we can get a really authentic Google profile.

Bonne nuit, Paris!

Anonymous said...

Andy Olson rocks! He could contribute a lot to this blog. Magahern's article in the New Times a couple of years ago about the station was awesome. That's some current history right there. Can it get reprinted here without Sheriff Joe (or Mike Lacey) coming after us??
Cheers!
anonandon

Anonymous said...

What's with this new trend of logging in as anonymous? It would be much more interesting to have a name attached to the post so that we would know the individual behind the words. But if it's so cool, I guess I will do the same.

By the way, we're not really encouraging Bart Bull to add his nonsense to this blog are we? What possibly relevant comment could he make?

Anonymous Too

Mariah Fleming said...

Hey Anonymous Too,
Astute comment! I don't know anyone from the blog who ever bit anyone for saying what they think, do you?

Anonymous said...

Yes, it sounds like "KCAC lives!" is egging on Mr. BB so that he will come into "our house" and get bit, to set up a verbal gunfight involving only a few people. It's like a couple of kids daring some other kid to come into their neighborhood and duke it out. Except in this case, superior wordsmanship would be the weapons of choice.

What would be the value of this "great debate" other than self indulgence and boring the rest of the readers to death? I'd rather read what "KCAC lives!" members have to say about their lives, their memories, than anything Mr. BB has to say about this forum. His comments about this forum can't be pertinent. And why does "KCAC lives!" even feel it needs words of wisdom from Mr. BB? If he had anything worthwhile to say, he would have already said it, you wouldn't need to be trying to entice it out of him.

Anonymous Too

Mariah Fleming said...

Good to hear your comments, Anonymous Too. Not really a well functioning 'community' when people don't identify themselves. Anonymous comments seem kinda like high school gossip where manufactured intrigue and gossip reign.

Don't know if you saw my post back to Jimmy when he first mentioned the "Free Man in Paris". I don't know Bart, but have read his stuff. Seems to me that the expatriate is in a combative mood. Yawn. That brutal Paris heat and sun till 9 at night in summer must be making him cranky.

Of course we want the blog to buzz and be an interesting place for people who want to share their ideas, memories, and learn some of the unique history associated with KCAC.

Bull or no bull, there's a lot going on and certainly no lack of subject matter!! Now, if some of you are in a witness protection program & need anonymousness (is that a word?!) we can call in Maxwell Smart and rig up our own "cone of silence' I guess! But the message loses its punch when the messenger won't come forth.

Over and out,
"99"

vagabondvet said...

Hi again, Mariah! Thanks for the kind words, you lift my spirits. As for the dialogue concerning content on this blog, I don't think we ever established, or meant to establish, any guidelines about what's appropriate, aside from the stated "This is a blog for all who remember the pioneering Phoenix album-rock station, KCAC, the early KDKB, and the people behind both, including William Edward Compton and Dwight Tindle." Though the nostalgic orientation is evident in this statement, no one said current events or other stuff is off limits, so I would interpret that to mean we can write whatever we please, be it pointless (to some, perhaps) nostalgic reminiscence or meaningful discussion of important (to some, perhaps) matters. One man's garbage is another's treasure, right? Hopefully we won't go off on that impossible quest of pleasing all the people all the time. Have a mighty fine day!

vagabondvet said...

By the way, Mariah... there's already a link to RFP in the sidebar, it's been there forever.

:~)

Mariah Fleming said...

Daniel,
I know you know I was sarcastically pointing out the obvious that the blog already has a link to RFP in my post about Bart Bull's recommendations, but just in case no one else does, yes we indeed do!

Anonymous said...

Mariah

Your are certainly correct, I owe you an apology. Would you please accept my apology for repeating that rumor? I should not be listening to rumors, and certainly not repeating them. I did you a disservice and I apologize.

Since you are the moderator of this site, you should delete that paragraph from my post, or even the entire post would be fine with me.

Sincerely
Sherri

Anonymous said...

There are thoughts and there are opinions, each has a place in discourse...Sherri may have missed a point or two but she did speak to me in a very personal way. I always say, given the choice between fact and fantasy, I'll take the fantasy every time.

Yup, lets keep this Blog focused on the history and the mystery of what made KCAC/KDKB such a force in our times and propells us to continue to express ourselves aqui, on line, all the time. Daniel did us a service venting in his essay on the politics that be but it was indeed off subject of what this blog is all about and we would like to stay on the subject of what an why our radio
was so important, in them times.

More as the tale continues, an hey, Howdy back Ron,

Bob Gately

Mariah Fleming said...

Re: these two posts:
"Anonandon" wrote:
"Andy Olson rocks! He could contribute a lot to this blog. Magahern's article in the New Times a couple of years ago about the station was awesome. That's some current history right there. Can it get reprinted here without Sheriff Joe (or Mike Lacey) coming after us?? Cheers!"

"Sherri" wrote:
"Good response on encouraging ‘anonymous’ bloggers to use their real names. Get after ‘anonandon’ while you are at it, plus all the others anonymous posters."

Question:
What did 'anonanon' say that we should 'get after anonanon:" for? That Jimmy is a wonderful journalist who wrote an "awesome article" and that "Andy Olson 'rocks'" and ought to contribute more to the blog? I don't get it.

As for asking the moderators to 'get after' the posters, maybe we should leave that up to the lawyers (KIDDING!)

Seriously, PEACE.

vagabondvet said...

Hi, Everyone,

I hope all are havin' a great day. Concerning the discussion of appropriate content on the site: you didn't misunderstand me, Sherri, I did indeed say my understanding was that we could write about anything (observing the usual common sense guidelines, of course).

In reflecting back on the type of content we've had since the site was established I can recall a lot of variety - the central theme has always been the history and impact of the music and counterculture scene in the late sixties and early seventies in Phoenix, primarily concerning KCAC, KDKB, other early radio stations, Bill Compton, and Dwight Tindle. Because Rebirth (our underground newspaper) was so closely aligned and involved with the stations, our old radio compatriots have allowed us to join in too.

It's a loose-knit community with few guidelines, and we've rambled on about a whole potpourri of subjects from time to time, but always returned to the central themes of the site. It's allowed for some interesting variety and sometimes even a stimulating discussion or two. Occasionally there are discussions about stuff that I personally have absolutely no interest in whatsoever, and I'm sure I've bored others to tears sometimes too, but for the most part we're a pretty tolerant and easy-going bunch.

I envision this as a big house with lots of rooms, and lots of friends wandering around visiting with each other and talking about whatever's on their mind. If you wander into a room and people are talking about something you don't relate to, you can wander out to another room and join a more interesting conversation.

Jimmy started the site because, prior to its genesis, a bunch of us were sending a lot of emails back and forth, and it made sense to transfer the dialogue to a blog so everyone could participate without all the problems associated with volumes of email. The emailing that was going on was about all sorts of things - crazy jokes, social issues, things we did back then, our lives in the years since, and so on. Once Jimmy set up the blog everyone had one place to go to check on the latest gossip, read the latest joke or story about the good ol' days, or post something they'd remembered or thought of that might be of interest to the rest of the group.

Our family is a diverse one, with many personalities and many interests, and the subjects of our discussions reflect that diversity. I appreciate the lack of structure, the freedom to spout off about something 'off-topic' if I feel like it. After all, I'm among friends here. I'll try not to stray too far from the theme of the site, and will return to it after I've had my little diversionary conversation, but I don't want to have to stick to certain subjects all the time. If someone was trying to shift the focus of the site I think a lot of us would have a big problem with that, but if the focus drifts a little now and then I don't think we see that as a problem.

I'm sure everyone has their own opinion about this, and perhaps some will speak up if they feel so inclined. I do appreciate the reasoning behind your advice to stick to the theme, and agree with you that for the most part we should stick to it, but I also think it's important to be able to drift off course a little bit now and then.

Thanks for being here and sharing your thoughts, and I hope you continue to participate and find some interesting and amusing stuff here. Have a great day!

:~)aniel

Anonymous said...

Hi folks.

This is my first post, but those are Interesting difference of opinions going on with this topic. In one camp you have readers who think there should be some guidelines on what topics gets posted on this site; that this site should not drift far from music and the good old KCAC/KDKB days. In the other camp you readers who think that they should be able to write on any subject that pops into their minds. One person wants us to tell us to vote for Obama to save the next seven generations, one person thinks this country is controlled by the super-wealth families of Rothschilds, Rockerfeller and others, which led to the killing of JFK. Another thinks our economy is being destroyed by the banking industry and that NBC charges new bands to be on the Jay Leno show (yeah, I read that KCAC posting also, before it wisely got pulled).

I recognize this site is not a democracy, but if it was I would vote for posting guidelines on topics. Although deep down I know people would always find a way around the guidelines with comments like, 'well UFOs were around in the KCAC/KDKB days, that's just common sense.'

Here's a compromise; if someone has a thousand-word summary on something not related to music or the KCAC/KDKB days; come on to the site and say "hi old friends, if you are interested in my thoughts on such and such, come over to my blog and read what I have to say," then post a hot-link to the URL to your blog. Then any 'KCAC lives' reader that is interested can zip over and read the comments. And the readers that prefer to stick with just music and KCAC/KDKB topics can skip it. That way everyone is happy.

Randy Cheeseman
New River

PS: Introduction: I've been a KCAC lives! reader for about two years. When the discussion is on music and KCAC/KDKB related topics, I find it stimulating and interesting. When it gets hijacked off those topics, I lose interest as I assume many other readers do also.

Anonymous said...

PS: Here's another compromise.

If one or two posters wants to promote the WWE battle of the century, 'Black Bart-the man from France vs. KCAC;' how about those one or two posters doing it via their email systems? Again, a win-win situation.

Randy Cheeseman
New River

Mariah Fleming said...

What kind of cheese are you, Cheeseman? And welcome to the blog.

As for saying you know this blog isn't a democracy, blogs are the closest thing to it around these days. I don't know if that's saying much...

vagabondvet said...

Hi, Cheeseman,

Good day to you! And thanks for your input. I retain my position that we should be able to post anything here, but agree with the idea that we should mostly stick to the identified themes. Even though I disagree with the idea that we should impose rules about what's okay to post and what's not, I salute you for offering a very reasonable compromise to the two salient points of view, and hope you have an awesome day.

:~)

Anonymous said...

Daniel

I'd like to take credit for the "compromise," but actually I stole the idea from you and your excellent Pacific Coast photo post a few months ago. I imagine you received beaucoup 'KCAC lives!' visitors to those photos. Very interesting photos and presentation.

Randy Cheeseman

PS In case anyone is still reading this particular grouping of posts, check out Jimmy Magahern's article in the latest Phoenix magazine (if you get it), titled "Kung Fu Phoenix?" It's about film making in Phoenix.

vagabondvet said...

Thanks, Randy, I'm glad you liked the pics. It was purty darn nostalgic, all right... spent a little time in Big Sur back in the day, and to the casual eye driving down Highway 1 it doesn't look like much has changed. I'm sure almost forty years has brought a lot of changes to those who live there, but those incredible stretches of beauty where the muntains meet the sea are so huge man doesn't seem to have been able to make much of a dent in it. Yay! Have a day full of goodness!

Mariah Fleming said...

Daniel,
Those are beautiful pictures, they made me long to be back in Big Sur. Spent a bit of time there in the 1970's and played once in awhile at a place called The River Inn, which as of 2001 still was going strong.

Did you have a chance to camp out in the area at all? Jessie Colin Young did a song about Big Sur (waking up in the morning there) in the late 60's or early 70's, of course the name of it escapes me. It got played a lot on KCAC (or maybe it was KDKB-Marty?!) in those days.

I'll bet you know it, if anyone can remember the name, let me know! I can hear the first few lines in my head but that's it. Aaack!

vagabondvet said...

Howdy! No, Mariah, I didn't camp there this time through - parked the trailer by the side of the road just south of Carmel and left there early in the morning, so I was clear through Big Sur by late afternoon and didn't camp 'til I was down south almost to L.A.

Your reference to Jesse Colin Young really rang all my bells. Gregg Frank from Rebirth, Bruce's son, and I hitchhiked through Marin County one time and Jesse picked us up. Of course we didn't know who he was at the time, he just said his name was Jesse. We drove along for quite a while, sharing in all the usual sacraments and the glorious day. After a bit we asked if they (he was with his wife) knew of a place we could camp, and they offered the cow pasture at their place. They said it had a great old tree with a fire ring and everything. So we went there, and as we drove down the last of the driveway to their property on the bay we were treated with a scenic treat... their house was on poles out in the water, with a long plank gangway leading to the front porch. It was way cool. The pasture was green, the tree huge and like something out of a Tolkein novel. We set up camp, and walked out the gangplank to the house; they'd invited us to come in and spend some time after we got set up. First thing I noticed when we walked in was one whole wall chock full of stereo equipment - I said something inane like "Gee, you don't like your tunes much, do you!", to which Jesse just grinned a sly little grin and said "Oh, yeah, I got a thing for music," or something along those lines. I had to take a leak later, and returning down their hallway I noticed a Gold Record plaque on the wall, did a double take, saw it was real, and it was to Jesse Colin Young and the Youngbloods for their song Get Together ("Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together try to love one another right now"). Hmmmmmmm.... and this guy's name is Jesse..... hmmmmm.

So I walk back into the living room deciding I'm not gonna say anything. I must have lasted about 30 or 40 seconds before I had to blurt out something, so I said "Ummm.... I was... in the hallway there, and there's... there's this plaque on the wall... and...." and Jesse said "Oh, you saw that, eh?" "Yep," says I, "and... that's you, right?" He says yeah, that's me." I says "Man, all I can say is thanks..." and Gregg, he's looking back and forth like he's watching a ping-pong game, so I say "Gregg, go down the hallway, look on the wall." He does, and comes back with his jaw hanging down around his knees, and says "Are you Jesse Colin Young?" Jesse says "I'm just Jesse, okay?" We spent the rest of the evening kicking back, listening to all sorts of really good music on his outrageous stereo, retired to the tents and slept like babies. Next morning we had breakfast with them, and he gave us a ride out to the road. His genuine friendliness to a couple of hitchhiking strangers, and his selfless spirit and humility, given who he was at the time, was a beautiful statement of the human spirit and left a permanent impression on me. He really did, and I assume does, still walk the walk. As a side note, one of my sailing buddies on Orcas Island is a good friend of Jesse's, lives half the time in Hawaii and their kids (actually I think maybe it's grandkids) go to school together. Small world, eh?

Mariah Fleming said...

Daniel,
That's a wonderful story! I can just see it all in my mind's eye too! Isn't it nice when we meet our iconic figures and they turn out to be authentic, unpretentious, open and kind? Around what year was that? Do you know the River Inn that I am talking about in Big Sur?

Did you go see Nepenthe, that big glass restaurant overhanging the sea? What a view! At the time they sold burgers for $3.75 and my music partner and I were appalled at the price! Now it's sort of a tourist joint, sadly not with the vibe it had when it first opened.

Your post makes me so nostalgic for the ocean, and Big Sur, and the days when life was a little more nuanced and lots less harsh in so many ways. I would not have wanted to grow up in today's young adult generation. Ours was depressing and weird enough politically.

But we had our great moments of hope, and that's what we all hung on to. That's what I'm hanging on to now. Maybe one day I'll tell the story here of meeting and briefly interviewing Barack Obama about six months or so before he decided to run for President.

Like we used to say "God Is Alive, Magic is Afoot."

Mariah Fleming said...

Re: the Tonight Show; Readers may notice that several posts authored by myself and Sherri Davis have been deleted. In addition to her on blog apology she emailed me off blog as I requested. To her credit, she told me where and how she got the erroneous info and offered to write a post on the blog to say she was wrong.

Sherri also suggested deleting the comments pertaining to the post in question. After pondering that a couple of days, I decided to go ahead and do that. Once I understood how it all happened, I didn't want to risk someone in cyberspace taking a part a post about a past issue and circulating it as fact again.

Finding out that my post questioning the truth of the rumor was picked up and printed elsewhere as fact in a heartbeat completely floored me. I took it down the day after it was first posted and wrote that it was false. I sure underestimated the readership of our blog that year!

For the record, I had emailed the network before I posted it and got no reply. At that point I posted it, asked them to respond as to it's veracity, and
naively not realizing a snippet of the post would be would be taken out of context and repeated as truth by other sites, I posted it. My decision was unwise. Even posting something as a rumor and asking if it's true is dicey. Lesson learned.

I appreciate all the comments, and take them to heart in the best sense. Thanks!

vagabondvet said...

Greetings! I dont' remember the River Inn, and if Nepenthe is the place I'm thinking of there wasn't a place to park the trailer; in any case I didn't stop there, but I did stop and have breakfast at Gorda, where things were appropriately priced for all of us rich tourists. I imagine you're just gonna go back again yourself and check it out, see how things have changed. You probably could use a li'l vacation, eh? Have a neat day, Mariah...

Anonymous said...

Daniel

That is one fine memory about your hitch-hiking adventure. Thanks for sharing, that's the kind of stuff that makes reading KCAC lives! worthwhile.

I'll bet you are kicking yourself for not having any photos from that trip. Too bad there weren't small pocket-size digital cameras back in that time.

Randy Cheeseman
New River

Anonymous said...

I agree, an interesting story that Daniel just shared about his hitch hiking days, my thanks also.

I'm in Roswell for a few days on business (no, not looking for UFOs) and am thankful this hotel has an Internet connection so I can keep up with KCAC posts.

People in Roswell think Phoenix is the UFO capital of the World, ...go figure.

Robert

Anonymous said...

That seems very strange to pull Sherri Edwards' entire posting, that girl made a lot of sense, and as Bob Gately said, she "... did speak to me in a very personal way." But I guess whatever you girls work out between yourselves is fine with this newbie.

Now that I look over some other recent postings, its appears as though other blogger comments are disappearing also, and even being changed or misquoted. Am I just imagining this? Maybe some cyberspace space warp is causing this? Or is history being rewritten on the KAC lives! blog?

Randy Cheeseman
New River

Mariah Fleming said...

Howdy Cheeseman,
Pertaining to your comments:
"That seems very strange to pull Sherri Edwards' entire posting..." and "Now that I look over some other recent postings, its appears as though other blogger comments are disappearing also, and even being changed or misquoted. Am I just imagining this?"

On your first concern, the only reason only part of it wasn't deleted is that it's impossible to remove just a part of a comment. Unfortunately there is no 'edit' tool for doing that (at least that I can figure out, and I tried!) Our choice is only "Delete Forever?" with the warning "This cannot be undone."

I didn't think of this at the time, but perhaps I could have copied the comments, edited them myself, and reposted them, but that seems like it would be even more confusing. However, in the rare event that we would delete any other comments, that could be an option in the future. Fortunately, we got our spam under control (thanks to Ron Wortham) last year and it hasn't been necessary to delete much in a long time.

On your second question, yes indeed, your imagination is running amok. Once again, I deleted comments pertaining to the NBC thing to keep another rumor from getting started on the net. It's disconcerting, to say the least, to have a rumor around that a retraction was demanded from a post on our blog. Who wants to get sued?!

I understand in today's world how suspicions of conspiracy and dishonesty are hard wired
into most of us. If you read this blog from its beginning it might reassure you that we are honest, sometimes at our own peril. (o:

Thanks for taking the time to express your concerns.

Mariah Fleming said...

Daniel,
Yep, as a matter of fact I could use a vacation. How's about about some company up where it's green, old friend? We could hitchhike through Big Sur our own selves and pretend it's the good old days. Ah, well, some day we might make our merry way there. Meanwhile, send more pictures! Hopefully we will put together another KCAC Lives Reunion before the year ends when it's cooler.

Anonymous said...

Mariah

You may be 100% correct that my imagination is running amok, and perhaps conspiracy and dishonesty is hard wired in me, but I'll give you just one example of what has caught my eye recently.

In the topic 'Watch Channel 8 on June 2nd....", where Fran Bennett said she was going to purchase a copy of the PBS DVD, I remember the Deb Fanning person responded back to Fran with something like she was glad to hear that as she thought the encouragement by the KCAC moderator for others to just tape the show was wrong. That whole post has disappeared. That was the posting where Deb said she was going on vacation to Tahiti, Deb also had some comment about how lousy she thought it was that Alice Cooper was not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This was the post right before the one you wrote back and told Deb to enjoy her vacation.

What happened to that post by Deb? I'm sure it was just an accidental deletion, but how does that happen?

That was just one example that I've noticed recently where there is at least the appearance that the KCAC blog is being "sanitized." I'm sure it's not true, but the appearance is there.

Respectfully, Randy Cheeseman
New River

Anonymous said...

PS About the spam being under control, I don't know how true that is, as I have seen several posts lately pointing out new spam that should be deleted, spam that has slipped by the moderators.

Plus as a newbie, I've been going back and reading all the archives and it's difficult as there are still tons of spam in the archives. Seems like it would be a simple matter for some moderator to take about 30 minutes and go back and delete the old spam.

I guess my posts are starting to sound like "sniping" (to use Daddy Tom's word), so I can expect to see my posts disappear also? :o)

Randy Cheeseman
New River

Mariah Fleming said...

Hey Daniel,
I think the name of that Jesse Colin Young song about his house in Big Sur is called "Ridgetop." Anyone know? Ron would know for sure. (o:

Mariah Fleming said...

Howdy Randy,
I went back through all the comments and I sure DO see what you are talking about! But I have no clue how that happened. It's odd the reply about Tahiti is still there and the comment itself is gone. It's nonsensical and indicates that it was some kind of mistake.

If, in my wee hours of the morning blogging, I did that, it was absolutely not intentional. But I don't see how I could have. I didn't even look at any comments except the specific ones Sherri wrote me about (her own) and suggested deleting (and I deleted my reply to her.)

I'll see if there's some way to track deletions on the back end like there is to track posts. Maybe we can figure it out that way. There is no 'editor' of the blog per say. It's a joint effort by a group of moderators. There's not necessarily one of the moderators looking at the blog every day. so things get missed from time to time.

The deletion had nothing to do with any other comments. Nothing to do with 'sniping' whatever that means! Heck, I thought a 'snipe' was a species of bird that hangs out in marshes and beats its wings with a "drumming" motion, but what do I know?

FYI Sherri wrote me to say she looked at the blog today and was glad those posts had been removed in their entirety. She also said she regrets writing her posts in the first place. I'm sorry she regrets posting them, but I am glad to know that it relieves her mind knowing it's done.

She gave some constructive criticism and advice. She had a lot to say and didn't hesitate to sign her name to it. She deserves a lot of props for that, don't you think? They were her posts and it was solely her suggestion to delete them. Let me be clear on this: if she, the author, had not brought it up, it would never have been considered. Period.

Good reminder about the spam in the archives! I do recall seeing new spam on old posts, for example something in 2006 might have a spam comment posted in 2008. We can delete what we find as time permits each of us, but in a way it's a never ending task. I agree, though, it's a worthwhile one.

Thanks again for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming!

Mariah Fleming said...

RE: Comments that went through the Bermuda Triangle.

Yippee! An epihany!! I can't believe I didn't think of this in the first place!!! As moderators, ALL comments are sent to us AFTER they are posted in case they are spam and we need to go to the blog and remove them from the site.

It just hit me to go thru my 'KCAC LIVES" folder! And ouila! I found Deb Fanning's Tahiiti comment so am reposting it back under the AZ Memories area.

If you (or anyone) have specific others please let me know and I can go thru all my KCAC files, find 'em and repost them. Reading so many of these all the time it gets a bit challenging to remember them all.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Mariah

Good for you. But is it possible to re-post the information where it originally came from (Watch Channel 8 on June 2nd at 7:00 PM!!!}, so that it makes more sense when reading it? Or would it be out of time sequence?

Randy Cheeseman

PS Since you seem to have the freedom to rediscover posts and move them around at will, how about re-posting the other posts that were deleted, and just remove only the parts that you found erroneous? As a couple of us have commented earlier, some of the deleted posts spoke to us in a very personal way. If there would be a problem with the time sequence, then maybe that wouldn't be a good idea.

Anonymous said...

I just now noticed that re-posting posts that were deleted gives them a whole new post date. I'd call that a problem, but I have no solution for it. And posting them under a completely different topic heading is also a problem.

Randy Cheeseman

Mariah Fleming said...

Randy,
Sherri's original post has been reposted as close to where it was before as I could figure out how to get it. I deleted her specific references to NBC as she requested.

I hope she doesn't mind it being reposted to our blog, but she had some very good comments and criticism in her post, and I am happy that I have them in my blog email folder so it can be reposted.

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Good response on encouraging ‘anonymous’ bloggers to use their real names. Get after ‘anonandon’ while you are at it, plus all the others anonymous posters.

There are many people on this site that log in as Anonymous, some also give their name(s), some don’t. Perhaps the anonymous option should be removed as a check box from this site. People could still post in under an pseudonym, but at least they would have to type it out, and it would probably be easier to type their real or screen name than ‘Anonymous’ (who can spell ‘anonymous’ anyway?). I certainly don't mean to make things more difficult for bloggers, but an ‘Anonymous’ check box just makes it too easy. Sometimes there will be 3 or 4 'Anonymous' posters in a row talking to each other. Jimmy, what are your thoughts on this?

But I can understand why 'Anonymous Too' advised against trying to fabricate a controversy with Mr. Bull. Keep this site interesting for all, and stay focused on the original objective, that is, remembering the KCAC/KDKB days.

I've been an on-and-off reader of this blog since 2005. Sometimes when it starts getting political, religious or topical, and people start pushing their own private agendas, I just stop viewing the site for several weeks or even months. I know all the people posting are sweethearts and they mean well, but I won't allow myself to be bombarded with these topics. I'm not a-political, a-religious, or a-topical; but when I log onto ‘KCAC lives!,’ I’m not expecting to see lengthy discussions on those issues, I’m expecting to see KCAC/KDKB related subjects; stories, history, memories. An example is the current posts under “Thoughts on the candidates’ economic platforms…” by Daniel and Ron. I’m sure both Daniel and Ron are lovely men; but come on boys--are discussions on trickle-down economics and why JFK was really killed good topics for this particular forum?

Truth be told, many of past postings on this site should never have been on this site. *(note: the remarks about NBC were removed by request of Sherri, the poster, to one of the moderators, Mariah)

And Mariah, I mean no disrespect as I’ve been told you are a wonderful person, but you are guiltier than most. As you suggested, maybe this site does need a mission statement, some directions. If we were taking a vote, I'd vote we stick primarily with the history and memories that goes with KCAC and KDKB; and put the political, religious, self-promotion, and other unsupported, questionable statements on other available sites. If you don’t, the KCAC site will end up with just 4 or 5 people talking to each other about subjects that aren’t even related to KCAC/KDKB, and the rest of the readers will be tuning out.

Daniel, I respectfully disagree with you when you suggest that we can write whatever we please on this site, although perhaps I misunderstood your meaning?

I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have offended, I hate to see an excellent blog go down the tubes, and this one will if it doesn’t regain focus and establish a few simple guidelines. Jimmy, you created this site, how about recommending some simple guidelines on subject matter?

Sherri Davis
Posted by Sherri Davis to KCAC lives! at 2:05 PM, June 07, 2008
(Reposted June 14, 2008)

Mariah Fleming said...

Sherri,
With all due respect, your post is so off the wall and completely full of misinformation*
I have to take some time to write a reply. In it, I'll attribute my informational sources, which you have not done. I don't know who you are talking to, or what you are reading, but we are definitely not reading the same blogs.

(*NOTE: Sherri's erroneous statement that this writer was forced by NBC to retract and apologize for "libelous" questions I asked when I posted a rumor about NBC and asked in the post if it was true were removed at her request-see July 2007 archives)

As for your comments about Daniel and Ron's posts, well, if you don't think that politics and opinion was a HUGE part of the radio scene we are writing about, we weren't listening to the same stations. Music was interlaced with politics and the great social changes of the era.

I have to take an aspirin. And to think we do this for the love of it, eh, guys?

Mariah
Seriously, PEACE.

Posted by Mariah Fleming to KCAC lives! at 6:21 PM, June 07, 2008
(reposted June 14, 2008)

Anonymous said...

Mariah
Your are certainly correct, I owe you an apology. Would you please accept my apology for repeating that rumor? I should not be listening to rumors, and certainly not repeating them. I did you a disservice and I apologize.

Since you are the moderator of this site, you should delete that paragraph from my post, or even the entire post would be fine with me.
Sincerely
Sherri

Posted by Sherri Davis to KCAC lives! at 11:20 PM, June 07, 2008
(reposted June 14, 2008)

Mariah Fleming said...

Re: these two posts:
"Anonandon" wrote:
"Andy Olson rocks! He could contribute a lot to this blog. Magahern's article in the New Times a couple of years ago about the station was awesome. That's some current history right there. Can it get reprinted here without Sheriff Joe (or Mike Lacey) coming after us?? Cheers!"

"Sherri" wrote:
"Good response on encouraging ‘anonymous’ bloggers to use their real names. Get after ‘anonandon’ while you are at it, plus all the others anonymous posters."

Question:
What did 'anonanon' say that we should 'get after anonanon:" for? That Jimmy is a wonderful journalist who wrote an "awesome article" and that "Andy Olson 'rocks'" and ought to contribute more to the blog? I don't get it.

As for asking the moderators to 'get after' the posters, maybe we should leave that up to the lawyers (KIDDING!)

Seriously, PEACE.
Posted by Mariah Fleming to KCAC lives! at 2:20 AM, June 08, 2008
(NOTE: This post I wrote was inadvertently deleted and is therefore being reposted in its entirety)

Mariah Fleming said...

Sherri,
I do appreciate your apology, however, don't you think you also owe me an explanation & some information? After all, in your post you made some damning, and false, assertions. (NOTE: concluding I was guilty of 'bad journalism'.)

How would you react if I said (in print no less) that you were a bad lawyer? Let alone that you'd "libeled" someone and been forced to make a public retraction?! As for taking your post down, a nice gesture, but it's already been read by who knows by how many people?!?!

When you tell me how you got your information, specifically from whom, THEN your apology will really count. Then I can set the record straight with whoever it's coming from. Don't put it on the blog, send me an email. There's no need to cast aspersions on anyone (else!) GEEZ!!

I've been shaking my head for hours. I can't think of anyone who knows me even REMOTELY who would think, let alone say those things. The facts are that a year or so ago I wrote in response to a lot of buzz about a RUMOR and I said IF IT WAS TRUE it stunk. I questioned its veracity. I never said it was true. There's a BIG difference.

What I DID do was read some things about NBC that seemed alarming but implausible. I then ASKED to get the facts. And when I got the responses, I took down the aforementioned post, said I was glad it was a rumor (as I expected) and I also LAUDED NBC. If you doubt that, read the post (again?) Find it in our archives, July 12, 2007.

If you have some opinions or concerns about people who write on this blog, you can email any of us through the link on the site (just click on our names in the sidebar) and I would deeply appreciate if you would email me and tell me exactly how this false information found its way here. And if I were you, I might take a second look at your source of information.

"Peace In the Neighborhood!" (Amen, Pops Staples!)
Posted by Mariah Fleming to KCAC lives! at 2:56 AM, June 08, 2008

Mariah Fleming said...

To everyone who wrote about this: I thank you each sincerely for your comments and your criticisms. Life is a learning experience. You are each very thoughtful, astute contributors. You all make this blog wonderful and unique & I remain very honored to be part of this great community that Jimmy started for us all.

Now to follow up on what happened regarding the folks who don't know: When the comments above were originally posted, Sherri wrote to me privately and explained to me who gave her the information she wrote about NBC in her comment and how it came to be wrongly reported to her.

Sherri graciously apologized and suggested that the comments be deleted or removed in their entirety. Because there was no administrative option to delete parts of a comment, I complied with her request by deleting the comments.

The process caused confusion for myself and for some of our readers, so I have spent the last few hours going through the blog file I stupidly forgot about the other night.

I have a blog file that includes my posts with the comments to my posts (duh! it didn't even occur to me until yesterday...that's what I get for doing this at 2 am after a long day!) I've spent the last few hours going through them in order to locate and repost them and I have now reposted them (excluding only the requested deletions.)

This is precisely what I wanted to do in the first place. There were so many good comments and criticisms and it's good to have them back on the blog. If I missed anything, let me know. I'll look for it. This has all been sort of mind boggling or should I say mind blogging??

To wind up, when Sherri saw that I had deleted the comments in their entirety, she again wrote me privately to say she was relieved that I had done as she suggested and removed the posts.

Sherri, I hope that you're not upset that I have reposted the comments by just making the deletions in question. If you are, I apologize and hope that you will understand.

Thanks for your insight, grace & honesty. Hope to see you at the next KCAC Lives Reunion.

Breathe deep and on to tomorrow...

Liz Boyle said...

The KCAC/early KDKB airwaves were free-form and without boundaries, which meant you'd get some crap (sorry, but that Hawaiian music Nina Joy used to play on her show was unbearable to this listener) but you'd just sit though it to get to the next song. That's always been the beauty and the freedom of free-form radio. Political? Remember News Views, KDKB Forum, or Love Workshop for that matter? They were full of award-winning news, political content and social commentary. In today's corporate-formatted radio, it's not about the music, but about Wall Street and the bottom line, hence the existence of strict rules, boundaries and guidelines.
It's ironic that some people want to adhere to rules, guidelines and format for a blogspot on FREE-FORM radio.
P.S. Mariah, your work in Love Workshop has always been an inspiration, as you and Nina were two of the few chicks allowed in the boy's clubhouse back then. Thanks for representing us then, and thanks for the heart and soul you bring to this blog community, now.

Mariah Fleming said...

Liz,
Your words about me and the station are very sweet and generous, but in reality I was well on the periphery of "chicks allowed in the boys clubhouse." It was pure serendipity, having a couple of good friends at the station, and most importantly, being in the right place at the right time. Who knew sitting around at my house in Mesa a few blocks from the station that one night while listening to the station I'd get a call asking if I would bring my guitar and sense of humor down there and help the Love Workshop guys out.

That morphed into a few other voice overs they asked me to do for female roles on their Love Workshop scripts. Aside from the First Women's Credit and Trust series of ads, the one that began with the line "Hi, I'm Shirley MacLaine, and in my travels throughout the People's Republic of China, the one thing peasant women everywhere said they wanted was their own bank." had a few listeners thinking they were actually real ads! And of course, I sounded nothing like Shirley MacLaine, and that was the point. What writing!

You might like this story, Liz. I recall one night answering the phone in the studio for one of the guys. A listener called to resolve a bet. Her boyfriend insisted that bank ads for interest free car loans for women, a free sperm bank etc. were absurd. She firmly believed they were on the level, and said they had been arguing about it since the ads started airing! There was $25 bucks on the line if she was right.

Thanks so much for your compliments, Liz. Coming from you that's really saying something, Liz Boyle, Phoenix New Times Best Female Radio Personality! (2007 right?) BTW it was a joy to hear you doing mid mornings at KOOL. I'm so bummed you decided not to stay at KOOL but sure am happy you're still at RFP.

KOOL Radio should have begged you to stay. In this big Phoenix metropolis, you've always had a big, loyal following. Your unique voice and presence on the air is instantly recognizable. It's not an exaggeration to say that your voice remains the predominant, most recognizable female voice in Phoenix radio.

What was KOOL Radio thinking letting Liz Boyle get away??!!