Pioneer Rock Figure Dies

Jack Ely may not have been the best known of the Northwest rockers, but his role was indeed important.  Ely was the lead singer of the Kingsmen, a Portland Oregon group, known for the hit "Louie Louie"
 The group was playing a club in Seaside, Oregon when they heard a version of the song by the Tacoma based band Rockin' Robin Roberts And The Wailers being played on the jukebox.Every time the song would come on, teens would dance.  The band learned the song and made a demo in which a Boston DJ played as a gag, listeners loved it so much that it soon became a hit record.  Many parents thought that the garbled words masked obscenities, but actually Ely had just had his braces tightened and had to tilt his head up to sing into an overhead mike. 
 By the time the song had become a hit, Ely had already left the band  He had had a falling out with the band's drummer over who should be the lead singer.  The break up was acrimonious and Ely formed his own version of the Kingsmen prompting a lawsuit. Louie Louie became a Northwest rock standard and can be heard during the 7th inning stretch at Mariners games.  At one time, a TV personality started a movement to have it become the state song of Washington.
Mr. Ely died last Tuesday lending a unique voice to Rock And Roll Heaven.

KYYX Jingles

Hard as it is to believe, I was working for that radio station in the early 80. It was a lot of fun!

1960's Olympia Beer Commercial

Olympia Beer was brewed just "down the road" in Tumwater, just outside of Olympia.  Here is one of their old commercials.

Teacher Brady Olson Prevents School Shooting

Brady Olson is a hero in every sense of the word.  The North Thurston High School teacher tackled a student with a gun perhaps saving many lives of students and staff.  The gunman, a student at the Lacey school, had already fired a couple shots in the air.  It is unknown if he was going to aim at students, but because of Olson, they are now safe and school can resume.

The Doors in Seattle 1968 Feast of Friends HD

I found this on Facebook and thought it was a great thing to repost.  July 1968, The Doors take a break from blasting the Establishment by enjoying tourist stuff in the Seattle area.

Long hair was still very unusual back then, so I wonder what the thoughts were that went through the heads of people on the monorail were, when the boys boarded.

Overpass Damage

A big hole remains in the I 90 overpass over Front Street in Issaquah.   This is from when a large vehicle took a chunk out. After the tragedy in Bonney Lake, one cannot help, but be concerned.

Jennifer Sutton For Issaquah City Council

Jennifer Sutton is running for Position 2 on the Issaquah City Council  I am supporting her not only because she is a friend, but because she is uniquely qualified to serve the city. She has a Masters in Public Policy from Pepperdine.  She also serves on the Issaquah Human Services Commission and is on the board of King County ConservationVoters.  She also has the endorsement of former Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger and sitting City Councilman Tola Marts.  
But what I think makes Jennifer the right choice is commitment, she will follow through with any task that she is given.  She also has a gift for motivating people and seeing hidden talents.
Her background includes working for former Senator Tom Dashle of South Dakota.
It's not all hard work and no play for Jennifer, she is a manic Seattle Sounders fan,

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 12

Dan Tory was a 1960s Walla Walla radio personality.  Mr Tory worked at different times for all three of the local stations, K-Hit, KTEL, and KUJ. Dan's sister, Jaynie Dillon, became well known in the Seattle radio field.  Jaynie sent this aircheck of his brother doing the "Road Show", the afternoon drive program that I remember Ken Brooks doing for many years.  Click here

Gary Winston & The Real Deal

My brother and I saw him last weekend in Walla Walla,  Gary Winston And The Real Deal!

Democrats Meet In Pasco

Rob Dolin calls roll as the Washington State Democratic Central Committee convenes it's spring meeting in the Tri Cities.  Chair Jaxon Ravens was pleased by the upstart Small Business Caucus that met in the morning, where the attendance jumped from 2 at the winter meetings to 15 at this one.  The body also strategized on how to win in traditionally Republican districts and of course, fundraising.

On Our Way To Dinner

Taken in Walla Walla, my brother Steve and I are on our way to the Red Monkey to  have dinner.

Gary Winston Rocks Walla Walla

After a meeting of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee meeting in Pasco,  I drove to Walla Walla to visit my brother and enjoy the vibrant  nightlife.

Barers Of Maple Valley Goes To Olympia

I fulfilled a lifelong dream to visit Olympia and watch the state government work.  I arrived  at the Capitol yesterday morning  (top picture) and visited our state senator Mark Mullet.  He spoke about his legislation to annex the controversial Doughnut Hole property into Maple Valley, allowing for a new high school. soon to be built.  The Doughnut Hole was the nickname of  a parcel of unincorporated property within Maple Valley and one of the area's biggest political "footballs".
I watched the State Senate convene (middle picture).  They were honoring organ donors, not exactly the most controversial topic.  They are nearing a completion of the session.
The day was completed with a tour of the capitol building.  Below is the statue of Marcus Whitman, a physician and missionary who settled in would become the Walla Walla area.

Lobbying In Olympia

King County Executive Dow Constantine adresses a rally at the  steps of the Washington State Capitol.  Constantine was speaking in favor of ending property tax constraints.

Erin Jones Meets The 5th District Democrats

When most candidates and office holders address the district meeting of the 5th Democrats, they usually speak and head to other meetings, Erin Jones, candidate for the position of  Washington State Superintendent Of Public Instruction, waited to be the last to speak.  After her speech, outlining her vision of  the future of public education in the state, Jones stayed for the entire meeting, which ran towards 10 in the evening.
Jones, a tall woman, tried out for two WNBA teams and played basketball in Mexico City at one point but decided that she really didn't want to make a living as a professional athlete, but as an educator.  She has previously worked for both present Superintendent Randy  Dorn and previous top Educator Terry Bergeson.  She was born in the U.S. but was raised in Europe. She speaks four languages.
 According to Jones, Dorn will not be seeking reelection.  The charismatic Jones was endorsed by the 5th Democrats.  The election for Washington Superintendent Of Public Instruction, a non-partisan race, will be held in 2016.

Veep Season 4

Veep, the HBO comedy about the behind the scenes of a fictional Vice President of the United States is back,  along with her barely competent, but lovable staff.
  I was somewhat disappointed with the season premier.  The VP Selina Meyer, who is played brilliantly by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is now president after resignation of  the sitting president, that was played out at the end of last season.  The transition and the establishment of new characters, took up much of the episode.  The premise, was great though as she learns what she can and cannot do as president.  That is played out by her teleprompter going blank as she begins her joint session of Congress address.  Virginia Podesta had a much more positive review of the episode, click here

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 11: Vintage KUJ

It's been awhile since I've posted anything from Joe Drazan's Bygone Walla Walla page.  This KUJ ad was published when Herb Studebaker owned the station. I believe he is the original owner of the station.  The year of this ad was listed as 1957.

Hilary Announces Her Candidacy

Hilary Clinton is officially in the race for president.  This will be Clinton's second attempt, after running into unexpected opposition in the last go round by then Illinois Senator Barak Obama. 
Clinton's perception seems to have changed a great deal during her time in and out of public office.  She has worked hard to overcome mistakes that she thought were responsible for hindering her first presidential campaign. 

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

After a day of warm sun,  cold rain alternatively,  a rainbow breaks out over Lake Sammamish where we are housesitting.

Jack Nicklaus makes hole in one

Although I was not a golf fan when I was a kid, two names transcended the sport, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. After many decades of golfing, Nicklaus gets this hole-in-one.   

Rick Carroll Left His Mark On Seattle Radio

He wasn't the most famous man named "Carroll" to work in Seattle, he really wasn't famous in the Puget Sound area at all, but because of the partnership of two of the most innovative radio people at the time, station owner Pat O'Day and LA based radio consultant, Rick Carroll, KYYX has a place in history as Seattle's new wave station.When I had come aboard at KYYX as a board operator, it was a top 40 FM station playing music similar to what many other stations were doing.   It had some of the old KJR DJs, as well as some other veteran radio voices. 
At a meeting at a Chinese restaurant (I think it was the Golden Crown), we were told that there would be a huge change.  We were introduced to Rick Carroll, who was program director at KROQ (K-Rock) in LA and told they were the hottest station in LA with a format known as "Rock Of The 80s.  This was a combination of New Wave, Punk, and a selected combination of other artists that seemed to define the young decade.  Many of the listeners of this type of music could be seen in the University District and Capitol Hill in Seattle.  It would be a huge change for a station that seemed to be marketed at the time to suburban housewives.
It was new and exciting, Carroll's role with the station was consultant as he spread the Rock Of The 80s format to other markets in the country.  The format was also boosted by the emergence of MTV, at that time, only playing music videos and becoming a visual source of new music.  After a few months, Time Magazine ran a story about him.  I remember him as a balding sharp tongued man who wore a Mickey Mouse wristwatch.
A few years later, I read in Rolling Stone that Rick had passed away, but perhaps had he not come aboard, KYYX may have become a forgotten radio station.

Maple Valley Has A Free Library

In the Lake Wilderness Arboretum, there is a "free library"built into a tree stump.  You can take a book as long as you leave one.  It is just off the Lake Wilderness Trail.

Courtney Thorne-Smith

When Charlie Sheen left the CBS comedy Two And A Half Men, for the most part, the laughs did too.  What once was a raunchy comedy, was just plain raunchy, except for one person who made it somehow worth, watching.  Lovely Courtney Thorne-Smith played empty nest divorcee Lyndsey McElroy,  The mother of Jake's friend, she somehow falls for hapless Alan Harper.  While it was unknown what she saw in Alan, the two seemed to have great chemistry as both knew that it was the best deal Alan could ever get.  Of course, Alan would continually blow it.  but once Lyndsey returned the first time, we knew she would always come back.
Courtney was born in San Francisco and grew up in wealthy Menlo Park.  She is a veteran of TV, previously best known for playing Alison Parker on Melrose Place.

The Veep Is Returning

Season 4 Trailer

A great show for a political junkie like me. The Veep will return to with a new season.  The resignation of the president has put the Veep in office. The amazing thing about the show is that it makes you like the unlikable.  Self centered Selina Meyers embodies everything people hate in politics and yet, you seem to root for her.

Def Leppard - Bringin' on the heartbreak '82

On a post from last week, I had talked about listening to the Mighty Met when I was in LA.  This song was frequently played, "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" by a group I had not heard of at the time, Def Leppard, brought a new more hard driving rock sound than what I had previously heard.

Cynthia Lennon--John's First Wife

Cynthia Lennon, the only Beatle wife when the band broke out, has died of cancer at 75,  The mother of Julian Lennon, who had brief success as a recording artist in the 1980s,  Cynthia and John divorced when he fell in love with Japanese artist Yoko Ono. 
Born Cynthia Powell, she is the third Beatle spouse to lose a battle with  cancer.  Ringo's first wife Maureen and Paul's wife Linda have also died since the group's break up.

Happy Eastover

Both Passover and Easter can be celebrated today!

The Trend LA: Bruce Ferber's Story Continues

WSU Graduate, turned E! Network producer, writer, and reporter, Courtney Harvey, shows her on-camera chops with this interview with comedy writer turned novelist Bruce Ferber.

KMET RADIO 94.7 THE MIGHTY MET TRIBUTE

It was tasteless, tacky and so entertaining.  After college, I spent a little time in LA, looking at possible employment opportunities.  The Mighty Met was continually blasting on my car radio.  I remember the billboards on the the street intentionally put upside down. 

Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

This song will always remind me of visiting my departed friend Mel Odom in the KUGR studio as a Freshman.  The album "Songs In The Key Of Life" by Stevie Wonder was big.

Burl Barer Featured

The SeaTac Media blog posted a feature on my cousin Burl Barer.  It contained an old newspaper column and a snippet from one of his shows.  You can see and hear it by clicking here.

Lee Goldberg: The Story behind THE WALK

Lee Goldberg does a great job of explaining the idea behind his bestseller "The Walk"

Don't Believe Everything You Hear Today!