Stan Barer Dies

 We lost Stan Monday night.  He was 82.   He had been fighting cancer for well over a decade, seemingly winning every battle.  The last couple years were very tough as he lost his wife, Alta to cancer in 2019 and son, Aaron in 2020.

Stan was my cousin, my grandfather and his father were brothers.  Stan was brother to Burl and Jan.  We all grew up in Walla Walla.  Stan attended Green Park School and graduated from Walla Walla High School (Wa-Hi).

Stan left Walla Walla to go to the University of Washington.  After finishing law school, he joined the staff of Senator Warren Magnuson.  After playing a big part in writing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he would go on to become the senator's administrative assistant.  

Over lunch many years ago, Stan told me how he felt there was underlying discrimination growing up as he felt that many clubs had not picked him for membership because of his Jewish faith.  That apparently galvanized his commitment to civil rights. 

Stan became a Washington insider.  He was in the "kitchen cabinet" of several presidents.  He played a part in an historic trade deal with China.  He was written up in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin as an "expert on export".

Stan would go on to practice law in Seattle for several years in a huge firm known as Garvey, Shubert, And Barer.  He would also became part of the ownership group of Saltchuk Resources, which ran several local shipping companies including Totem Ocean Trailer Express and Foss 

With his wife, Alta, Stan became an active donor in the arts community, as well as many charity causes.  His donation to the University Of Washington allowed more students from around the world to attend. 

Stan also served on the University Of Washington Board Of Regents.  

Just last September, it was announced that Stan had won the Gates Volunteer Service Award.  

It seems silly, but one of my favorite memories of Stan was when we were going out for dinner with his mom, my Aunt Dorothy.  Stan and Alta had come to meet my then fiance, now my wife.  Stan and I were sitting on the couch dipping crackers into chopped liver at my aunt's apartment. On a more serious note, he was a rock of comfort in the deaths of both of my parents.  

A private service will be held this week with Stan's immediate family.  A celebration of life for Stan's large circle of family and friends will be announced at a later date

Stan will really be missed.

Pat O'Day Remembered.

I have spoken a lot about Pat O'Day in this blog.  I was fortunate to work for him.  I remember the excitement of working at a Seattle station.  It was not long after college and I was working for my father, at the same time, my cousin, Burl was working with me in that business in Walla Walla.  Burl was working weekends in Seattle at KYYX, flying back and forth.  Burl had told me about an entry level job at the station, which was owned by Pat.  I went to interview in the Spring, not hearing back from them.  That is until one August day, Burl came out and said, Mike, Elvin (the station manager) is on the phone.  There was a job open at KYYX if I could come up.   Having always wanted to live in Seattle, I enthusiastically accepted.  It was there, that I learned about how big Pat O'Day was.

I have been friends  with Pat's son Garry ever since we worked at the station.  I have been to the family ranch in the San Juan Islands a couple of times.  

Burl and Pat worked together at KJR   and formed a great friendship.  

With KJR bringing such a high share of the radio market, Pat was able to bring many Seattle acts to the national scene.    Pat became a close friend and confident of Seattle based Rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix (pictured with Pat below).  I was touched be hearing about how when Hendrix died in England, O'Day found there were no plans to bring his body back to the States. The record execs had bailed on him and his family couldn't afford to.  O'Day flew to England and paid to have Hendrix's body returned.

Pat was recently famous as the voice of Schick Shadel, the alcohol and substance abuse clinic. 

He was very present on Facebook.  He praised me for a video I posted a few years ago, thanking me for keeping memories alive.  

In a status update about a year ago, he chastised the mayor of Seattle and the city council, as he felt that the city government was letting the homeless problem get out of hand.    

Pat had a need for speed and loved Seafair, the Seattle Summer celebration.  He was the voice of unlimited hydroplane racing in Seattle for over 4 decades. Pat died two days after what would have been the Seafair unlimited hydroplane race.  This year's Seafair was cancelled because of the Corona virus. 

Burl Barer Mentions This Blogger In Podcast

Ok, I just blogged about him three days ago, but when I read that his podcast was going to be his story about how he broke in radio, I listened to see if he would speak about anyone that I am familiar with. As it turned out, he mentioned someone that I was very familiar with, Me.  

If you click here, you will hear about me about 5 minutes in.  

Puget Sound Media, one of the area's best radio-TV blogs, does a recap of the pod, along with a sound bite, which you can see and listen to by clicking here.   Thank you to Puget Sound Media for this picture. 

Popular British Actor Roger Moore Passes

Roger Moore, who played James Bond through most of the 1970s, has passed away at 89.  Although the movie character was originally played by Sean Connery, Moore's persona was pretty much how I perceived the James Bond character. After all, the first few Bond movies that I saw, starred Moore in the lead role.
 The suave British actor also played Simon Templar in the TV version of The Saint which was viewed both in America and in England.  He also played the part of Beau Maverick in American TV series, Maverick.    He did the intro to Burl Barer's True Crime Uncensored, of course Burl has written of both Maverick and The Saint.
Moore was knighted  by the Queen in 2003. 

Blues Superstar BB King Dies

B.B. King, who took the Blues into mainstream music after decades of playing, has died at 89.  I first heard of King while visiting my cousin Burl, who at that time (1970) was a DJ at KOL. Burl was visiting family and was talking about seeing King in concert.  He spoke about how great King was. 
Years later, King would release the hit "The Thrill Is Gone".  I got to see King in concert  at Bumbershoot in Seattle, 20  some years ago. King had been suffering from type II diabetes.

Kicking And Dreaming--The Story Of Heart

 

I first heard the group Heart when the song "Crazy On You" was played on the local rock radio station on the night of my high school graduation in Walla Walla.  Although it was on just a silly AM car radio, something really came through, a special kind of charisma that is heard to put into words.   That summer (1976),  I saw them again on the WSU public TV channel, the show was called Second Ending and the true talent of the group came across including Ann Wilson's ability to connect with the audience, I don't think the Second Ending was ever again able to live up to that episode. Ironically, I saw Heart perform live in concert at the University Of Idaho down the road from WSU in 1978.  Bottom picture is Heart's first album, autographed by it's bass player Steve Fossen, who I met at a Seattle after hours party.
"Kicking And Dreaming" is the latest book from Charles Cross, who has written about almost every iconic Rock act to come out of the Seattle area.  The story is actually told by  Ann and Nancy Wilson, the sisters who fronted the group.
Without giving away too much of the book before you read it, the Wilson sister were raised in a military family and moved many times, finding it difficult to make friends, the sister stuck together as a family, perhaps it was a positive for the act that they were unable to assimilate, that they would be able to carve out a niche of their own. 
The family finally settled in Bellevue and Ann was a high school outcast because of her weight issues. The girls were inspired by the Beatles.  They started performing as teenagers, when they played at their family's church, they played a rock song that emptied the congregation, much like John Lennon's famous spoken faux pas.
 The book chronicles the band's meteoric rise, their sudden fall, and how they were able to pick themselves back up and still today, be an act to be reckoned with.  Not always a happy story, they speak about gender discrimination by groups like the Marshal Tucker Band who pulled the plug on them while they were performing as a warm up band and heartache from broken love affairs and school rejection.  Nancy also speaks candidly about hear divorce from Cameron Crowe.
My cousin Burl Barer was listed in the acknowledgements as a contributor to the book as was my old boss Pat O'Day.

My Name Heard Around The World?

How many listeners does "Outlaw Radio" have? I wrote a thought on the guestbook on "Outlaw Radio" a crazy gathering of old DJs and LA characters that includes my cousin Burl Barer, heard only on the internet. I was a little shocked to hear them read the entry on the air. I was a little nervous that they may be a little less than nice, but Matt Alan, the host (pictured above) was actually pretty even handed and somewhat complimentary to me, preferring to use the opportunity to skewer Burl, which Alan does quite frequently. Who listens to Outlaw Radio? I don't know, but it's another couple minutes on my allotted 15.

Burl Barer--"The Day...."

Burl Barer took his readers down memory lane on his blog with this recollection from his youth.

"The older I get, the more I admire my parents and their friends, almost all of whom have passed away. My father was, above all, a good man. His honesty and integrity were without question, and his quiet kindness was a living example to me. There was only one time in my childhood when he broke my heart and reduced me to tears. That single event troubled me for years, and I never knew how to bring it up and resolve it.
About forty years after that event, my father and I were chatting and he asked me if there was anything he did, as my father, that I resented. “Yes, actually, there is only one, and I have never mentioned it. I also have never been able to let go of it ever since I was a kid.”
My father was immediately fascinated. “Tell me,” he encouraged. “Please, what was it?”
I was still a little kid - I was in grade school, and there was a party at our home. We had those often, and my parents would invite their friends. There would be food and drinks and wonderful conversations and eventually the men would play gin rummy. It was one of those nights, a lovely party, and in the living room Mr. Sam Taylor and Dr. Phillip Siegel were having a fascinating conversation about God, and our obligation to be of service to humanity. Every time Mr. Taylor said, “God” I found myself moving closer to him. I wanted to hear everything. I wanted to understand. I was drawn as if I were a a chip of iron and the word “God” was a powerful magnet.
As Mr. Taylor spoke, I inched closer. He saw my interest and encouraged me to move towards him. My dad happened to walk by, and noticing me standing in front of Mr. Taylor, said, ”Burl, move back. You’re standing too close to Mr. Taylor.” I dutifully moved back, straining to catch every word.
As much as I wanted to be a good boy, and keep my distance, I couldn’t resist. Bit by bit, I worked my way back until I was close enough to hear every word. It was then my father saw my manifest “disobedience.’
Dad lost his temper, swept me up and reprimanded me. “No, Dave,” said Mr. Taylor, “It’s all right. Really.” Too late. I was paddled on my little rear all the way down the stairs and into my bedroom where I sobbed and sobbed for what seemed an eternity.
My father listened to his adult son recount an episode he never remembered, and one I would never forget. “If it is not too late, “ said my father, “may I apologize? I was wrong. Please forgive me.” He meant it. Apology accepted. I hugged him, and held on tight. I still remember his arms around me, but most of all I remember his scent.
There are times when the longing to be with my father again almost overwhelms me. I replay memories of my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood -- significant events and insignificant moments. I watch old home movies occasionally, and there we are: my mom, dad, brother Stan and sister Jan. Then my nostalgia expands and encompasses grandparents and aunts and uncles, and friends of the family. All of them live on in my mind and my heart. There are times when time itself is malleable, my parents are young and vibrant, my brother and sister are living their high school adventures, and I’m the peculiar younger child standing amidst adults, fascinated by Dr. Siegel and Mr. Taylor talking about God.
“Tell me something funny you remember from when you were little,“ Dad requested, and the following brief anecdote popped into my mind. One Sunday evening my family had dinner at the Siegel home. They had a dog named Spot. After dinner, we watched Macbeth on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. When Lady Macbeth said “out, damn spot,” the dog got up and left the room. "

Burl Barer Tells How He Got His First Seattle Radio Job

It takes a real skill to get people to crack up at a friend's wake. Burl can do it. I had wanted to post this a year ago have finally figured out how to do it. It's Burl speaking at a memorial lunch at Andy's Diner (downtown Seattle) for Jerry Kaye.

How Burl Barer Got His First JR Gig

My cousin Burl Barer talks about how he broke into Seattle Radio

Burl And Isis

Burl Barer and ever faithful pal Isis where on the "Dog Whisperer" show on the National Geographic Network last Friday. We'll see how Isis can deal with her newfound celebrity.

My 15 Minutes Of Fame

I have written a little about my experiences with small town radio. Now it's my turn to talk about my short experience with Big Market Radio.
It was January of 1996 and I was working Inside Sales for The Phoenix Network, a Telecom Company with an office in Bellevue. Outside there suddenly was a heavy snowfall and we were given the option to go home. I certainly felt that having been stranded in a heavy snowfall before, that I should definitely not risk working all day and getting stranded in the evening commute. I got in my car and the radio was turned to 950 KJR. At that time, they were pretty new in the Sportsradio business. Apparently they could not get their satellite feed of the national syndicated show that they carried so the morning man was asking for volunteers from the audience to all come in and do a 15 minute radio shift. Now I had worked for KYYX in the early 80s with their operator assisted automation, but I was not actually on the air.
This was a chance for me for a very short time to star on my favorite radio station. I forgot safety and sped down to the KJR studios. The receptionist said that indeed, they were letting listener volunteers have 15 minute airshifts. I remember how Cousin Burl had written they he got his first KJR airshow by showing up while the all--night Jock was on vacation.
Doing talk radio, was much easier than I thought. I had a little trouble with working the telephones but it was a blast talking to the listeners. I did not get an offer for employment, but I did have the experience of a lifetime. I got to meet Mitch Levy, who was at that time the Midday day man and New York Vinnie who worked with me.
Unfortunately I did not have a cell phone at the time and was not able to call my friends to tell them to listen. I think Deb heard maybe the closing remarks.

Reunion

Sometimes I wonder if I accomplish much with having this blog up besides the chance "to blow my own horn." I stumbled upon Marcie's site and dropped her an e-mail saying how great it is. I also invited her to check my site which was new at the time. She noticed Burl's link, she had been friends with him but had lost contact over the years. I guess they got together over coffee and rekinkled their friendship. She thanked me recently and plugged my site.