Goodbye, Annette.

Today, my heart is broken. Annette Funicello died from complications from Multiple Sclerosis at 70.

Like most American men of a certain age, Annette was one of my first crushes. The thing was, I was born in 1969; just about the time Annette stopped making AIP movies. I did have the luxury of living in a wondrous time, however. I lived in a time where I watched black and white syndication runs of The Mickey Mouse Club on weekday afternoons, Beach Party movies on Weekends and seeing Annette as she was currently on variety shows and commercials. She was truly every where in my pre-teen world. I had Disneyland Records of Annette's singles, which I sang along to, knowing every word. Even today, if I hear "Tall Paul" or "Pineapple Princess" in a supermarket (and it actually does happen), I still find myself dancing a little and mumbling the words from behind a bit lip.

It was the Beach Party movies that really cemented my love for Annette. In my pre-teen mind, she was the perfect girl. While my pre-pubescent mind was still trying to suss out the dimensions of her body, I crushed on her for much more innocent reasons. She sang, she danced and she pined for Frankie, all the while smiling that amazing smile. She was feisty, too. If Frankie screwed up (and he usually did at least once a film), she let him have it with both barrels. Even on-screen angry, she was the picture of grace.

In my teen years, I temporarily lost my connection with Annette (and Frankie). The Mickey Mouse Club was a vague, total kids stuff memory, the Beach Party Movies were replaced by slasher movies and the songs were replaced with music by Talking Heads and Prince. When, in the late 80s, "Back To The Beach" was released, I was excited to see it, but disappointed that it wasn't at all like the Beach Party movies I remembered and loved so well. It was a true kick to see Frankie and Annette on talk shows and the old NBC "Friday Night Videos", introducing the latest hits while bantering like old friends (which they were).

It wasn't until a few years later that I revisited the old Beach Party movies again, buying them on Laserdisc. It was all there, just as I remembered. The fun, the singing, the dancing... the hysterical jokes and sight gags. And Annette. Beautiful and funny and talented as she'd always been. I could never get too many friends to share in the exhilaration I felt watching these movies, but how could I? It's like introducing your girlfriend to an old crush and expecting her to see what you saw in her.

It was around that time that Annette announced she has Multiple Sclerosis. It was a sad and horrifying thing to hear. Incomprehensible. Not Annette. I followed the stories and watched the "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" biography TV movie, which she narrated in wraparound segments. It made me so absolutely terrified of MS. A condition that takes away your ability to do anything you might want to do? Something that causes your body to not respond to what you tell it to do? Hideous. I admired Annette's resilience. The whole time she spent in the public eye afterward was met with a brave, resilient face. I can only wish that I would have that courage if such a thing were to ever happen to me.

I'm now sitting at my computer writing these thoughts. To my left, is a framed Laserdisc of Muscle Beach Party that's signed by Frankie Avalon. I didn't meet Frankie, but I have a friend that has him as a family friend. She brought it to him to sign for me. He thought it was a bootleg record! She had to explain to him what Laserdiscs were. Anyway, I'm looking at that photo on the cover with Annette in her mesh bikini with Frankie laying on her lap, both smiling and happy and I smile myself. But I'm also welling up with tears, thinking about those tabloid photos in those dirt rags at the supermarket checkout showing Annette in poor health, stripping her of her public dignity. I'm also thinking of an Entertainment Tonight article on her from before she was too far gone to speak. she was till struggling with her words, but her spirit was unbroken. The bravest face. At the end of that piece, she spoke about how all she wants to do in life is to dance again. In life, she never got the chance, but if there's a reason to believe in a life beyond this one, then that's it. I'm having a daydream where I see Annette and she's dancing, lighter than air. She's dancing so wild and graceful. Her feet aren't even touching the ground. And she's singing. And she's happy. And there's no pain.

Rest In Peace, Annette. And thank you.

The Shockedelic Radio Show, Episode 8:03: "Dit Dit Da Dit"

Yes, Yes! Here it is! It's time for another episode of THE SHOCKEDELIC RADIO SHOW!   Another 80 minutes of the best in International Pop  Music. This is Episode 3, Season 8; "Dit Dit Da Dit". This show went through so much between conception and realization. At the eleventh hour, the song list was radically changed and rearranged. As a result, there is 1/3 more songs in English than any other Shockedelic Radio Show! Good news for you music loving xenophobes out there in Internetz land. Also, during the recording of the show, I had my cell phone on me (something I NEVER do) and my phone decided it wanted to talk to everyone electronically. I didn't realize this during the show, because this is one of the only shows I've ever done without headphone monitoring. Don't ask me why I made such a decision. I was just being stupid. It was only during playback that I discovered the interference. After much hemming and hawing over whether I should re-record the entire show or not, I decided to leave well enough alone. It was a tough show to begin with, so a re-record would've taken what joy there was and thrown it out the window. So, during my DJ segments, if you hear a "Dit Dit Dit Da Dit" type noise, that's my phone saying "Hi!". It's also the reason I entitled the show "Dit Dit Da Dit". I had another title in mind, but as with everything else in this current show, it was changed at the last moment. I do hope you enjoy the show. I think it's a good one, in spite of all of the technical difficulties.





As always, listen to it streaming above or download it below:

SRS EP8:03


Legal stuff:


It's a very litigious society, so please understand that this MP3 Podcast is presented as a radio show promoting new and lesser well known artists. All of the music here is copyrighted and the copyright proprietors retain ownership of the material presented here. No rights are given to the downloader or listener or are implied as such. In short, listen to the show and enjoy it, but don't go dissecting the program. If you hear something you like, track it down and purchase it. Supporting the artist is crucial. Make sure you do your duty.

A Face In The Crowd

Note: This is just an Editorial rant. It's something I wanted to get off of my chest. I'm working on a new Shockedelic Radio Show and that will be posted probably in the next week or two. Sorry for the delay on that. I'm still auditioning perfect songs for the show!!! Also, I'd like to apologize to anyone who has made comments on my posts in the past. I wasn't ignoring you. The fact is, I had everything set to Moderator Approval and I didn't know it! I literally found out about these replies to my posts, dating back some two years ago, just ten minutes ago. So, thank you to all of you who have enjoyed my shows thus far (and said so!) and I truly apologize for not responding to your replies. I will do better in the future, I promise! Now, on to my rant:

So, there's something I've been noticing lately on the Interwebz. It's something that isn't recent, but it seems to be something that has worsened as of late (or maybe it's just something my curmudgeonly ass has been taking note of lately).

There's a sickness wherein people on the Internet can't not know something. Usually what will happen is, an event will take place (normally in pop culture), someone will write something trivial relating to it and, before you know it, EVERYONE and their proverbial Mother will claim to have known about said trivia for YEARS.

The latest example I've noticed has happened with the passing of Andy Griffith this past Monday (July 3rd). He was a great cultural Icon of the 20th Century, no doubt. As Andy Taylor, Sherrif of Mayberry RFD, he cemented his place in the Pop Culture lexicon and he did it long before anyone spoke of "Pop Culture lexicon"s. In their Elegies, Internet Bloggers and well wishers (onto the next great plane of existence) wrote of their love for Andy in his famous role as the Sherrif of Mayberry. It was lovely and, for the most part, elegant. Then came the oneupmanship.

It went to Matlock, Griffith's popular legal show of the 1980's. That was fine, too, since it was very popular, although mostly with the geriatric set who are either passed on now or not Internet users. Then came the Inevitable referencing of Simpsons and Family Guy references. Things became a bit sillier with mentions of "Salvage I", a high profile (at the time) but incredible flop of a TV show that Pop Culturists love to name drop even though few have ever seen more than the opening credit sequence. But then things immediately got weird. I began seeing posts about Andy Griffith's "dark and edgy" early role in Elia Kazan's "A Face In The Crowd". Before long, the Interblog stratosphere was thick with YouTube clips of "A Face In The Crowd" and how great the movie was. "Oooooh! This was goody-good Andy Griffith's DARK role! You have to see how EVIL Andy was in this!" One even wrote about Griffith being a "Movie Monster" with this role. It became tiring quickly, but unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Like clockwork, the Facebook posts started turning up. "RIP Andy. You were a great one. Here's a clip from one of his greatest roles in "A Face In The Crowd"!

This is where my breaking point began. I'm positive, had I asked anyone on July 2nd if they had ever seen "A Face In The Crowd", I'd have gotten blank looks. I would expect responses to approximate: "No. Never saw it." "Was that a Tom Cruise movie?" "When did that come out?" "That's a French movie, right?" "Oh, that's old/in Black and White." Now, it would appear that more people have seen this movie than "The Wizard Of Oz" and "Star Wars" combined. Possibly more people than D.W. Griffith's "Birth Of A Nation"!!!

The point of this rant? I want to tell all of you that it's okay not to know things. It really is. Take comfort in that fact. You needn't make claims that you've seen every movie, heard every album or  read every book. If you knew everything, there would be no room for discovery... and discovery is where it's at.

Tonight on Turner Classic Movies, that is Thursday night (July 5th) / Friday morning (July 6th) at 1:45am, "A Face In The Crowd" is going to be aired. I don't believe it's being aired because of Andy Griffith's death. I think it's just a karmic coincidence. Instead of posting clips of this movie all over your blogs and Facebook accounts, take time and actually watch this movie. You have the opportunity. It won't take but a couple of hours of your life and, God forbid, you'll know what you're talking about. If I'm up and in the mood, I'll be watching. I haven't seen it yet.

The Shockedelic Radio Show Episode 8:02 "Dance, You Bastards!"

It's a new year and a new season for your favorite Internet Radio Show. It's time for another episode of THE SHOCKEDELIC RADIO SHOW! Another 80 minutes of the best in International Pop Music. This is Episode 2, Season 8; "Dance, You Bastards!". This might be one of the musically strangest (and strongest!) shows in a long time, so you'd be crazy not to listen!


Listen to it streaming above or download it below:
SRS EP8:02
Legal stuff:
It's a very litigious society, so please understand that this MP3 Podcast is presented as a radio show promoting new and lesser well known artists. All of the music here is copyrighted and the copyright proprietors retain ownership of the material presented here. No rights are given to the downloader or listener or are implied as such. In short, listen to the show and enjoy it, but don't go dissecting the program. If you hear something you like, track it down and purchase it. Supporting the artist is crucial. Make sure you do your duty.

The Shockedelic Radio Show Episode 8:01 "The New Normal"

It's a new year and a new season for your favorite Internet Radio Show. It's time for another episode of THE SHOCKEDELIC RADIO SHOW! Another 80 minutes of the best in International Pop Music. This is Episode 1, Season 8; "The New Normal". We got lots of great music in store for ya, so why not give it a listen?


Listen to it streaming above or download it below:

SRS EP8:01

Legal stuff:

It's a very litigious society, so please understand that this MP3 Podcast is presented as a radio show promoting new and lesser well known artists. All of the music here is copyrighted and the copyright proprietors retain ownership of the material presented here. No rights are given to the downloader or listener or are implied as such. In short, listen to the show and enjoy it, but don't go dissecting the program. If you hear something you like, track it down and purchase it. Supporting the artist is crucial. Make sure you do your duty.

The Shockedelic Radio Show Episode 7:04 "Insert Clever Title Here"

Beyond belief! One more show before the years end??!? Yes! It's time for another episode of THE SHOCKEDELIC RADIO SHOW! That's right! Another 80 minutes of the best in International Pop Music. This is Episode 4, Season 7; "Insert Clever Title Here". Another episode? Yep. I had an idea that I wanted to do at least one more show before the end of the year, so I bashed this one out real quick. Real quick. Does it make the show suffer, or does it make it better??? You'll have to decide. Give 'er a spin and let me know.


Listen to it streaming above or download it below:

SRS EP7:04

Legal stuff:

It's a very litigious society, so please understand that this MP3 Podcast is presented as a radio show promoting new and lesser well known artists. All of the music here is copyrighted and the copyright proprietors retain ownership of the material presented here. No rights are given to the downloader or listener or are implied as such. In short, listen to the show and enjoy it, but don't go dissecting the program. If you hear something you like, track it down and purchase it. Supporting the artist is crucial. Make sure you do your duty.

One more thing. Listen all the way to the end. This current episode of The Shockedelic Radio Show ran a little short and I put a bonus song at the very end. It's not exactly hidden, but it's an extra special bonus for the listener that cleans his plate, so to speak! :)

The Shockedelic Radio Show Episode 7:03 "An Unexpected Pleasure"

Really? 2 shows in one week? It's time for another episode of THE SHOCKEDELIC RADIO SHOW! That's right! Another 80 minutes of the best in International Pop Music. This is Episode 3, Season 7; "An Unexpected Pleasure". Why so quick? Well, I had such a backlog of music to unleash on you, the listener, that I decided to do a Special Edition. You lucky people. One thing about this show. I'm breaking in a new microphone and, while I was deeply involved with setting it up correctly, I kinda forgot to set my Popper Blocker between my mouth and my new mike. So, you might notice some oral subsonics during my DJing segments. Nothing too distracting.



Listen to it streaming above or download it below:

SRS EP7:03

Legal stuff:

It's a very litigious society, so please understand that this MP3 Podcast is presented as a radio show promoting new and lesser well known artists. All of the music here is copyrighted and the copyright proprietors retain ownership of the material presented here. No rights are given to the downloader or listener or are implied as such. In short, listen to the show and enjoy it, but don't go dissecting the program. If you hear something you like, track it down and purchase it. Supporting the artist is crucial. Make sure you do your duty.

Errata: I made a mistake while announcing a song title. The song by The Black Skirts is not "Don't You Worry Baby, I'm Only Swimming", as I was led to believe. The actual title of that song is "International Love Song". So sorry about that. Hope you enjoy the show!!!