Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Posting this post on my blog to share some pics with other Disney fans from http://www.passporter.com/ (If you are not a Disney fan....disregard the link....you would not get it)

Now Here's A Guy Who Decided To Retire...

John Madden. A legend. Maybe for only being the guy that was out there to state the obvious.

"If this team wants to win, they're gonna have to outscore their opponent".

"If your arm gets hit, the ball will not go where you want it to."

"“Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they're bigger than everybody else, and that's what makes them the biggest guys on the field.”

That is the fun guy that we all know and comedians make fun of.

The real John Madden was a guy that did things his way. Kind of like Steve Cannon in my last post. John hated flying so he got a big motorhome and traveled in style. He was his own man, his own style.

This made me begin to think about the pop culture we have today. Legends keep retiring and / or dying. How will we replace them?

John Madden. Howard Cosell (a while ago but still applies), Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Paul Harvey, The Rat Pack, Garth Brooks (OK, that was only there for Al).

Who is original today? Apparently nobody because we are forced to allow their children to replace them. Paul Harvey's son even tries to put the same inflection on the words as his dad. Kenny Albert is a loser version of his father. Joe Buck is NOTHING compared to his father Jack.

What gives them the right to become the next guy? Talent? No way in hell. It is their name and the fact that there is nobody original left in entertainment, sports or comedy today. Music is diluted crap. Everyone uses the same beat, same lyrics and same voice treatments as the guy before.

Sports announcers are just has beens in the game without any talent for actual announcing.

We are so washed out by the big guns that we don't allow anything unusual or new today. If Madden was just starting today, would he get the gig? Would Paul Harvey get a job doing Newsss if he auditioned today? I bet no to both. We are 233 years old as a country and have run out of ideas for creativity. It was a good run I guess.

Steve Cannon - Radio Legend

I had a dream of being on the radio. I loved talk radio. Even living up in the middle of nowhere, WCCO was always on. 24/7/365 on our 5 foot long "Hi-Fi". Boy, that thing (now at my sister's cabin) sure is a throwback to the days when a radio was a piece of furniture. But I digress.

When Jessica and I moved to the cities, I was faithful listener to The Good Neighbor, WCCO. Dark Star (before he turned into a shill), the Morning Show with Dave Lee (better when it was Boone and Erickson) and the good old Cannon Mess in afternoon drive. I probably had my chance at radio with some connections at KSTP in town but I did not pursue anything. I guess you can say I have made up for that with my DJ business. Not even close to the same but it gives me that outlet.

Today, I am a Howard Stern fan. I find terrestrial radio painful to listen to. I liked radio back then because it is not what it is today. It was guys like Steve Cannon and Dark Star being renegades. On KSTP, Tommy Mischke (recently fired) was that guy. It does not surprise me that one of the very few people that Steve Cannon stayed close with is Tommy Mischke. They are cut from the same hunk of fabric.

Loners. Their way. Different. Rebels. Anti Institution.

Steve Cannon did his show alone. Well, him and his characters that certainly more than one person believed was real. Backlash LaRue. Ma Linger. Morgan Mundane.

He declared himself King of the Kilowats....the Prince of the Airwaves. He even dodged his own farewell party by signing off one day earlier than planned.

He signed off every day with, "I've got the money" or some variation like "I've got the sheckles".

On his last day, he said, "I've got the memories".

No, Steve. We do.

RIP Steve Cannon. You were truly one of a kind. I am glad to have been able to listen all of those years.