NOTHING NEW UNDER SUN

I thought the fake reviews of the Family Circus book was so funny, I posted about it below.

But now I've learned the phenomenon has been around for years. Here's a 1999 article about it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

And here's a 2002 online interview with Bil Keane in The Washington Post. He's good a good sense of humor about the whole Amazon thing.

I also learned that other Family Circus books have whacky customer reviews in Amazon.

Still pretty funny though ...

I'M A TEAM PLAYER NOW

For the last several months I've resisted putting my radio show play lists on the KSFR web site. There were several reasons. For one thing, I post them on this blog. But most importantly I resisted because initially we were told that we had to include a UPC code number or catalog number, which apparently was for the benefit of the Recording Industry Association of America. And if we didn't include these numbers, the entry would be blank. This was bad news especially for those of us who ocasionally use home-burned CDs or (shudder) bootlegs.

So I refused to go to all the extra trouble of typing in a bunch of numbers for the RIAA's benefit. But checking out other KSFR play lists, I noticed others didn't have that info -- and no entries appeared to be missing.

So I created lists for last week's Santa Fe Opry and Terrell's Sound World.

I'll try it for awhile. But I'll keep posting my lists on this blog too.

HOPE, FAITH & CHARITY

I just became aware of a new organization called H.O.P.E. that has a program to bring relief to a sadly forgotten class of victims. Tsunami survivors? Nope? Iraqi children wounded in the crossfire of war? Naw ... Mudslide victims in California? Nope, they've got to look for "HOPE" elsewhere.


No, H.O.P.E. (Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment)is "an association of entertainment and media professionals, students, journalists, and citizens that are fed up with the face of popular culture and mainstream entertainment" who are dedicated to bringing "quality to the world of entertainment while working outside of the traditional network, record label, and studio structure." They're not a right-wing "Let's Beat on the Dixie Chicks" bunch who believe Sean Penn and Barbra Streisand are the gravest threats to democracy. H.O.P.E. is taking on the more serious issues of annoying celebs and talentless pop singers who suck regardless of their political views.

And H.O.P.E. is putting their money where their proverbial mouth is. They don't just make fun of Paris Hilton and Britney whatzername. They've actually set up a CD exchange for disgusted ex-Ashlee Simpson fans. That's right, you can send them your old Ashlee CDs and get some good music -- Elvis Costello, The Ramones, X, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Mr. Bungle and Ray Charles are among those named -- in exchange.

I wonder if tsunami victims can send in Ashlee Simpson CDs in exchange for, say, sanitary drinking water ...

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, January 9, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Now Webcasting
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell


OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Nixon Tribute
One Tin Soldier by The Dick Nixons
Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Nixon's Dead Ass by Russell Means
Watergate Blues by Tom T. Hall

Oops! I Did It Again by Richard Thompson
She's 19 Years Old by Muddy Waters
Oh Sweet Mary by Big Brother & The Holding Company

Mack the Knife by Kazik Staszewski
Nothing Is Impossible (from Zakhmee soundtrack)
Theme From Burnt Weenie Sandwich by The Mothers of Invention
Is She Weird by Frank Black & Two Pale Boys
Contraflow by The Fall
Things We Like to Do by NRBQ

Elvis Tribute
(All songs by Elvis Presley except where noted)
Listening to Elvis by Ed Pettersen & The High Line Riders
King of the Whole Wide World
Reconsider Baby
Trying to Get to You
True Love Travels Down a Gravel Road
The Pelvis (Medley: Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Suspicious Minds) by The Ditch Bank Okies
Follow That Dream
Elvis Is Everywhere by Mojo Nixon
(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me)

Running From the Baron by The Winking Tikis
Yen on a Carrousel by David Holmes
The Darker Days of Me and Him by P.J. Harvey
Dream Scream by Death Cab for Cutie
Like Little Willie John by Mark Lannegan
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, January 6, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Now Webcasting
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Paradise by Lynn Anderson
Diggy Diggy Lo by Doug Kershaw
It's Not Easy Being Green by Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys

Rex Hobart Live Set
Don't Make Me Break Your Heart
Gotta Get Back to Forgetting You
I Just Lost My Mind
Let's Leave Me
You've Got Some Cheating To Do
Motel Time Again
Forever Always Ends

It Won't Be Long (And I'll Be Hating You) by Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys
I Drink Too Much by Cornell Hurd
Texas Honky Tonk by Justin Trevino
Mike the Can Man by Joe West
Pecos River by The Bubbadinos

Bonanza by NRBQ
Ringo by Lorne Greene
Dan Blocker by Gurf Morlix
There Oughta Be a Law Against Sunny California by Terry Allen
It's Only Make Believe by Kelly Hogan & John Wesley Harding
Train From Kansas City by Neko Case
Rich Man's War by Steve Earle
It Came From the South by Big Al Anderson
God Has Lodged a Tenant in My Uterus by Tammy Faye Starlite

Terrier by The Moaners
You Win Again by Mother Earth
Walk You Home by Marlee MacLeod
Wide River to Cross by Buddy Miller
Black Haired Boy by Grey DeLisle with Murray Hammond
God Walks These Dark Hills by Iris DeMent
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

PUNDIT PAYOLA

My former colleague Greg Toppo -- who worked at The New Mexican in the 1990s and now writes for USA Today -- has a fascinating scoop today concerning right-wing pundit Armstrong Williams (pictured here) getting a $240,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Education to promote No Child Left Behind.

Read all about it here

FAMILY CIRCUS

This book is getting rave reviews from customers.

(You better read it fast before Amazon wises up ...)