J. Geils "Love Stinks" radio commercial

Love Stinks The J. Geils Band put out this album in 1981. The music is great, and you can click the link above to order on Amazon.com. But the radio spot promoting the album is one of the best of all time. Click here to listen. I'd like to know who produced this spot, so I could show my appreciation.

The Wrecking Crew Documentary

The Wrecking Crew was the nickname for a legendary group of studio musicians in the 60s. They were the band playing on thousands of records made then, including the 5th Dimension, Byrds, Mamas & Papas, Beach Boys, Tijuana Brass, and more. Denny Tedesco, son of Crew member Tommy Tedesco, showed this film last month at the Nashville Film Festival. I got a last minute ticket, and I'm glad. It was one of the best music documentaries I've ever seen. Denny interviewed Crew members like Carol Kaye and Plas Johnson, who showed how they came up with the killer licks on hits by Sonny & Cher and others. According to Denny, there are 123 songs in the film, and 147 musical cues. If you have any interest in 60s music, you've got to find out more about this film. Go to the Wrecking Crew Documentary website and sign up to be notified of a DVD release. The more people sign up, the sooner the DVD will come out. Glenn Campbell says, "Do It Now!"

Eat Me - Fast Food Animal Spokesmen

I saw this blog the other day, suicidefood, where someone is outraged that animals are used to advertise their own tasty selves.

I totally disagree. It gives me a warm feeling to be welcomed to a restaurant by a happy pig, cow, chicken, or fish. It's an extra stamp of approval that makes the food taste even better. Over the years, I've also collected pictures of animals advertising food, but only because I like them. Here are some shots I've taken around the country, click on any pic to enlarge.

BB's Bar-B-Q in Franklin Tennessee. What could be more welcoming than this?

Hog Heaven near Centennial Park in downtown Nashville.

The Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Notice the neon crab presiding, and the crab hoodie.


King's Island in Cincinnati has the Busytown Grill.

Huckle Cat serves up the grub.

The Fish Market in Atlanta.

Mr. Barbeque in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Miss Fried Chicken and some great pies are there.

Nashville Tennessee has King Fish in the Germantown area.

Back to BB's Bar-B-Q. Had dinner here tonight. A jumbo barbeque sandwich with hot sauce and extra slaw.

EXTRA SLAW!

Bob and Doug McKenzie Cartoon

There's word that a McKenzie Brothers cartoon is going to air in 2009. Here's the video:

aiwa JS216 AM-FM Stereo Cassette Recorder

This is one of the coolest WalkMan type devices that I've ever owned. The awia JS216 is a joy to use because it just works. A cassette player and stereo recorder, AM-FM radio, and it records off the radio to cassette!


I used this to record airchecks from radio stations as I went around the country. The aiwa never broke or quit.

It still works today, just put in the two AA batteries.

The Omni Hut in Smyrna Tennessee

The Omni Hut is another one of those restaurants that are local treasures. It's in Smyrna, Tennessee, just north of Murfreesboro, and accessible from I-840. Here are some shots from a recent Friday night visit. Click any pic to enlarge.



The interior is just what you'd hope for.

The service is quick and attentive.

The Omni Hut was opened in 1960. You can read more of its history here.

Flaming chicken sticks for an appetizer.


















Here's the second larger dining room and the Flaming Volcano dessert.


The waiting area is filled every night. Omni Hut is open 5:30-9:30pm Tuesday through Saturday.

A souvenir! Two bottles of Omni Hut Teriyaki Sauce.

Visit the Omni Hut website at www.omnihut.com

George Of The Jungle Storyboard

Here's a link to a George Of The Jungle storyboard that I bought from the Jay Ward store in the 1980s. I never saw the cartoon that was made from the storyboard. That's because this is the storyboard from the pilot episode, which was unseen until included on the George Of The Jungle DVD set released in February 2008. Here's a sample frame, the entire Flicker pool of images is here.

Is DirecTV's programming guide racist?

Or, is it possible to be offended by a mindless computer truncation? Here are some shots, click to enlarge.


Two for one, check above and to the right of Ron


Something for everyone. Also seen, but not captured:

Log Cabin Ho (me)
This Old Ho (use)
Collegiate Ho (ops)
and Bill Gaither Ho (mecoming)

Swine Flu Radio PSAs 1976

Back in 1976, Gerald Ford and the Center for Disease Control wanted you to get a shot for the Swine Flu. Here are some government produced public service announcements sent out to radio stations across the country that summer:


Give a listen:

Passalong :60
Passalong :30
Skeptic - Truckdriver :10
Skeptic - Woman :10
Skeptic - Male Executive :10

Radio QSL Cards Part 2

Here are some more radio QSL cards from the 1960s. Back then, if you heard a faraway AM radio station, you could write them and give details of what you heard, and they would send back their QSL card as confirmation. QSL actually came from ham radio, but stuck through to the AMs. If you missed Part 1 of the QSL cards, see them here. As always, click any pic for a larger version.