A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to All

I wish all readers of Bruce's Journal, my Facebook page and Twitter feed a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.  Of course, I wish all my friends and acquaintances who are not on social media the same.

Visited the Guggenheim Museum Today

Today Karen and I visited the Guggenheim Museum as we saw the exhibit Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting,  Burri (1915-1995) was an Italian painter who was trained as a physician but gave it up in 1946 to become an artist.  His unique style used highly tactile surfaces drawing the viewer into a deeper sensory experience.

There was also a photography exhibition featuring ten artists who uniquely contemplate the nature, traditions, and magic of photography.

The last time I visited the Guggenheim was on Martin Luther King Day of 2013 when we saw an exhibit on Picasso.

Facebook Friends on the Radio

Bob Radil of  the 60s 70s Show on Rewound Radio featured above is one of many of my Facebook friends.  I just looked at my friend list and found so many who have been on the radio now or in the past.  I have decided to compile a list limited to those radio personalities whom I have met.  I will obviously not give their entire radio resume, but just say how I met them and my radio experience with them.  The list is in no particular order:

• Don Tandler - met at a few of the oldies meets and greets.  Pop Gold Radio and NJ 101.5
• Cousin Bruce Morrow - met at the Rewound Cruise in 2007.  SiriusXM, WCBS-FM, WABC
• Rich Appel - the only person who ever gave me a ticket to a Bob Dylan concert.  That Thing with Rich Appel on Rewound Radio
• Gary Brefini - I have never met him, but spoke to him once on the phone. He is a reader of this journal, Radio XL5
• Bobby Backman - Cool Bobby B - Another regular person at the oldies meets and greets.  The Doo Wop Stop on SiriusXM
• Alan Seltzer - oldies meet and greet - WCWP
• Scott Fybush - I last saw him at the Decalcomania convention in East Brunswick, NJ in July 1995.  WXXI Rochester and publisher of the North East Radio Watch
• Russ DiBello aka Famous Amos - Oldies Meet and Greet.  WCBS-FM and Jammin 105
• Tom Lawler - I just heard him today on WLNG.  I met him at the Long Island Radio Day at CW Post.
• Ron Parker - Met him at a WCBS-FM picnic in Staten Island some years ago.  Work at WCBS-FM.  I think he does part time work on NASH-Fm
• Jerry Barmash - Long Island Radio Day - WABC
• Broadway Bill Lee - Came to one oldies meet and greet - WCBS-FM
• Jim Kerr - Two oldies meets and greets - Q-104.3
• Pat St, John - oldies meet and greet. WCBS-FM and WPLJ
• Scott Lowe - oldies meet and greet - WBUX, Bucks County PA
• Kristen LaBar - oldies meet and greet - Fresh 102.7
• Joe Causi - WCBS-FM promotion at a Verizon cell phone store
• Bob Shannon - CBS Radio day at Yankee Stadium - WCBS-FM and WLNG
• Teddy Smith - the most recent oldies meet and greet - WPAT (AM)

Some Thoughts on Music Radio Countdowns

Back in the 1960s I used to love to listen to radio station countdowns.  Back then Dan Daniel on WMCA would count down the top 25 hits from 4 PM - 7 PM with Wednesday as the new survey day.  Likewise Tuesday was new survey day on WABC as it was introduced by Dan Ingram at 2 PM and counted down in order later that night by Cousin Bruce Morrow.  It was always fun comparing the surveys of the two radio stations.  At the end of the year the stations would compile the top hits of the year.

Let's turn the clock ahead 30 or so years ago as oldies stations would ask their listeners to vote for their favorite songs.  For many years In the Still of the Night by the Five Satins was the number one song voted by the listeners.  We never knew for sure is this was a truc countdown as we suspected that radio station would not include songs voted that were out of format.  When WCBS-FM returned from the dreaded Jack format in 2007 it was described as classic hits, not oldies and covered 1964-89.  Some how In the Still of the Night didn't make the survey.

For the past 18 years oldies enthusiast Mike Riccio and Tom Natoli have compiled a list of the Top 77 songs voted by  listeners.  Yesterday they appeared on Rewound Radio and played the top 77 with extras and gave a history of the songs that charted.  I certainly applaud their efforts and appreciate their enthusiasm.

In 2015 I just can't get excited over countdowns as I did when I was a teenager growing up.  Like A Rolling Stone was #20 this year, but I still like it no matter what number it reached.  There are plenty of other Dylan songs that I like better that are obscure and unknown to the casual listener.

My Son The Willie Nelson Fan at the Paley Center for Media

For the same reason Lee became a Johnny Cash fan some years ago, he has become a Willie Nelson fan.  We have a few of his CDs but no videos about him  For that reason we went to the Paley Center for Media today to see what they had.  We were there for over two hours and viewed the following:

• Barbara Walters interviewing him in June 1982
• His appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman in January 1994 and March 2006
• Saturday Night Live December 1977
• His July 4th Concert on the Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack (date unknown)

Christmas Day at the College Point Multiplex

I have mentioned the College Point Multiplex many times in this journal.  Now you can see a picture of it.  Anyway we wanted to avoid seeing the Star Wars movie the first weekend of its release.  We thought that on Christmas Day families observing the holiday would stay home all day.  We got to the theater at 11:30 to get tickets for the 11:50 show but found out it was sold out.  This was the first in years that we had been shut out of a movie at this complex.  We were able to get tickets for the 1:15 show and were able to walk back home instead of hanging around the theater.  I guess on Christmas Day everything else is closed so to get out of Mom's way while she is cooking dinner, the kids go to the movies.

I have seen every Star Wars movie since the first one in 1977 which I saw on my vacation that summer in Cape Cod.   I enjoyed the movie, but of course it is aimed at kids.

Comments on Off Season Moves by the Mets

I really think that in the off season so far the Mets have weakened themselves.  They traded Jon Neise for Neil Walker.  Since Steven Matz will be the left hander in the Mets rotation, Neise was expendable.  It remains to be seen if Walker will be a better second baseman than Daniel Murphy whose value on the open market likely increased with his performance in Division Series and League Championship series.  The Mets signed free agent Asdrubal Cabrera as their shortstop leaving Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores as backups.

They signed Alejandro De Aza to a one-year contract to play in the outfield.  I am not thrilled with his career statistics and if he will just platoon with Juan Lagares then this is a significant downgrade from Yoenis Cespedes who is obviously gone.

I think it was a good move to sign Bartolo Colon to a one year contract , but a think $7.25 million is excessive for him.  He will be the 5^th starter until Zach Wheeler returns.

Baseball salaries are excessive these days and the Mets among other teams have been burned by overpaying free agents.  Jason Bay who was given a large 4 year contract a few years ago did not work out.  Any team needs to take a risk.  I wish the Mets would have signed Daniel Murphy as he was with the team for several years.  We become attached to a player and before you know it they are gone.

The Mets lucked out by getting into the World Series in 2015 as they had the 5^th best record in the National League.  Had the Washington Nationals played as expected, the Mets would not have made the playoffs.

Before you know it pitchers and catchers will report for spring training and the 2016 season will be here.  We shall see what we shall see.