Atlanta Falcons Quiz (1966 – 2002): 1) Rushing, career? 2)
Rushing, season? [different answers for #1 and #2.] 3)
Receptions, career? 4) Passing, career? 5) Passing TDs, game?
[Think 1992] 6) First coach (1966-68)? 7) First coach to have a
winning (career) record? 8) First player picked in inaugural,
1966 draft? Answers below.
Billboard Comparison
So did you see the bit that for the first time in history the
Billboard singles chart is made up exclusively of tunes from
black artists? Not a story, of course, except that 9 of the 10 are
rappers.
#1. Baby Boy: Beyonce featuring Sean Paul
#2. Shake Ya Tailfeather: Nelly, P Diddy & Murphy Lee
#3. Get Low: Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Ying
Yang Twins……………oh, brother
#4. Right Thurr: Chingy
#5. Frontin’: Pharrell Featuring Jay-Z
#6. Damn!: YoungBloodZ featuring Lil Jon
#7. P.I.M.P.: 50 Cent
#8. Into You: Fabolous featuring Tamia / Ashanti
#9. Stand Up: Lucacris featuring Shawnna
#10. Where Is The Love?: Black Eyed Peas
[Source: BBC News / all spelling is correct]
I can guarantee one thing. 20 years from now (probably just 10),
not one of these tunes will be remembered, while half of the
artists will probably be dead. [They like to take each other out,
you understand.]
By comparison, let’s look at a random list from the “Hot 100”
chart, October 12, 1968, and acknowledge songs still familiar to
any music fan (all genres), today. [After the top 20, this is totally
subjective on my part.]
#1 Hey Jude: Beatles
#2 Harper Valley P.T.A.: Jeannie C. Riley
#3 Fire: Crazy World of Arthur Brown
#4 Little Green Apples: O.C. Smith
#5 Girl Watcher: O’Kaysions
#6 Midnight Confessions: Grassroots
#7 My Special Angel: Vogues
#8 I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You: Bee Gees
#9 Over You: Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
#10 Slip Away: Clarence Carter
#11 Time Has Come Today: Chambers Brothers
#12 People Got To Be Free: Rascals
#13 I Say A Little Prayer: Aretha Franklin
#14 Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud): James Brown
#15 Revolution: Beatles
#16 Hush: Deep Purple
#17 Suzie Q: Creedence Clearwater Revival
#18 Those Were The Days: Mary Hopkin
#19 Piece Of My Heart: Big Brother & the Holding Company
#20 (The Lament of the Cherokee) Indian Reservation: Don
Fardon
#21 On The Road Again: Canned Heat
#22 The Fool On The Hill: Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66
#24 Elenore: Turtles
#25 Light My Fire: Jose Feliciano
#28 Hey, Western Union Man: Jerry Butler…damn, this is a
great tune.
#29 All Along The Watchtower: Jimi Hendrix Experience
#32 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: Iron Butterfly
#33 You’re All I Need To Get By: Marvin Gaye & Tammi
Terrell
#36 Fool For You: Impressions
#50 White Room: Cream
#52 Sweet Blindness: Fifth Dimension
#54 Gentle On My Mind: Glen Campbell
#56 Magic Carpet Ride: Steppenwolf
#83 A Little Less Conversation: Elvis…of course this wasn’t big
back then, but it is today.
#100 Ride My See-Saw: Moody Blues
For most of you at least 35 years of age, or thereabouts (and
under 60…Dan D. in Honolulu), you are probably familiar with
all but 2 or 3 of these. I think I’ve proved my point. Much of
today’s music scene absolutely sucks.
Dick Clark
I was thumbing through Irwin Stambler’s “Encyclopedia of Pop,
Rock and Soul” and came across the ageless one.
Born in New York on November 30, 1929, Clark wanted to be a
DJ as early as age 13, at a time when there really weren’t any as
we know them today. But in college at Syracuse University he
got a job at the school radio station and after graduation worked
at a few other outlets in upstate New York. Then in the summer
of 1952 he was a fill-in on WFIL in Philadelphia. Stambler
describes what happened next.
“That year, the station’s best known DJ, Bob Horn, teamed with
another announcer, Lee Stewart, to do an afternoon show on
WFIL-TV. The pair combined interviews with films of
musicians of the period and discovered that high school girls in
the audience liked to dance when the films were run. This
concept evolved into a televised dance show with musicians who
did not sing live on the show, but instead lip-synched. The lip-
synch formula remained a standard of the show for most of its
existence. Called ‘Philadelphia Bandstand,’ the show became
the most popular in the city and Bob Horn was a local celebrity.
Clark stayed on the radio station, doing an afternoon show with
Horn although he had nothing to do with ‘Bandstand.’”
But in 1956, Horn got in big trouble, first because of a drunk-
driving incident and then due to his conviction as part of the
payola scandal. Horn was dropped from “Bandstand” and the
well-groomed Clark took over. Soon after, the ABC television
network syndicated the program nationally as “American
Bandstand.”
In 1958 ABC gave Clark a Saturday night show originating in
New York that was designed to help showcase new talent, even
as Clark continued doing the same on “Bandstand.” In
Philadelphia he had introduced Frankie Avalon, Fabian and
Danny and the Juniors, and by 1960 you could add Fats Domino,
Chuck Berry, Johnny Mathis and Dion & the Belmonts to the
list. Clark even introduced America to Tom and Jerry…who
after splitting up reemerged as Simon and Garfunkel in 1964.
By the early 60s, Clark was a millionaire many times over, but
he was called to testify before a new Congressional committee
looking into payola in the recording industry. Congress was
impressed by Clark. After all, he was good-looking, well-
educated, and respectful. By this time he also had his hands in
all facets of the music business, including interests in record
companies and music publishers, plus Clark was smart enough to
own the copyrights to many of the era’s top hits. But he paid his
taxes and apparently took no money under the table to promote
songs. He had done nothing illegal, legend has it.
Dick Clark later shifted his “Bandstand” empire to Los Angeles
in the 70s and the rest is history.
On the other hand, you had Alan Freed. Freed started out as a DJ
in Cleveland, then moved to WINS in New York in the 50s,
where he made his name with his famous shows at the Brooklyn
Paramount. But his career was shattered by the House
Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight, chaired by Arkansas
Democratic Congressman Oren Harris. Freed was indicted for
accepting $30,000 from six record companies to play songs, even
though this had been a practice for decades, including among
band leaders and vocalists, but Freed was singled out probably
because he resembled an organized crime figure.
Believe it or not, there were those who felt that this was the end
of rock and roll music as we know it. Freed ended up paying just
a small fine but his career was over and he died in 1965 at the
age of 43, a broken man.
Stuff
–So this Malibu, California bear “expert” once said that brown
bears were nothing to be afraid of. He then goes to Alaska’s
Katmai National Park with his girlfriend for a little camping
amongst these friendly critters and ………………….WOMP!
The two are attacked by brown bears and eaten. In fact, if the
helicopter pilot had been a day later for his pickup, the bears
would have devoured both bodies whole, I imagine. As it was,
mere morsels were left, which were neatly packed in baggies to
be handed to the next of kin for an appropriate burial.
Unfortunately, game officials shot what appear to be the two
culprits in what will forever now be known as the “Katmai Park
Massacre.” The coming film, complete with wild sex before the
mauling, should gross about $600 million based on the success
of similar trash films of today.
Of course all of us should be worried about this troubling new
trend in the animal kingdom. Tigers, east and west, wreaking
havoc, for example, and not in some wild animal park but in a
New York apartment and on a Vegas stage. Word travels fast, as
you know, and the brown bears were sent a signal with the
videotape of Montecore at the MGM Mirage. Just the day
before, the couple from California had been comparing notes
with the bears over some browned trout and Grizzly Beer. Then
they themselves became the next day’s meal for Yogi and Boo
Boo.
What now? Remember what I told you about hamsters a few
weeks ago. If you notice any appreciable weight gain, flush
them down the toilet immediately.
–Here’s a great idea. From the AP: “A German bar is offering
women who want to go shopping without their partners the
chance to park them at what it bills as the country’s first
kindergarten for men.”
For $11.80, the guys get to play games, receive home-
improvement tips, plus a meal and two beers. 20 were dumped
at the Nox Bar in Hamburg the first weekend, 27 the second.
–My friend Mark R. agreed that the two pitches Red Sox hurler
Derrick Lowe threw in the 9th inning last Monday were the best
we’ve ever seen for such a clutch moment.
–Good to see the television ratings for the playoffs are up
substantially this year. Execs are praying for the Cubbies,
because either Boston or the Yanks vs. Chicago is a marketing
dream.
–Our prayers go out to Cubs great Ron Santo as he has surgery
to remove tumors in his bladder. Santo has already lost both legs
to diabetes. But he’s a battler, and if the Cubbies can make it to
the Series look for his return in the broadcast booth.
–The New York Giants’ Jeremy Shockey stirred things up once
again with his comment following last Sunday’s pitiful 23-10
loss to the Miami Dolphins that the Giants crowd is too fickle,
complaining that many left with six minutes to go and the team
down just 16-10. “Leave the game, don’t even come to the
game, give your tickets away,” he said. Hell, when I had Jets
season tickets, I left at halftime so I could watch the 4th quarter at
home! [I only really went for the pre-game tailgate action, you
understand. Nothing better than fried chicken and beer while
sitting in your official Jets chair in the Meadowlands parking lot
on a beautiful fall day……………………………No, really!]
–When I posted my last ‘chat,’ I didn’t know that the Atlanta
Thrashers All-Star Danny Heatley had officially been charged
with vehicular homicide in the death of teammate Dan Snyder.
Aside from the obvious, here’s what bothers me about this
tragedy. Many of you are probably familiar with Atlanta’s
Buckhead neighborhood where Heatley crashed his Ferrari. This
dirtball was traveling 80 mph! Most of the roads here are so
winding that you can’t go more than 35 (and just 25 in some
spots). But more to the point; am I the only one bothered by all
these car commercials showing drivers doing 60 or more on
roads clearly designed for 35? Oh yeah, they have those little
disclaimers at the bottom, “professional driver under controlled
conditions” and all that B.S. It’s just wrong.
–PGA Tour Money List:
Tiger…$6,278,000
Vijay Singh…$6,107,000
Davis Love III…$5,541,000
Five tournaments to go…Tiger will play in two, Vijay probably
three.
The top 125 qualify for their tour card next year and the current
holder of the last slot is Pat Bates with $466,519 (which after
paying for expenses, including the 10% or so to the caddy, as
well as taxes, really isn’t that much).
Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t won since 2002, is only #35 this
year.
–The NCAA is moving the 3-point line back 9 inches to 20’ 6”
for the 2004-05 season. Incidentally, Wake Forest is winning it
all this year. You can book it. And we’re repeating in ’05.
[Oh, you’re going to be so sick of me this winter. Actually, I
better be careful or I’ll lose all my traffic.]
–I went out to lunch today with an old friend and Eddie (not his
real name) told me of a flight he had the other day from the Los
Angeles area to New York. He got an upgrade to first for the
red-eye and who should plop down next to him but Dennis
Rodman. Eddie wasn’t going to say much, but when Rodman
ordered his first Heineken, he bought my friend one. And
another, and another, and another, and another! Five brewskies
on Rodman. Well, the flight passed rather quickly, even if the
conversation wasn’t necessarily intellectually stimulating. Eddie
did learn a little about Carmine Electra (Rodman’s ex-),
however, which is stimulating in its own way, I guess you could
say.
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/6/73: #1 “Half-Breed” (Cher)
#2 “Loves Me Like A Rock” (Paul Simon) #3 “Let’s Get It On”
(Marvin Gaye)
Atlanta Falcons Quiz Answers: 1) Rushing, career: Gerald Riggs
…6,631 (1982-88). 2) Rushing, season: Jamal Anderson…
1,846 (1998). 3) Receptions, career: Terance Mathis, 573
(1994-2001). 4) Passing, career: Steve Bartkowski… 23,468
(1975-85). 5) Passing TDs, game: Wade Wilson, 5, (12/13/92).
6) First coach: Norb Hecker (4-26-1…fired into ’68 season). 7)
First coach with winning record: Leeman Bennett, 47-44-0
(1977-82). 8) First player chosen in ’66 draft: Tommy Nobis,
LB (Texas)
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
