3/4/2008 Donald Fagen on Ike Turner

Donald Fagen, half of the genius behind Steely Dan, has written an obituary of sorts for Ike Turner in Slate Magazine. It's an interesting read in that he doesn't gloss over the fact of Ike's cartoonish reputation as "blow-addicted megalomaniacal wife-beater," but Fagen does make a case that Ike deserves a little consideration for his leadership, organization, and execution as a struggling musician in spite of his marginal musical skills. Read it here.

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2/27/2008 Maceo is still amazing!

Maceo Parker—best saxophone in a funk setting? You could make an excellent case. He's still got it, although it was my first time seeing the legend. He played Antone's in Austin on 2/26/08 and was nothing short of amazing. Not only his chops, which are prodigious, but his band and his command of the audience. And he laid down the funk for two and a half hours before he even took an encore. Wow.

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1/29/2008 Shoes are My Achilles Heel

Recently, the Austin American Statesman's style reporter, Marques Harper, wrote a feature story on the state of men's soles in town. I was flattered that my reputation for fine footwear had gotten around. And it's true--a disc jockey always does a better show when he's wearing fabulous shoes...
See more here.

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1/28/2008 Another Year, Another Fire

Those of you in Austin are already aware of KOOP Radio sustaining its third fire in two years. This time, the most damning thing about it is that it was ruled arson—and by one of our own people! Many of us considered him a friend, and his confession couldn't have been more shocking since he seemed intelligent, funny, and an all-around fan of the magic of radio. The article in the Statesman is here.

In the meantime, KOOP has returned to the air thanks to local radio conglomerate Entercom's generosity. We also need to thank KVRX for ably holding our place on the 91.7 frequency, and for KUT in supporting KOOP during this time of trouble.