March 09 2007 at 10:06:52 Name: Webmaster Topic: John Henry
Comments: Article from the Claremore Daily Progress online
last month:
Remembering
John Henry. Hadacol and Wayne McCombs are mentioned.
March 09 2007 at 09:09:05 Name: Ken Topic: Colbert Comments: "Freem" - "Freedom without the 'do' because
I do it all for you!"
Pure O'Reilly, er, Colbert.
March 09 2007 at 08:33:05 Name: David Bagsby Topic: Colbert Email: dcbatsunflower.com Comments: Stephen Colbert has a word on his opening credits;
"Freem"...anyone know what that means?
March 08 2007 at 14:45:50 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Guy Atchley
Comments: If you see a pic of
Guy today
on the KGUN website - he looks YOUNGER with a shorter hair-do but also
because he embraced yoga after moving to Tucson.
The pic on the post here was from when he was moving back to the Tulsa area
after losing his gig at 9. Folks that I knew at 4 and 5 felt that 9 should
have made him prime time anchor - after filling in on weekends and a couple
of times on the late news.
Had more professionalism and "newsiness" (thank you, Mr. Colbert) about himself.
Guy used to say that Miami was one of his favorite places to work news (before
moving to Tucson) due to the ethnic mix and culture of the city. "A good
news town" with good folks that he worked with - also a major market in the
making.
Mr. Colbert is renowned for his reinvention of the word,
"truthiness" (the 2006
Merriam-Webster Word of the Year).
March 08 2007 at 09:15:48 Name: Chris Sloan Topic: Guy Atchley Comments: John Schuster at the Tucson Weekly profiles
local anchor...Yoga-Loving Newsman Brings Calm Demeanor to KGUN Desk
He is a stable pillar in a nomadic industry, a news personality who doesn't
get wound up over ratings in a business often driven by ego and the bottom
line--an Oklahoma boy immersed in yoga.
At 57, Guy Atchley is in a good place. He says seven is his number, and so
far, 2007 has been a good year for Tucson's most recognizable television-news
anchor. He recently signed a five-year contract extension with KGUN Channel
9, landed the Tucson Advertising Federation's Golden Mic award and is expecting
his first grandchild in July.
He's been in the same place for 22 years, but only made it by two hours.
"This job came up in Oklahoma City. They signed me to a three-year contract,
but the stations had options at the end of each year, and after the first
year, I was replaced by the general manager's son-in-law," Atchley said.
"Just about two weeks before that happened in Oklahoma City, I received a
call from (then-KGUN) news director Jeff Bartlett who said, 'We really like
your work, and we'd like for you to come out here.' I said, 'Well, I'm an
Okie, and I think I'm going to stick here, but if anything happens, I'll
call you.'
"As soon as the station manager released me, I walked straight back to my
desk and called Channel 9 and said, 'Jeff, something's happened. Is it still
open?' He said, 'I'm glad you called, because I was going to offer the job
to a guy in St. Louis this afternoon. It was that close, and I've been here
22 years. A couple of hours, and the job wouldn't have been available. Believe
me, every day, I'm thankful."
It wasn't even a job Atchley was pursuing. He says a headhunter got hold
of the tape, and from there, it made its way to KGUN. It turned out to be
a fortuitous coincidence for both parties. At the time, KGUN probably had
no idea what Atchley's impact would be, but they got a man true to his word
who has become the face of the station.
Guy Atchley on moving day, courtesy of Mike Bruchas
"I had been in a different city every year for five years: Oklahoma, Miami,
Fla., Milwaukee, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and here," Atchley said. "By the time
I had gotten here, I was tired of traveling, and I told the general manager
that if you want, you've got a guy who will stay here with you."
That was a few general managers ago, but regardless of who's at the top,
they seem to say many of the same things.
"Guy Atchley is by far the most recognized, most professional, most liked
anchor in the market," said current GM Andrew Stewart. "Our competition would
even tell you that, based on the research."
It's not like Atchley was ever a crazed, highly strung personality, but he
did endure his share of speed bumps during the early stages of his career.
The KGUN job came on the heels of two firings, both political. In addition
to the Oklahoma City setback, he had been released from his duties at a station
in Tulsa after a misguided feature on teen drinking.
"I wrote a line that said, 'Teenage alcoholism has reached epidemic proportions
in the United States today,' which it had. The photographer I was working
with put in file tape of a young man drinking beer, so that word 'alcoholism'
and showing that face at the same time was not good. I had failed to check
the tape before it went out over the air. I think I could have and should
have been allowed to apologize, because it was an accident. It wasn't a good
one, and it comes back to me, but the news director was not happy when I
had questioned his ethics, so he just saw this as a chance to blow me out."
Atchley struggled with the incident for six weeks.
"After that, I was terribly depressed," Atchley said. "For the three years
before that, I had won the AP award for best general reporting in the state
of Oklahoma. Three years in a row, and this happened to me, and I wondered:
What in the world? I just took daily long walks in the Oklahoma hill country
wondering: How could I have done that to the young man whose face was on
the screen, and myself?
March 07 2007 at 10:34:12 Name: Steve Bagsby Topic: Billys Parkers Comments: In reference to the aviator, wasn't one of
his early airplanes the one hanging from the ceiling at Tulsa International
Airport? I haven't been out there in years and don't know if it's still there
or not.
As for the other Billy, had the pleasure of working some shows with him a
few years back. Nice guy to work with and he made it easy and fun to back
him up on a show.
March 06 2007 at 21:03:10 Name: Joe Cunningham Topic: Dr Redlove's At The Farm Email: joetul At Cox dot net Comments: Smokin' was right!
Judi or Angela are you out there?????
Come out, Come Out Whereever you are!
I grew up just west of there. Where the QT is now, was a Gulf Station run
by, I think, twin brothers. We used to go there on our minibikes and motorcycles
and drain what gas was left in the hose for one more round around the lot
where the Post Office is now.
The barn in the Farm before the Shopping Center days was used for all sorts
of nefarious activities. With all those matches, its amazing it didnt burn
down.
I also did a stint at The Farm as the Jolly Old Elf himself during the '74
and '75 holiday season. Didn't have the personality for it, but had the body
"honed" perfectly.
March 06 2007 at 15:24:13 Name: Jim Ruddle Topic: Billy Parker Email: jruddle@earthlink.net Comments: From time to time, the name Billy Parker appears
on this site and I always have to do a double take. For persons of my era,
Billy Parker meant someone entirely different.
Billy (Or Will D. Parker) was an aviation pioneer, born in Colorado where
he learned to fly by building his own airplane shortly after the Wright Brothers
got into the air.
He was only a kid, but he made a lot of money barnstorming around the West
and Midwest in the years before World War One.
He enlisted in the British RAF in 1917, but came back to the states after
we entered the war.
Following the war, he established--along with Joe Bartles, after whom
Bartlesville is named--the Dewey Flying School and Airplane company, in Dewey,
OK.
In the mid-Twenties, he became head of aviation projects for Phillips Petroleum
and a sales representative for the oil firm.
My memories of Billy begin with the great parade in Bartlesville on the occasion
of Frank Phillips 66th birthday--66, get it? The parade lasted most of the
day and had lots of things to interest a kid and a lot of things that bored
him.
But the highlight for me was when Billy Parker, piloting an antique Farman
pusher biplane, buzzed the parade route. He was so low you could have hit
him with a biscuit. He loved to fly old planes, a couple of which were ones
he had built himself, and was a Phillips company icon until very late in
his life. He died in 1981.
March 05 2007 at 20:27:44 Name: John Hillis Topic: Garry Kemp Email: No thanks, I already had
some Comments:
I have to admit being a little weirded out in a good way when I first heard
Garry, who, as I recall was doing PM drive on KVOO when I moved to T-town.
He was/is an excellent broadcaster, and did a superior job in both deejaying
and showmanship without getting in the way of the music.
Plus, he could flat out sell the name Billy Parker like nobody has
before or since. Made it sound like a bottle of Chateau Lafitte
Rothschild.
March 05 2007 at 19:48:31 Name: Tom Topic: Loveley's Kitchen Email: tulsadays@hotmail.com Comments: I was looking at GroupBlog 234 and saw someone mentioned
Redlove's at the Farm. Wow, those babes
were smokin'. I worked across the street at Loveley's Kitchen circa 1974-75.
This place was the stage for outrageous behavior every Friday night, as the
H.S workers would close up and empty the kegs dry.
Are there any Loveley's alumni out there?
March 05 2007 at 16:56:57 Name: Webmaster Topic: Tulsa's Melinda Doolittle on "American
Idol"
Comments:
My Funny Valentine
March 04 2007 at 19:02:40 Name:
Jack
Montgomery Topic: Born in Bixby, Tulsa since 1945 Email: jack at SWbell.net Comments: I just stumbled onto this site tonight and it brought
back many memories.
I'm 82 years old and have been involved with radio and electronics since
WWII. I well remember the described early radio and TV. I was a radio tech
when TV came to Tulsa and automatically became a TV tech. I worked for Sears
and we installed TV sets before Channel 6 went on the
air, everyone watched the test pattern.
I still have a radio that I purchased from the
Lafayette radio store at 32nd and Sheridan.
I purchased my parts from Radio Inc and a store at 8th and Detroit
(S&S Radio Supply).
I was recalled to the Air Force in 1950 and after a year, went to work for
Midwestern Geophysical Laboratory which later became Telex. I retired from
Telex after 36 years.
I still live in the house 2 blocks from the Ma-Hu Mansion
while it existed. Thanks for the memories.
March 04 2007 at 00:51:26 Name: Webmaster Topic: Up Late with Ben Sumner
Comments: I'm really behind the curve on this.
"Up Late with Ben Sumner" is a local, independent
TV show on KOKI Channel 23/Cox 5, Saturday night/Sunday morning at 12:30
am. Check it out. It's very well-done and shows what's happening around town,
arts and club-wise. Here is their
blog. You've got to like seeing a
segment on the Circle Cinema and commercials for the Admiral Twin.
March 03 2007 at 18:36:01 Name:
Mike Bruchas Topic: Hollywood in DC Comments: Per the Washington Post, our "former President"
Martin Sheen (The West Wing) was schlepping his own bags at Dulles Airport
here Thursday. Catching a United Flight like everyone else. "Just in town
to visit friends" he said.
We learned that Nick Cage is doing a sequel to his last movie set in DC,
"National Treasure" and starts shooting here in 2 weeks. At the same time
Matt Damon moves to DC for several weeks to shoot The Bourne Ultimatum. Should
be an interesting Spring here for gawkin' tourists. Both of these guys and
the crews are well-liked in DC.
March 03 2007 at 17:23:54 Name: Mitch Gray Topic: Logos-Kemp Email:
mitchwerxatcableone.calm Comments: Hey! There's no WMMS Cleveland (The Buzzard) or
WOAI San Antonio logos either. I was able to tune in WOAI at night in Tulsa
back in the 70s. A nice little station with a big sound.
I had the pleasure of working with Garry Kemp at KVOO as a part-timer during
the time Garry was employed there. I have never met a more engaging fellow.
How unusual it must of been for the country music listeners when Garry, in
his distinguished Brit accent introduced the country hits of that time. I
wish him well.
March 03 2007 at 17:10:23 Name: Gary Chew Topic: Rockwell and Roll Email: Just SW of the Donner Party
Family Grill Comments: A current event has Hollywood mogul, Steven Spielberg
unknowingly owning a hot Rockwell. Here's the headline:
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Norman Rockwell work stolen from suburban St. Louis
more than three decades ago was found in Steven Spielberg's art collection,
the FBI announced Friday.
Talk about great stand-up material. Can we all just ponder for a moment or
two as to how each well-known comic will develop a joke about this baby.
Jon Stewart; Jay Leno; Letterman; Bill Maher; Will Durst; George Carlin;
Stephen Colbert?
There's a political element too. I think I read that Rockwell has painted
a bust of Lenin into this work. All American Rockwell and, not so American,
Lenin.
I'm laughing already and I haven't heard any of the jokes.....YET.
Maybe Mr. Spielberg will direct a new film called "Saving Private Rockwell,"
or "Close Encounters of the Norman Kind," or maybe a remake of "Meet Me In
St. Louis."
Delmeaux de Gillette du Coffeyville
March 03 2007 at 14:59:14 Name: Dave Topic: Found the logos Comments: Hey Bruchas ... the WLS and WCFL t-shirts are
there. You just have to go to the horizontal menu bar at the top and click
on "W stations." (The page initially defaults to the "K stations" scroll-down.)
It's even got the Canada/Mexico stations like XERB in 1968 when the Wolfman
was howling across Southern California.
And it has Radio Caroline, a UK pirate station at which
Garry Kemp DJ'd in the 1960s. His daughter
Thalia now records under the name
Radio Caroline.
March 03 2007 at 13:50:33 Name: Webmaster Topic: Daddy A Go Go at SXSW
Comments:
Press release
March 03 2007 at 13:14:42 Name: roy lee Topic: Mikel Automatic/"Logo-rrhea" Email: beerdrunk at cox dot net Comments: The Mikel Automatic tribute show will be on 3-24
at Unit D 1238 W 41st St (Unit D) at 8pm. Several bands will pay tribute
to Mikel who unfortunately died a couple of months ago. BYOL.
By the way, thanks a lot "radio logo land" for the spam email. Gee, where's
my credit card...
March 02 2007 at 22:36:18 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Radiologoland
Comments: Pooh, no WLS or WCFL logo t-shirts! I like KAAY being
there; it was a great station for listening to on the road on old I-55 going
thru MO to Tulsey many moons ago!
March 02 2007 at 22:26:30 Name: Dana LeMoine Topic: Cool Site
Comments: Thought someone might enjoy this...
March 02 2007 at 20:17:08 Name: Sam Loveall Topic: My Pi Email: lsl@roanokebible.edu Comments: On the last page, the question was posed -- what
was written on the t-shirts worn by the waitresses at My PI?
Nobody answered. A couple of people hinted that they knew.
I remember it, from the St. Louis locations (never went to the one in Tulsa.)
Bit of a double entendre, as I recall.
According to Mr. Chew, it was "Everybody Loves My Pi".
March 02 2007 at 18:30:34 Name: Gary Chew Topic: Pinter on Rose
Comments: For those who surf here and are fans of substantive
English theatre, be sure to see Thursday evening's Charlie Rose Show with
Harold Pinter as the guest. I assume it can be found online. I saw it on
the cable PBS channel here in Sacramento. It's an hour long, and has some
pre-production in it; unusual for Charlie's show. The interview was done
on the stage of the Old Vic Theatre in London. Rose is a consummate interviewer
as Pinter is a dramatist.
Delmeaux de Gillette du Coffeyville
March 02 2007 at 15:36:02 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Archives
Comments: If I were 10 years younger and a lot more smarter-er,
I would have taken training as a "researcher" in DC years ago. So many that
I have worked with over the years became TV producers, went on staff at Discovery
Channel (when they then valued such folks) OR this was the part-time job
while being Mom at home.
The web makes a lot more easier, but is still often inaccurate and lacking
what one can find, digging in the files "on the ground" at The National Archives
or Library of Congress here in DC.
The LOC is just "getting digital" on old film and tape. The Archives IS sometimes
"the Nation's attic" on near everything else. If we seized it from the WWII
powers, it is in there. They also have old TV shows that the LOC doesn't
have - why? Maybe because they were "kinies" of talking head shows of the
1950s.
Then you have turf wars with both with the Smithsonian's various museums'
collective collections. They have a lot that the LOC or Archives may not
have, but one has to dive into their piles of stuff.
None of these outfits shares info with each other. It is not the American
or bureaucratic way. It does NOT amaze me that a lot of sheet music or recordings
have slipped thru the cracks. I wish ye luck, Brother Ruddle!
March 02 2007 at 14:27:43 Name: Mitch Gray Topic: Music Sound World Email: Blabber Control Problem Comments: OK folks, I got the scoop or skinny or whatever.
Randy opened Music Sound World in 1974, but NOT in the current building.
He originally opened just a few feet away,in the same strip building that
Whiskers was in on the North side.
In 1976, he moved into the current building. Before that, it was Kraftours.
Remember the red double decker bus that used to sit out front? Before Kraftours
got the place, a feller by the name of Bob Johnson used to sit inside there
selling...insurance!
So everyone is correct! Let's celebrate with Moon Pies and Penny Whistles.
March 02 2007 at 09:25:38 Name: Jim Ruddle Topic: Sheet Music Email: jruddle@earthlink.net Comments: The plight of comic book retrieval at Gardner's,
mentioned recently, pales beside the problem of finding sheet music in the
Library of Congress.
Everything copyrighted goes to the LOC. Two copies, I believe. Millions and
millions of items are stored, with millions more coming in every year.
In the music section of the Library, it's possible to find books about music,
rare recordings, magazine articles, opera librettos (or libretti, if you're
really anal) and a catalogue of popular sheet music.
I had been researching a particular performer for several weeks, and for
a break from time to time, looked up sheet music in the catalogue for old
tunes I remembered from Edison and Victrola recordings.
Strange. Some old songs didn't appear in the catalogue. They had copies of
everything, right?
Right.
Except they have only catalogued about ten percent. That means that ninety
percent of all popular sheet music is in boxes which have labels glued on
telling what's inside. Trying to find a particular piece is virtually hopeless
unless you have a couple of years free to look, and they won't let you look.
With the volume of incoming material, plus the strains of trying to put old
materials in a gas chamber to preserve acid-laden paper, it's unlikely that
the people who work at the LOC will ever be able to see over the top.
March 01 2007 at 21:45:52 Name: Rick Brashear Topic: Shields Email: Lands for Davy Crockett Comments: I went in Shields one day to buy the sheet music
for Wagner's "Die Walküre". A new guy was working there and started
looking in the V-section. The lady who had been there since the Declaration
of Independence was signed, came up immediately and asked me what I wanted,
and I told her. She pushed him aside, apologized to me, and told him it was
in the W-section. He got a puzzled look on his face and didn't have a clue
that Wagner sounds like "Vogner".
Randy was the one who sold me the Electra Les Paul knock-off, and later,
the big Humbuckers I installed in my real Gibson Les Paul and Grover tuners
for my acoustic. Since he has had Music Sound World, I have bought a Fender
bass, amp and guitar for one of my boys. He does have some pretty good deals.
I wanted an Epiphone ES-335 but he told me Gibson makes the dealers pay up
front for everything, so he had to drop both brands. Business-wise, that
is just stupid on Gibson's part.
March 01 2007 at 21:35:53 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: National Portrait Gallery/Archives
Comments: Don Lundy has been in DC on company business for a few
days. He saw a contingent of guys in OSU lapel pins up at the Capitol and
ran into Wes Watkins and OSU folks a' visitin' Congress-folks.
Today we wanted to see the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery, now
the Donald J Reynolds National Portrait Gallery. They are still doing
construction, putting a glass roof over a tree-filled courtyard. We were
about 3 minutes into the museum and all went dark. Our own "Night in the
Museum" with a lotta other folks. The museum lost power and guards shagged
us out.
So we went to the National Archives but after hoofing it up the main stairs;
the giant doors were locked. We missed a sign about an alternate entrance
then found it. We hoofed it back down and inside.
Now "due to security" you have to climb a labyrinth of stairs to the chamber
where the Bill of Rights and Consitution are displayed.
It is NOW very dark in there with them big 20-footish tall front doors closed
(cuts natural light, darn it) and light was very low. We tried to see stuff
with a million kids snapping digi-cameras (no flash allowed). As noted here
before, sadly all is fading more the times between visits. If you get to
DC do go see the Archives.
It was more lit up in Nicholas Cage's action movie shot there 3 years
ago...sigh.
March 01 2007 at 17:42:46 Name: Wilhelm Murg Topic: Book Stores Email: Wilhelmurg at yahoo dot
com Comments: I only got my grandmother to take me to Terry's
one time when I was a comic-obsessed 13 year old. She hated the neighborhood
and told me she would pay the difference for back issues if I mail-ordered
them. That never happened; I soon got heavy into underground comix, my own
bronze age comix (I'm in the Howard The Duck/Werewolf By Night/New Gods age
group).
While Terry's looked like a book store that exploded, from everything I've
seen and heard, Gardner's is a cluster#$&%. They have two warehouses
the size of the store filled with books and, they claim, over a million comics
- none of which will see the light of day in our lifetimes. More and more
books come in and only a trickle come out. When I ask a clerk if they have
a copy of a given title, they usually say smile and say "Probably."
Now that they are so overstocked they are paying almost nothing for new books,
so the majority of titles coming in seem to be old law books from Grandfather's
attic; titles of very little value. I'm still able to find a few titles from
time to time, but it's always a shock when I do. I'm looking forward to the
day that the gates are opened and we'll all get to see what's in storage.
In the meantime, the highpoint in used books is still the annual Holland
Hall sale.
At least Gardner's does have the books in their main store organized by
subject and genre, so I have succeeded in finding what I was looking for
(like this Richard McKenna story in Orbit
2). Plus, they added a coffee shop,
Espresso by the Book,
with free wi-fi.
March 01 2007 at 16:52:31 Name: Steve Bagsby Topic: Dark Side of the Goon
Comments: The Music Store Building for a time was a travel agency.
There was another one just like it on the southwest hump of the Traffic Circle.
If that on still exists, it's buried in mobile homes. Both sites may have
been Kraftours.
Yeah, my first guitar was a Norma purchased at Target. At that time you could
get them at K-Mart too. Oertle's still had some in the record department.
But the day we checked them out, the necks were so warped you could have
shot arrows with them!
And speaking of warped, I'll be playing at the American Legion (Post #1)
on Saturday night. Come on out and stare at us a while. It's kinda like the
John Chick show on a hangover.
If I am right that the Music Sound World building was originally an insurance
company, it has to have been Globe Life and Accident Insurance Co., HDQ in
OKC.
March 01 2007 at 15:29:33 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Tommy Crook CD?
Comments: Can anyone still mail order his CD? I had forgotten
about it till the last post.
Tommy's
web site says to email him about his CD, "110 Degrees in the Shade".
Info about a DVD featuring Tommy is in the TTM
Gift Shop.
March 01 2007 at 15:23:59 Name: David Bagsby Topic: Terry's Book Store Email: dcbatsunflower.com Comments: The closest thing to Terry's Bookstore in Tulsa
is Gardner's Books out at Mingo and 35th...just down the road from Comic
Empire. I frequent both these places every time I go to Tulsa.
Another tangent: got my first guitar at Guitar House from Bob Long. It was
a Conqueror ES335 copy with whammy bar and flat wound strings. Ended up trading
it back at Guitar House for a Gibson Melody Maker which got hotrodded with
new pickups, tuners. Wish I still had that ax even though it never stayed
in tune. Should have held out for a Guit-organ.
I think Tommy Crook used to demo these back in the 70s...I know he taught
there for awhile.
March 01 2007 at 14:15:13 Name: Mitch Gray Topic: Music stores Email: mitchwerxatcableone.net Comments: I remember Shield's music had the GREAT WALL-O-USED
STUFF on the East wall on the "Freak" side by the Electra Les Paul copies.
We designated the store with a "Geek" side (mostly pianos) and a "Freak"
side (guitars and such). No offense to the piano salesmen. And don't forget
the WATCH YOUR STEP RAMP that I tripped on many times!
Jim King and Randy Genet were Freak side sales guys back then. Jim King's
orchestra was not invisible yet due to lack of MIDI. Randy was a dead ringer
for Paul McCartney. At least we thought so. He later opened Music Sound World
on Memorial back in 1974. Seems like the building used to be a travel agency.
I know that globe on top was there a lot longer than his music store. Don't
forget The Guitar House and Charlie Brown's.
A previous mention of Guitar House is in GB
79. I could be wrong, but I thought the Music Sound World building was
originally an insurance agency.
March 01 2007 at 12:02:26 Name: Steve Todoroff Topic: Comic Empire Email:
info@preservemusicdotnet Comments: I used to haunt Comic Empire when I still lived
in Tulsa. If I recall, Mike had a overly-nourished cat that had the run of
the place, and it used to used the comics as a scratching post. Many of the
comics I was interested in were shreded along the tops (bags included), thanks
to this feline. I took it in stride at the time, but here 20+ years later
I'm sure that amounted to some high-dollar cat scratching. Glad to hear he's
still in business, as most of those have fallen by the wayside.
If only we could resurrect Terry's Old Book Store, I would fly to T-town
immediately. A friend of mine now living in Utah worked there, and took her
salary in books. The amazing first editions of rare books she has would blow
one's mind, but that's another story for another time.
March 01 2007 at 08:10:57 Name: Lowell Burch Topic: McLain Music Email: Yes Comments: Rick has mentioned several stores, among many other
that have been discussed on this site, so I will remind you about McLain
Music, across from McLain High School back in the 60's/70's. I bought several
guitars, etc., there. Of course, everyone sold guitars back then - Frougs
even had a full blown guitar and accessory department at Northland.
I only paid $12.00 for my Grand Marquis at Oertle's but my Silvertone amp
(with Vox grill cloth) and BossTone booster almost made it sound like I could
actually play.
February 28 2007 at 23:34:23 Name: Rick Brashear Topic: Gee-tar gizmos Email: Fans with no dockets. Comments: (Bruchas: How much of this guitar gear was bought
in Tulsa and did you ever mail order any stuff?)
What was mail-order?
I bought my guitars at Shield's (Electra Les Paul knock-off crap), Roy &
Candy's (1960 Gibson acoustic-still play it), Down Home Guitars in Sperry
(1952 Gibson ES-125), and The Music Store on Memorial (1973 Gibson Les Paul
DeLuxe-my baby).
I helped build The Music Store (the fiberglass in the sound booths was murder
to be around). The Music Store owner told me that after they opened he'd
give me a good deal on any guitar. I traded him the '52 Gibson (which really
didn't play well) for the Les Paul. With $100 case, it totaled me $520 with
the trade. I paid him $50 each Saturday until it was paid off, and that was
when I was making $80 a week.
My Humbuckers (the bigger ones) came from Shields, as did the FuzzWah, Kustom
200 amp, and booster. I bought my Fender Bassman from Down Home Guitars in
Tulsa from Larry Pratt.
I have a Crate 60 I bought from a guy I worked with whose wife MADE him sell
all of his stuff, right before she divorced him. He also sold his Gibson
Dove and wine-colored Les Paul. What an idiot douche bag. He's probably living
under the 11th Street Bridge.
February 28 2007 at 22:55:33 Name: Rick Brashear Topic: The Big League Email: Sand in my sockets. Comments: Mitch , you were in tall cotton with your Oertle's
$20 guitar. I started out with a Jubilee City $20 guitar that was given to
me, used, and I painted a skull on the back. The neck finally got loose and
I abandoned it. After I got my Les Paul, I gave the Skull guitar to our drummer,
who did a rendition of Pete Townsend in the street one day and killed it.
I sure miss the fun times.
Yep, that was the booster I have here somewhere. Or, is it where somehere?
Oh...the flashbacks are getting their digs in again. BEWARE OF THE ELECTRIC
SNAKES!!
February 28 2007 at 18:43:45 Name: Mitch Gray Topic: Electro Harmonix Email: I'm tired of typing it in
here. Comments: You might think I never leave this site....It's
true.
Rick Brashears was describing the Electro Harmonix LPB-1. A simple 1/4 phone
in-n-out device that REALLY DID BOOST!
It was the only E.H. device I ever bought. Around 20 bucks at the time. I
was poor back then and only had an old Stromberg-Carlson intercom amp and
an Oertle's guitar.(Again around 20 bucks). But mine IS buried with Hoffa.
Must have lost it along with my James Bond Radio Rifle.
February 28 2007 at 17:43:37 Name: Rick Brashear Topic: Fuzz Box Email: Clams in my pockets. Comments: The name Electro-Harmonix jogged a distant molecule
in my brain.
I had, and still do around here somewhere, a gizmo by them that is black,
about 3" long X 2" wide. It takes a 9v battery and has a 1/4" plug on one
end and a 1/4" jack on the other. A single knob changes the volume. There
is also an on-off switch.
It was convenient to plug into my 1966 Fender Bassman (I always played through
the bass channel with my guitar). It's some kind of boost device that works
between the guitar and the amp, giving the guitar more "power", like an
overdrive.
After I find Hoffa's body, I'll run onto it again. Unfortunately, I sold
the Bassman a few years back, right before one of my sons said he wanted
to play bass. :(
February 28 2007 at 16:37:08 Name: Erick Topic: GroupBlog
Comments: And, of course, when I said "guestblog", I meant
"GroupBlog". I still have a bit of a hangover from the guestbook naming
transition.
Just call it a GB and you'll always be right, like Zsa Zsa calling each
husband "Dahling".
And thanks for the video. That brings it back, continual power hum and
all. Maybe the demo guy should have gone with "Smoke on the Water".
February 28 2007 at 16:36:11 Name: Erick Topic: Big Muff Pi Comments: The webmaster's description of the previous
guestblog mentioned that there was plenty of talk abou the Big Muff Pi, and
that the device was seen but not heard...
Until now!!
Thanks to YouTube, here is a description of the product along with a demo.
Enjoy.
February 28 2007 at 13:28:43 Name: Lowell Burch Topic: Fuzztone and me Email: lburch3 ('a' in a circle)
cox.net Comments: My favorite distortion box was a 1960s homemade
affair that I am sure Mike Ransom would have found fascinating. I think Dr.
Frankenstein hisself built it.
Susan and I were interviewed by D.C. Roberts on the KTUL morning show yesterday
about the Lake Erie College fight song. I
have not been on a live TV show in probably ten years so I found it very
interesting. In some ways things haven't changed that much over the years
but, in other ways, it was very different. Most of all, I was impressed with
the professionalism of the staff and crew up there at ol' Channel 8. It was
a very pleasant experience.
Let us know if the video of your show will be on 8's web site.
February 28 2007 at 11:32:57 Name: Webmaster (Mike Ransom) Topic: Previous GroupBlog summary Email: mike at
tulsaTVmemories.com Comments: Archived GroupBlog
234.
Keli is looking for a KELi T-shirt. James Dalphonse still wants to know
what happened to the masters for the record label Alvera, whose artists included
Al Clauser ("Uncle Zeke" from "Uncle Zeb's Cartoon Camp"), Patty Goodman
and Pat Swinney.
Ice cream parlors in Tulsa over the years continued to be a big topic.
A chain of association was initiated by Rick Brashears' recollection of
the construction of London South, My Pi Pizza, and My
Pi's deluxe sound system. A mention of the guitar distortion device,
"Big Muff Pi" (seen but not heard), led to a discussion of other "fuzzboxes",
which then led to Tulsa and OKC 70s rock concerts.
Kirk Demarais shared a great photo tour of the now-defunct Phantasmagoria
ride at Bell's Amusement Park (sadly, also now-defunct). Ron Enderland of
the new blog "I Remember JFK" dropped in.
Mike Bruchas