KC Confidential

Ginger Baker was the first guy we saw with two bass drums and the first guy to do an extended drum solo on record…

The band Cream straddled the transition from AM to FM. When the band’s first album came out, the only underground FM radio station that existed was WOR-FM in New York. We were still California dreamin’ on the last train to Clarksville. The Beatles were huge, but we all lived in one big homogeneous musical society.

Of course there were hipsters – as there have always been – like the folkies and blues lovers of the late fifties and early sixties.  There were always people ahead of the scene – but it was much harder then, there was no internet, only true word of mouth – nothing went from zero to hero overnight unless it was played on AM radio, and Cream was not.

The Disraeli Gears album was released in November ’67, the year underground FM radio began to burgeon, with KMPX in San Francisco joining the aforementioned WOR.

Yup, the scene was that small. So most people were unaware of Fresh Cream. And “Disraeli Gears” too.

Then, during the summer of ’68, Sunshine Of Your Love crossed over to AM and the band and the scene exploded.

There were a few renegade radio years back then, before Lee Abrams came along and codified the rock format on FM in the seventies. It was kinda like the internet back in the mid-nineties. There were people who had modems from the eighties, and others who got the word in ’96 and instantly bought computers to play on AOL.

There was no hate, only exploration.

Never forget the influence of public radio back then, especially WBAI in New York. That’s where I first heard Phil Ochs‘s “Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends.” We twisted the dial, we looked for excitement, we found it, it drove record purchases, but most people were out of the loop.

Of course some people knew Eric Clapton, being blueshounds, knowing his work with John Mayall, but that “Bluesbreakers” album didn’t really blow up until after Cream broke through.

So, you heard “Sunshine Of Your Love” on FM.                             .

Now “Fresh Cream”‘s production was credited to Robert Stigwood, it’s unclear who really twisted the dials, who was really responsible for the sound – but it didn’t have the edge of what came after – it was almost like a blanket was thrown over the speakers.

But Felix Pappalardi produced “Disraeli Gears,” and it was a much better representation of the band’s sound. This was back when stereo was stereo, when instruments were in different channels, when we sat in front of the speakers, put on headphones to get the full effect. This was also when there was so much less on the records, you could hear all the instruments. You could hear Jack Bruce’s voice on “Sunshine Of You Love,” but the key to the track’s success, it’s infectiousness, was that guitar. Continue reading →

They’re all on the same page:..

1. The Bidens are guilty of something and it needs to be investigated.

2. Trump committed no crime.

3. The Democrats are out to get Trump, and they’ve been on this path from day one.

Yes, Trump is positively off his rocker, but one thing is for sure;  he’s an UNSTABLE genius. Come on, admitting that he did it in Ukraine, and then imploring the Chinese to do the same thing publicly? This is not playing by the rules, this is jujitsu.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are afraid of public opinion.

Polling ad infinitum to make sure they don’t step on anybody’s toes and prevent people from voting Democratic in 2020.

That’s “Democratic,” I said. The right wing code is the DEMOCRAT party. Listen closely, all the Republicans say that, including Trump. They want to take the imprimatur, the meaning of “democratic,” away from the Democratic party, and they’re doing a good job of it.

Now one thing the left wing media does not understand is, it’s been vilified to irrelevance by the right. Listen to Fox News, seemingly every night Tucker Carlson excoriates the New York Times and the Washington Post. He nitpicks, says they’re duplicitous and need to apologize. And if you had this message hammered into you every night, you’d believe it.

That’s right, the right has neutralized facts.

Everything’s up for grabs, even that which has been proven. Global warming? Anything involving science? It’s undecided. As for Biden’s activity with Ukraine re his son…every newspaper has debunked it. Everybody wanted that prosecutor gone, not only the Americans, but once again facts don’t matter. You can twist them anyway you want to, because there’s no one true source.

The battle for hearts and minds is fought in only two places…Fox News and online.

That’s it, done. As for the radio talk shows like Rush…that’s so last century.

And online, you can pretty much say whatever you want, as long as you don’t threaten someone or break the law.

So what we’re fighting for here – and the Democrats don’t understand this – is hearts and minds. The Democrats think it’s the 1950s, as long as their position is right, that’s all that matters.

They don’t advocate, they don’t fight for it. Continue reading →

There have been memorable portrayals of the Joker through the years…

Certainly Jack Nicholson in 1989 comes to mind. And Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning portrayal in 2008.

This weekend Joaquin Phoenix as ‘Arthur Fleck’ is deeply disturbing on many levels.

And make no mistake, “Joker” is NOT your typical superhero movie—FAR FROM IT!

Director Todd (“Hangover”) Phillips takes the ‘Joker’ to a deeply dark level as a small-time party clown with ambitions of becoming a stand-up comedian. But that’s not to be.

At this point, let me insert the R-rated warning from the MPAA:

The ‘Joker’ is….”rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual imagines.”

So what exactly do we have here?

To my way of thinking, “JOKER” is a deranged trip into mental illness leading to human disorder and outright madness.

Joaquin Phoenix is in the title role giving the performance of his career. Not that it’s a pretty one, but strong enough that it will not only earn him a Best Actor nomination—but he will most likely win it!

His uncontrollable high-pitch laugh alone is enough to creep you out. Continue reading →

How do you lose a Presidency?

Very slowly, then all at once.

This is not a new story. Donald Trump has been flirting with disaster from before his inauguration. Sure, his base loves him, but as the Donald so famously said, if he shot a person on Fifth Avenue, they wouldn’t convict him. Blind devotion.

But that’s not the entire country.

And that’s not the United States Congress.

Now if you’re a student of the game, you know that public figures do their best to never go on the record, to never commit. Even Elizabeth Warren in the last debate…they wanted to know if her health plan would raise taxes…she avoided the question. Once you own something, you’re subject to the slings and arrows. And this works in both directions.

Sure, you’re afraid of your constituency, but also you’re afraid of your record.

Despite a President who verges on being a king, who has eviscerated the concept of checks and balances in government, the conventional wisdom is you can’t piss off the public. Not only the Republicans believe this, but the Democrats too.

The Republicans are afraid they’re going to be “primaried.” This is the downside of gerrymandering. It’s clear a Republican is going to be elected, it’s just a matter of which one, and if you move to the center, if you’re reasonable, there’s a good chance someone further right of you will challenge you and emerge victorious. So you don’t say anything that will piss off your base…until you have to go on record.

I’m not talking about going on TV.

TV has lost all credibility. Trump has been the greatest thing to happen to print, now app, journalism by the usual suspects. In other words, the NYT and the WaPo have triumphed, have increased their footprint. If they thought like techies as opposed to the old wavers they are, they’d forget about profits and think about mindshare. Hell, you cannot turn on cable news without a talking head, left and right, quoting what writers in these papers said. Continue reading →

Here it is—and almost too late…

It’s the end of September. You’re planning on a Thanksgiving or Christmas trip—and you haven’t purchased your airline tickets yet?

What are you waiting for?

It’s not going to get any cheaper, I can assure you that!

One of the big factors coming into play this year is the absence of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that three of America’s largest carriers had to take out of service following those two crashes.

American supposedly had planned to have about 40 Max’s flying in time for the holidays.

United expected around 30. And Southwest as the aircraft’s biggest customer? Who knows how many of their 737 Max’s are parked? The numbers could be stunning.

What does that mean for you and me?

Thousands of less available daily seats and more flight cancellations during prime travel time.

Southwest has apparently removed the planes from its schedule through January 5, 2020.

United through December 19 and American through December 3.

But those dates keep changing. Continue reading →

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…

Come to think of it, we’re a long way from over the rainbow.

In the new bio-drama “JUDY” Ms. Garland has actually drifted BEHIND the rainbow.

But, when it comes to awards, Renee Zellweger should be a sure bet for landing a ‘Best Actress’ nomination.

Her portrayal of the older Judy Garland is flawless.

The movie is set about 30 years after Garland first gained global stardom in “The Wizard Of Oz”.

But, at what price?

There was the studio boss who got her hooked on pills – the personal demons that overwhelmed the child actress.

The custody battle with ex-husband, Sid Luft.

ALL while her erratic career began to nosedive in North America.

But, still there was light at the end of the tunnel. Continue reading →

Even false gods and profits come with expiration dates… 

Such may well be the case with beloved KU basketball coach Bill Self.

Self’s been living on borrowed time ever since his high profile sex scandal rocked Lawrence a handful of years back, during which he moved out of the family manse into an upscale condo across town.

Most roundball-loving locals placed the blame squarely at the feet of a former neighbor of mine, rather than Wild Bill. For which she – not Self – paid a pretty dear price.

That’s how all-important the game of basketball is in Lawrence, Kansas.

So how are prominent Lawrenceites taking the bad news regarding the NCAA violations?

Not too well…although they’re mostly being protected by local media like the Lawrence Journal World and Kansas City Star from headlines like this in USA Today:

“NCAA’s message to Bill Self: You’re a cheater and we want you out of college basketball”

Reminds me of the Star’s recent editorial hit piece on Kris Kobach in which they wished aloud that he would be “kneecapped” and left along the side of a road nobody drives down.

I digress…

Continue reading →

What are the Democrats afraid of?

This is what happens when you’ve been inside the Beltway – in the game for far too long – you get disrupted. That’s right, Trump disrupted the Democrats who were so busy studying history that they didn’t realize the country had changed.

Well, it’s changed again.

What we’ve learned is 30% of the people will vote for Trump no matter what.

There’s no way in hell you can convince them otherwise, write them off.

As far as those people in the middle, swayable, the canard is that if you make one false move they’re gonna vote Republican again. But the Democratic leaders just don’t get it. Those people voted for Trump because the Democrats weren’t servicing them. The left was beholden to the nouveau riche, those who benefited from the system and globalization. And this sector believed, unfortunately correctly, that not only did the left wing elite not care about them, they had contempt for them. So they decided to flip the script, throw over the table, anything to wake the Democrats up and hopefully generate change.

Oh boy, they got it with Trump.

And most of America doesn’t like what he’s done, but don’t ask Nancy Pelosi to do anything about it.

Now the Democrats missed their chance.

Like they have for decades, they’ve allowed the right wing to control the narrative, this time with the Mueller Report. Attorney General William Barr got out ahead and the Democrats never conceived of a viable strategy to get rid of the President.

Then, way too late, they decided they would do so, slowly, like a record company transitioning from physical to digital…better not go too fast, you might piss off some of your old partners.

But this appeal to everybody approach appeals to nobody!

You’ve got to lead. That’s what was wrong with Obama. He was so fearful of being labeled an angry African-American that he stayed calm in the face of right wing shenanigans. He didn’t call them out – he didn’t get aggressive – he just squirmed like a five year old when they stole his Supreme Court pick.

Hell, Obama could have shut down the government, done his best to bring the Republicans to their knees, but NO, you’ve just got to toss your hands in the air and then point to the other guy and say he’s bad. Hell, Bill Belichick is bad, the Patriots keep testing the rules, but the Patriots consistently win, over and over again.

Trump has handed the Democrats a gift.

He’s admitted he discussed Joe Biden with Ukraine and withheld aid. If not now, when?

What the Democrats don’t realize is no one wants to vote for a pussy.

Pussies are pissed on. Continue reading →

In June of 1967, I was a fourteen year old, living with my parents in Overland Park…

We were watching the Kansas City Athletics baseball team on television one Friday evening when someone called from the Leawood Police Department.  My dad answered and I could hear him tell the caller, “No, that’s not possible, he’s been here all evening.”  After he hung up he explained that a woman had reported me to the police, saying I’d just vandalized her house in Leawood

Naturally I was very upset when I heard this.

I asked my father to call the police on Monday to see who was responsible for falsely accusing me.  When he got home Dad told me that the person who called was not a police officer, but a member of the “police auxiliary, who comes in sometimes to help out.”

In other words, I never found out who made these allegations, either on the part of the police or the alleged victim.

Fast forward eight years to 1975.

I was in law school by then.  My twin brothers, age 16, were in high school and still living at home when two Overland Park police officers showed up unannounced at our house.  They told my father and brothers that they were there to question them about an armed robbery that occurred at a convenience store.  My father bit his tongue but then explained that the allegations couldn’t be true because my brothers were with him on a business trip in Houston on the date of the robbery and he had eyewitnesses who could prove it. The police got up and left and that was the last we heard of the incident.

As frustrating as these events were-largely because we never knew who was behind these false accusations-there is another situation that is even more frightening. That is when an innocent person is “set up” for a crime, i.e. tricked into unwittingly breaking the law so they can be criminally charged.

The classic example for me is when a high school classmate would send people tabs of LSD in the mail, with a cute little note; “Congratulations, by receiving this hallucinogenic drug, you’ve just committed a Felony. Ha! Ha!”

Another instance dates from the 90’s, when an opposing lawyer in a legal case sent a witness to talk to me wearing a concealed recording device.  The witness then offered to testify in return for a bribe.  Fortunately, I did not take the bait and later was able to go back against the crooked lawyer.

The Anglo/American common law tradition frowns on the use of police spies and agents provocateur. There is a long and dishonorable tradition of governments misusing such operatives to frame political enemies.  Joseph Conrad’s classic spy novel, “The Secret Agent” is about such a scheme, set in 19^th century London, where fear of “anarchists” led to all kinds of questionable tactics by the authorities.

The Reichstag fire in Germany and the Oklahoma City bombing are other examples of where people who previously lacked the capacity or intent to commit terrorist acts were likely induced to act by government agents, in order to discredit the regime’s opponents.

This is exactly what is happening now with the Deep State and its war on the Trump administration. Continue reading →

It was boring…

The whole world tuned in…

And then the whole world tuned out.

This is why Roger Ailes succeeded – he knew it was all about showbiz, and the only person on stage who seemed to know this was Julian Castro.

Yes, he was the big winner of the night, even though he called out Joe Biden and was half-wrong. You see Castro came to win. A back of the pack softie, Castro demonstrated his fighting spirit – he stood up to Biden – laughed and rolled his eyes when somebody said something he thought was stupid or irrelevant. Now we know who Castro is. He certainly replaced Kamala Harris on the leaderboard.

Never pay heed to the analysts.

By attacking Trump and nobody (else) on stage, Harris took herself right out of the picture. She seemed like she really didn’t want to be there, like a prosecutor on Friday who wants to wrap up and get out of court. She’s toast.

As are the rest of the seven dwarves, other than the aforementioned Castro.

Beto O’Rourke, he even said some good stuff, but who cares? He was last year’s flavor, now – he’s just another young guy trying to make a name for himself.

Klobuchar? A strict mother who was pissed with the shenanigans, who kept telling us she knew better and to trust her, that she could bring the whole country together…huh? Forget plans, just meet me in the middle.

Cory Booker? Okay, you’ve been there and done that, but what have you done for us lately? You didn’t solve the problems in Newark and now you want us to give you the keys to the Oval Office because? I can’t figure out a reason why.

And Andrew Yang, who triumphed by speaking English as opposed to political-speak, blew his whole candidacy by turning it into a game show.

Yup, he was gonna give a grand to ten families every month…and then let’s see what happens? Everybody else laughed. And when he said he knew about doctors because he was Asian, implying that the profession was filled with Asians, he demonstrated that he’s living in a bubble, that he doesn’t know the rules, that there are certain things you can’t say, but he did! Over.

Mayor Pete? He said some good things, he appeared wise, he regained some luster, but not enough to recover from the police problems in his hometown.

Which leaves us with the three real candidates…Joe, Bernie and Elizabeth. Continue reading →

Kevin Kietzman

How quickly we forget…

Just a few months back, WHB sports yakker Kevin Kietzman was a force to be reckoned with here in the Cowtown.

By many accounts, Kietzman wasn’t exactly the world’s nicest guy.

Quite the opposite some would say.

The flip side of that equation:

Kietzman pulled few, if any punches, and practically single handedly morphed local sports talk radio from homer talk, with faint hearted criticism of the Royals, Chiefs and KU, to when-did-you stop-beating-your-wife journalism.

He was rude, crude and skeptical – arguably to a fault.

Yet because of his stellar ratings and star power Kietzman appeared bullet proof.

Or so it seemed.

Until he reached critical mass by bringing down the wrath of the Chiefs, KU and their legion of supporters. And then foolishly took on both embattled Kansas basketball coach Bill Self and Chiefs coach Andy  Reid.

Might as well toss in the Kansas City Royals, because if nothing else, Kietzman was an equal opportunity offender.

And so it was, that in one fell swoop, Kietzman’s cruel criticism of Reid’s tragic family circumstances landed him on death row. Then just like that he was gone, baby, gone.

Possibly for all time, according to several sources, including some of KC’s top radio heavy hitters who now say they wouldn’t touch Kietzman at any price.

Shades of Fox News heavyweight Bill O’Reilly who sank like a bowling ball after Fox cut him loose.

How bad is it?

Continue reading →

There’s gotta be a way for Kevin Kietzman to make an honest buck…

Continue reading →

I discovered it in the New Yorker…

Every day I do back exercises – takes about half an hour – and while I do them I struggle to read my iPhone. Otherwise I’m bored; I don’t want to waste time.

It’s at this time that I go through the round of my news apps.

I’m especially hooked on the WaPo and the London Times, because I don’t get these in print. The paper is better in print. Oh, there’s less news, and it’s late, but you find stories you missed, that round out your view of the world.

To be honest, I’m checking the news apps all day long – I’m addicted- in a good way. It’s not FOMO, it’s just that I dig it. Now you can feel like a participant, you’re always up to date, ready to play. Of course this leaves you as the information source for your friends, you end up a lecture series, which is not satisfying.

But every once in a while there’s a subject I’ve got to broach.

Like the Popeyes chicken sandwich.

I’ve never eaten there.

I guess I got turned off when Kentucky Fried Chicken went off the rails. When the skin came detached from the meat. You’ve got to know, once upon a time KFC was the new thing. My father would buy a bucket, along with that dynamite cole slaw, and take it to us at the beach after work. I can still taste it. KFC was a staple, there was always a bucket at the Labor Day picnic (along with ears of corn drenched in salt water and cooked over a charcoal grill).

Now when I moved to L.A., there was Pioneer Chicken, all over the place, and it was really bad. Some people still testify about the failed chain, but there are people who reminisce about Swanson’s TV Dinners too.

My local fast food chain of choice was the All American Burger.

Ate tons of those. But then they went by the wayside and I got wary of all that fried food, fast food and…

Then I read an article about the Popeyes chicken sandwich.

Now for a while there, Jack In The Box had a killer chicken sandwich. Then there was Carl’s Jr.’s (why “Jr.”?, I always wondered that) barbequed chicken sandwich, which was actually a piece of chicken – but the former was fried and I lost my taste for the latter, and yes, I’ve had Gus’s. But to tell you the truth, I want to live, I’m watching my heart.

Now it’s taking everything in my power to not drive to Popeyes.

So if you’re a New Yorker person, a couple of years back they released a new app, NYerToday, that features specialized content each and every day.

Now the truth is the New Yorker has very little virality, it’s mostly an echo chamber.

Oh, occasionally they break news, or deliver insight, a la the recent Al Franken article, that spreads, but that’s rare. I never hear anybody talking about the articles in NYerToday, and to tell you the truth, oftentimes they’re written from an intellectual spot high above the real world and are out of touch with the essence of life. But this article in NYerToday intrigued me, it was entitled: “Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Is Here To Save America” Continue reading →

The battle lines are being drawn…

It’s the conflict over program content during a period when Netflix is about to face major competition from Disney’s new streaming service, as well as Comcast and Warner Media.

Who’s going to blink first?

The current chess game is this fall’s planned digital streaming Netflix release of director Martin Scorsese’s highly anticipated organized crime drama, ‘THE IRISHMAN,’ co-starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.

Will the reportedly $159 million, Netflix produced film be available at your local multiplex? That seems to be the sticking point right now.

According to a recent story in the New York Times, Netflix is currently discussing the possibilities with at least two major theater circuits. The hang-up: The theaters insist on the right to show the film exclusively for approximately 90 days before it is made available for simultaneous streaming.

An impasse?

We’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully it will work itself out better than when ‘ROMA’ faced a similar stand off and received a very limited theatrical playoff—which didn’t help it in the Oscar race.

(Note: For Oscar eligibility and consideration a film must have a minimum of a seven day engagement in an L.A. based theater.) Continue reading →

We’ve seen this movie before…

It’s depressing, instructional  – and unfortunately – inevitable.

In Tiananmen Square, the world saw a single, solitary man, defy the might of the Chi-Com Imperium in front of a tank.  Soon after 10,000 Chinese patriots were slaughtered in pursuit of the things we take for granted – constitutional protections, under a Democratically elected government.  Free speech, the right to bear arms – how differently might these protests have gone down if the populace was armed? – and the protections against illegal search and seizure.

However many American dogs are in this fight, but will their barks be heard?

No American blood will be spent. 

It is what it is, and that is how it must be. We cannot assist or provide arms to these rebels. The stakes are too high.

So we will watch and wait… and hope. Continue reading →

So what’s in a title?

It can be a lot when it comes to lesser-known and/or independent movies.

Take this week’s new feel-good, comedic drama called ‘THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON‘.

When I mention the title to people, the results I’ve been getting are—well, frankly blank stares.

That’s a shame because the film is really quite good.

Of course, the title doesn’t do much for it—UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN IT!

Get the picture?

Let me just say that the movie has already opened in a handful of major markets and has scored an impressive 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes—and deservedly so! Continue reading →

Be prepared…

The very first line in “GOOD BOYS” contains an F-Bomb delivered by a 12 year old. Also be prepared for 90 minutes of funny dialogue coming from an angst-ridden trio of young boys trying to fit into the present day moment.

But while many moviegoers will want to compare the comedy to 2007’s hilarious “SUPERBAD,” the “GOOD BOYS'” focus is more on tween complications of growing up.

Both films were produced by the comedy partnership of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

“GOOD BOYS” is a day in the lives of three tight-as-a-knot, pre-teen best buddies who would do anything for each other—and in any situation.

But with a so-called ‘kissing party’ coming up neither Max, Lucas nor Thor know anything about the art of lip-locking.

Panic anyone? Continue reading →

There are so many lessons here…

1. Conventional wisdom is oftentimes ignorance. All movements start from the bottom up, and most pundits don’t recognize it – they’re too busy hanging in the club. This is how it always happens in music and how it will happen again. And one thing we know for sure, radio will not be in the lead.

All phenomena start online, that’s where this year’s biggest hit, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” started – not even on YouTube or Spotify, but TikTok. Platforms change the sound. It’s McLuhan in action. And on streaming services shorter and more pays better than long and less. “Old Town Road” is not even two minutes long. And when it’s done you repeat it, not only embedding it in your brain, but causing Lil Nas X to make more money.

You’ve got to adjust to the new paradigm, the old one is never coming back.

2. You start off the radar. Especially today, when it’s so hard to get noticed. Traction happens way down the line. You’ve got to pay your dues and invest.

3. Warren enacted an all out ground game in Iowa. Knowing that it would pay dividends later.

Your marketing plan today is long instead of short. If the total effect is now, you’re losing. People want to be invested, they want to come on along the way, they want to spread the word, they want to own it. So when you carpet bomb, people notice and then they move on, there’s little sticking power. And, you’ve got to spend money to make money/have an impact. In the previous decade great was good enough. In other words, if your work was great, people found it and you. But not today, there’s too much in the channel, you’ve got to work it. The key is to establish a base audience, that you can depend on, that will keep your career alive.

4. People always say you’ve got not chance until you do.

5. The biggest media outlets are always the last to know. TV is too busy talking to itself and newspapers/print think about their audience first, they’ve got giant blind spots.

6. Sincerity triumphs. As does credibility. People have to believe in you. You create this bond when they see you. It’s all about personal interaction. Want to have a career? Go on the road and cement the bond, a hit single is not enough.

7. Everybody wants to get behind momentum, excitement, once you start to break through, you’re a phenomenon, you get the attention.

8. You don’t know who is gonna win until you play the game. Joe Biden was a shoo-in until he was not. History repeats, can you say Muskie, can you say Jeb Bush? Continue reading →