Two from THE KIND

There are few people in the music industry that I loathe more than Lee Abrams. He, of course, is the worthless fat-ass responsible for implementing uniform radio playlists across the country, thereby erasing any possibility of a station having any sort of "local flavor" at all.

Thanks to him, you can drive cross-country and still never hear anything more than the same ten songs that your hometown radio station has been driving into the ground.

See, long before radio became one indistinguishable Morning Zoo with more commercials than songs and began hiring DJ's who didn't seem to know or care what song just played, local stations were a great way to get a feel for the city. When you were in Chicago, you could turn to WLS or The Loop and hear bands specific to that region. When you were in Cleveland, the stations had a totally different vibe and their fair share of local heroes getting airplay alongside national hitmakers.



Thus, it was during those heady days of radio that I tuned into Larry Lujack's legendary radio show on Chicago's powerhouse rock station, WLS, and first heard "Loved By You" by a local band called The Kind. At the time, I didn't know they were local, though. They were treated like any other band given access to the airwaves and, to my ears, sounded like a band destined for greatness.

A week or so later, at my local Wonderland Discount store in Dowagiac, MI, I was taking a glance at the Top 40 singles list and saw "The Kind - Loved By You". I immediately asked the guy behind the counter for a copy of said single and immediately noticed that the 45 rpm record I held in my hands didn't carry the logo of any major label, but, rather, the band's own 360 Records label.

My first thought was that of amazement. Wow, a local Chicago band scoring a big hit without the help of a major label.

Being a kid stuck in smalltown Michigan, I was not able to keep fully abreast of happenings on the Chicago scene so my knowledge of The Kind was sketchy at best, and, sadly, remains so to this day. I did have the good fortune of attending a Duran Duran concert in Chicago where, unbeknownst to me, The Kind were the opening act. They took the stage with no introduction and immediately began delivering one thick, hook-filled slice of rock after the other.



After a couple songs, it began to dawn on me that these guys sounded just a tad familiar to my ears. I then became completely enthralled in their performance, wondering if, in fact, they were who I thought they were. I then heard the familiar intro to "Loved By You" and heard the otherwise dissinterested Duran Duran crowd suddenly jump to life. "Hey, we know that song", they seemed to be saying as their eyes darted from the glossy Duran Duran programs they'd procured in the lobby to the five guys on the stage. Then, as the song ended, they just as quickly returned to gazing longingly at John Taylor.

A week or so later, I grabbed a copy of their new album, Pain And Pleasure, when it landed in the bins at Wonderland and played the crap out of it for the next several months. I never heard another peep from the band and, by the time I moved to Chicago in 1986, they'd long since gone their separate ways.

What boggles my mind is that a band that enjoyed this level of regional success never got picked up by a major label while dozens of arguably less worthy acts got signed left and right. At the time, I remember there being a huge bias against Chicago acts by the major labels, but, for the life of me, I never knew why. Was it because past major label efforts by the likes of Off Broadway and Shoes had failed to set the charts on fire? Was it because A&R scouts were too lazy to venture beyond NYC or LA when searching for "the next big thing"?

By the early 90's, of course, Nirvana and Chicago's own Smashing Pumpkins brought alternative rock to the masses, thereby creating a signing frenzy that saw just about any Chicago band that had been together longer than two weeks land a major label deal.

Today, of course, The Kind remain almost a figment of my imagination. As a band that existed in a time when vinyl records and cassettes were the formats of choice, their music has yet to be made available in any digital format whatsoever, simply fading into the ethers like smoke from a cigarette snuffed out decades ago.

However, we at He's A Whore (with many thanks to our friend J.B.) are incredibly psyched to bring you mp3's of the band's two long-lost albums in hopes that you'll enjoy them even half as much as we have. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be turned on to a cool new band. Granted, The Kind are anything but new, but, hey, if you're just now reading this and discovering their music...then they're new to you. :)

ENJOY!

THE KIND (self-titled) (1982)

When You Rock
Loved By You
Last Letter
I've Been Around
Lose My Life
You Don't Love Me
Oh That Feeling
Total Insanity
Stop! In The Name Of Love

PAIN AND PLEASURE (1983)

I Got You
No Questions
Pain And Pleasure
All In A Dream
Take Me Down
We Can Work This One Out
Bad Dream
Ha Ha
In My Mind
Don't Fight It

Idiot Of The Week

Like most everyone else, when I first heard the news that noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. had been arrested after being asked to provide identification by a police officer who was responding to a 911 call, I assumed that yet another white police officer had acted in poor judgment and jumped to an improper conclusion based solely upon the race of a "suspect".

Prior to this story breaking, I knew nothing of Henry Louis Gates Jr., much less the police officer in question, but I quickly got the feeling that the noted professor is just as much to blame for making a mountain of a mole hill.

See, Gates jumped to the conclusion that he was being hassled because of his race rather than simply coperating with the officer. He failed to conduct himself in a quiet and controlled manner and - whether you are black, white, or purple - that's just not a great path to choose when dealing with a police officer.

To make matters worse, the President Of The United States responded to a question during a recent press conference by stating that the Cambridge Police Department "acted stupidly". Obama said so with absolutely no understanding of the event. This, of course, could be construed as "commenting stupidly", which is to say nothing of the questions itself being completely inappropriate at a press conference held to discuss Obama's plans for overhauling the nation's health care system.

Once informed of his monumental blunder, Obama then announced his desire to invite both Gates and Crowley to the White House for a beer.

How Presidential.

I say that with intended sarcasm because if Obama had been acting Presidential to begin with, he'd have sidestepped the question or, better yet, chided the jouranlist who asked the question for being incredibly out of line. It was a press conference about health care reform, for crying out loud.

Now, rather than continuing the debate about that very important topic, our esteemed journalistic community is going koo-koo for Cocoa Puffs over a total non-story that began when some blowhard with ten-too-many degrees decided to be indignant rather than cooperative because he saw himself as being above such scrutiny.

The thing is none of us are above this sort of scrutiny. For example, if I get pulled over for speeding and lose my temper with the responding police officer, I too can end up in jail. I say this having once lost my temper with a police officer years ago and ending up in jail. Cops don't respond well to f-bombs, go figure.

Where the @$#% was my invitation to go to the White House afterwards for beer?

The right thing to do would be for Gates to apologize for being an asshole. He'd just gotten back from a trip, was probably tired, maybe hadn't eaten since breakfast or something...happens to all of us...and wasn't in the mood to be hassled. But, hey, who ever enjoys being hassled by the cops? It doesn't give you, me or Henry Gates the right to go postal on a police officer just trying to do their job.

Dollars to donuts, though, Gates won't apologize and this will continue to push all sorts of racial buttons because, to put it simply, every touchy, self-serving, hair-trigger reactionary (I'm looking at you Al Sharpton) is determined to slant this non-story for maximum effect.

Awesome Rock Power Hour At 15

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your rears."

That's the way I heard it...turns out it was "ears". Truth be told, school was never my strong point. Anyhoo...we are back with another action-packed Awesome Rock Power Hour!

Our 15th installment sees Binky the Wonder Frog coming to terms with his burgeoning sexuality while also trying to jump without bumping his arse.

Okay, seriously...we play a bunch of cool tunes and your Master Broadcaster blabs endlessly about anything that pops into his demented mind.

ENJOY!

Len Kasper: Cubs Man, Music Fan

For a semi-obscure rocker such as myself, one of the few pleasures is getting messages from people all over the world who've somehow found their way to my music.

This past year, I returned to Chicago, where it all started for me, and began doing some live shows around town.

I also became hugely addicted to the Chicago Cubs TV telecasts. This was due in part to the fact that the Cubs were actually winning, but also that announcers Len Kasper and Bob Brenly made the games even that much more enjoyable with their informative and often humorous repartee.

So it was a bit of a surprise when, just after Thanksgiving, an email appeared in my in-box with the title "BIG FAN". I gazed at the name of the sender and thought nothing of it. Then, like a shot, it registered: "Len Kasper?!"

Needless to say, I was thrilled. It's one thing to get a nice email from anyone, but when you are a huge fan of that person's work, it just makes it all that much more of a rush.

A few days later, we met for lunch and geeked out over our love for a lot of the same bands. It was great discovering that not only was Len one of the best play-by-play guys in the business, he was also a "music guy".

Of course, I've taken full advantage of our friendship in getting him to consent to a little Q&A. I hope you enjoy it.

Q: As a play-by-play announcer for the Cubs who brings a wealth of knowledge and personality to the role, do you have any advice for anyone who aspires to become a play-by-play announcer?

Len Kasper: There are a million ways to answer this, but in a nutshell, I think these are a couple key qualities: 1) A passion for the game and the work. When you do this for a living, it's a career...it's not just showing up 15 minutes before the game and kicking your feet up and being a fan...it's a lot of hard work...it's wonderful work, but if you want to be the best you can be, you have to spend hours and hours and hours outside the booth doing your homework, and 2) Experience...I think many people think, given the opportunity, that they could just jump right in and do this without much practice. I thought that when I got out of college. Man, was I wrong! I think the saying goes, "If it were easy, anybody could do it." It's not rocket science, but it takes years and years of working your way up the ladder before you're going to get a chance to work on a big stage. This goes back to having a passion for the work. If you're willing to spend years and years grinding away, sometimes maybe for little (if any) monetary reward, it could pay off big time at the end.

Q: Who inspired you to become a play-by-play guy, and, perhaps related, who are some of your favorite play-by-play announcers?

LK: Easy answer--Ernie Harwell, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who worked for decades as the radio voice of the Detroit Tigers. He's always been and always will be my broadcasting hero. And as great a broadcaster as he was, he's a better human being. 91 and still sharp as a tack. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Ernie during our series in Detroit and it was a total thrill.

Q: Upon my return to Chicago last year, I quickly became addicted to the clever, laid back interplay between you and Bob Brenly (and the Cubs winning didn't hurt either). Is it just me or are the two of you total music heads?

LK: Uh, yeah, I'd say we're total music nerds! Bob has gotten me into some really great stuff over the years and I've introduced him to some stuff he hadn't heard before. We're big fans of the indie rock scene. Bob definitely is current in his tastes--although he's in his 50s, he's not stuck in 1975. If there's a new young band that has great songs, he's hooked. Me too.

Q: Before joining the Cubs organization, you enjoyed stints with the Brewers and the Marlins...what do you remember most fondly about those experiences?

LK: Milwaukee is where I got my start and I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity to fill-in on Brewers TV (without that, I wouldn't be where I am today). Tim Van Wagoner, who at the time was their director of broadcasting, really took me under his wing and there are many other important people in Milwaukee not only with the club but at WTMJ Radio (and before that, WISN Radio and before that, Marquette University) who helped me along the way. My Florida experience was incredible as well. That was my first full-time major league job. I was fortunate to be there during the 2003 World Championship season.

Q: Last time we did lunch, you mentioned that you were soon to begin a radio show on Chicago rock station WXRT. Crazy question: If you could only pick one career, would you rather by a play-by-play guy or a disk jockey?

LK: I'll keep my day job. Love doing the DJ thing for fun, but I get to do that for an audience of one (myself) in my car every day anyway!

Q: What are your top 5 Desert Island Discs?

LK: U2--Joshua Tree (listen to "In God's Country")

Replacements--Let It Be (listen to "I Will Dare")

Tommy Keene--Based On Happy Times (listen to "When Our Vows Break")

Romantics (s/t first record) (listen to "When I Look In Your Eyes")

John Coltrane--My Favorite Things (listen to "My Favorite Things")

Q: A few weeks back, Sammy Sosa was named as one of a hundred or so players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. What's your stance on this announcement and the shadow it throws upon Sosa's accomplishments?

LK: Unfortunately, anyone from the era who put up ridiculous power numbers has and will continue to live under a cloud of suspicion. Nothing really surprises me anymore in terms of who may have been doing it.

Q: As Cubs announcer, you spend as much time on the road as the players do. Is that something you like doing and how do you pass the time apart from the actual game?

LK: I do enjoy the travel. The only down side to this job is being away from my family for half the season. That part I don't like, but it comes with the territory. I have favorite restaurants and cafes I like to go to in the various cities and sometimes I venture "off-campus" so to speak and walk around and just explore. For the most part, though, being on the road means catching up on sleep and getting to the ballpark early.

Q: What is your favorite:

a) TV show: The Wire (sadly, the series has ended).
b) book: Shadow Divers (after reading it, I noticed the author was from Chicago, so I emailed him and we've become great friends--Robert Kurson).
c) way to spend the weekend: With a tennis match each morning...spend the afternoon with my wife and son and maybe catch a movie one of the nights.
d) childhood memory: Going on a couple baseball roadtrips with my family...one time my dad and I went to see the Twins and Tigers in Detroit during the day and then we raced to Cleveland that night to see the Brewers and Indians.
e) website: baseball-reference.com

Q: Anything you wanna hype to the readers of the coolest rock blog on the planet?

LK: Sure, our 4th Annual Len & Bob Bash for Chicago Cubs Charities is scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2010 at the House of Blues. Acts are TBA, but to give you a feel for the bands we've had so far--we've had headliners Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Son Volt and The Hold Steady and opening acts The Redwalls, The Felice Brothers and Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman). So, we've set the bar pretty high. Oh, and Bob and I and our rocking power pop trio from Milwaukee (from the band STaLL) will also perform a couple tunes as well just for fun. It's a great way to kick off Cubs Convention weekend and all the money goes to charity. Keep it tuned to our broadcasts and blog at www.chicagonow.com/blogs/len-and-bob/ for more information later this summer.

Thanks, Len!

Living With 'Let It Be'

1984 was the year I graduated high school. It was also the year that I heard The Replacements for the first time. The album was Let It Be and, to hear critics tell it, it was an album as close to perfect as anything those four Liverpudlian mop tops had ever concocted.

Naturally, I was skeptical and one listen proved that the critics were wrong. It wasn't perfect at all. In fact, it was a ragged mess held together by a healthy dose of spit and electrical tape, yet always on the verge of flying apart at any given moment. In songs like "Answering Machine" and "Unsatisfied", I heard and understood a level of desperation and disappointment that I had not yet experienced.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that I'm satisfied/Are you satisfied?"

Those days were still so full of discovery that failure and despair had not yet become a part of the equation, yet in the songs of Paul Westerberg, so many of us were able to feel every word as if it were a part of our very being. Of course, what makes it all the more remarkable is the fact that it was just a little band from Minneapolis making a little record for a little record label called Twin/Tone.
While the major labels spent millions hoping to come up with something capable of changing the world, these guys managed to do it on a shoestring budget and zero market research.

Who could've known that, by 1991, their entire look and sound would become a pose worn by a generation of self-conscious, whiny pretenders?

I can still remember the chill I felt the first time I heard "Answering Machine". Here was a song comprised of a single cranked-up guitar and a singer straining at every note. No drums or bass, but the truth is that if they'd been there, they'd have only gotten in the way. The message was so much clearer standing there in front of us, completely naked and thoughtfully brave. Not your garden variety brand of bravery, mind you, but, rather, the sort of bravery attained only after reaching the point where there is nothing left to lose.

I was twenty years from knowing that type of bravery when I wore out the grooves on my first copy of Let It Be. Over the years, I have bought and re-bought the recording on any number of formats…LP, cassette, CD, mp3…and I can honestly say that each first listen has, without exception, provided the same kick to the heart as any injection of adrenaline.

Several months after discovering Let It Be, my grandmother passed away. I had seen her recently at one of my band's first major gigs and I had been struck by how happy and alive she seemed. A couple weeks later, just days into her first real vacation in ages, she had suffered an aneurysm. At the dinner following her funeral, held at my parents' house, I tried to be social, but eventually fled to my bedroom. My girlfriend followed after me and tried her best to console me, but I was having none of it.

She finally walked over to the stereo and put on Let It Be, knowing how much I liked the album. She could have picked any number of albums that she knew I liked, but she chose that one. She then came over and sat next to me, running her hands through my hair, getting up only to flip the album over when the first side finished. We listened to the entire album in silence, but I felt the sadness give way to a wish that this moment would never end.

A few days later, she would surprise me with Replacements tickets. I should have married her. I often wonder whatever became of her and chide my former self for breaking up with her for reasons important only to a 19-year-old dipshit.
Truth be told, anytime I hear a song from Let It Be, I think of that moment…she and I in my bedroom, a cheap stereo breaking the silence, and, despite my grandmother's passing, the unwritten script indicating that it would be all downhill from here.
Now, don't get me wrong. Let It Be is by no means all heaviness and gloom. In fact, parts of it are downright joyous…flippant…and completely non-essential, but it's the best kind of non-essential. Like a joke that's true and funny that always makes you laugh, somehow managing to lift your spirits, even on your worst day.

That Westerberg was capable of touching upon so many emotions while also swinging the pendulum so wildly from that of introspective genius to drunken clown prince is still one of the greatest achievements in all of music.

Remember When Kim Wilde Was Cool?

Okay, if you're an American, maybe you don't remember when UK songstress Kim Wilde was cool. If anything, you probably only barely remember her cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" that was a Top 40 hit, mildly entertaining at best, and, most of all, far from cool.

Don't worry, I remember enough for the both of us.

Back when I was a kid and used to save up lunch money to go buy a new album sight-unseen at the local Wonderland discount store (long gone, rest in peace) in downtown Dowagiac, Michigan, Kim Wilde's debut album once stared at me longingly from behind the Molly Hatchet and Ted Nugent albums, as if to say "Buy me, I'm worth it."

Me being easily swayed by a pretty face, I slapped my money down on the counter and left with Ms. Wilde under my arm.

From the moment I dropped the needle on "Kids In America", I knew the price to own this album had been worth it. Wilde's sassy vocals matched perfectly with the energetic, high-energy production that would come to be known as "new wave". This was music to drive cars fast to, with the windows down and the radio blaring. If only I was old enough to drive.

Sadly, this wasn't the Kim Wilde that the world would come to know and love.

While "Chequered Love" and "Water On Glass" were big UK hits, they failed to make a dent on the US charts. Subsequent albums saw barely a Stateside release until her fifth record, Another Step (aka "the one with 'You Keep Me Hangin' On') put her smack dab in the Top 40 in America and around the world.

In doing so, though, Wilde was labelled a purveyor of pop schmaltz a la Samantha Fox, Stacey Q, et al and her brilliant early work has all but fallen by the wayside...until now, of course.

Her amazing debut album has now been remastered, expanded with bonus b-sides (like the "Water On Glass" B-side, "Boys"), and re-issued. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to hear how great these tunes still sound. Of course, now that I'm old enough to drive, you can bet that me and my little Rav 4 will be blastin' these tunes. If you happen to hear us pull up next to you at the next red light, give us a wave. :)

BUY THE CD NOW, YO!

50 Cool Albums for $5 Each

A few years back, when I was still desperately clinging to my remembrances of days spent scouring the bins at any number of favorite record stores, the idea of buying something from Amazon held very little interest to me.

While I admit that I'll still pay a couple bucks more at Best Buy if I can go home with a particular CD rather than wait a few days for it to arrive in the mail, I've gently warmed to the idea of buying mp3's lately.

Sure, you don't get the satisfaction of soaking up artwork, liner notes, and whatnot, but I've been considerably underwhelmed at what passes for CD packaging these days.

Now, if it's a re-issue with extensive liner notes, restored album packaging and additional extras, yeah, I'll garb the CD. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to make do with the mp3 version of said album. Truth be told, there are very few 'entire albums' I find myself wanting these days so I also reserve the right to cherry pick.

But, if the purchase price is, say, $5, I can definitely talk myself into popping for the full album, even when taking a chance on an artist or album of which I'm curios, or have heard good things about.

That's why Amazon's latest attempt to separate me from what little cash I have isn't actually that bad a deal at all.

Amazon 50 for $5 each



Most notably, I direct each and every one of you to pick up the new album by friend and living legend Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey called Here And Now.

As you may or may not know, both are founding members of seminal band the dB's (one of my faves) and this album is leading up to a full-fledged dB's reunion album that Peter promises will be complete by year's end.

And, if you're looking for any other He's A Whore-approved selections from the list, may we suggest Ben Lee's "The Rebirth Of Venus".

There's also some Beach Boys, Heart, Aerosmith, David Bowie and, sigh, Harry Connick Jr. titles.

I'm A Wreck

Songsmith Darren Robbins is back at it again, turning in the supersonic smash hit "Wreck". The only question that remains is "For Whom Will It Be A Hit?"

Expiring minds wanna know.

This Just In: Jackson Still Dead

For me, the death of John Lennon was a shocking and profound moment, where I am forever able to relive the moment I heard the news. For my mom, the same can be said of when Elvis presley passed away. Of course, I know exactly when and where she was when she heard the news because I was the one who told her after hearing it on TV.

And so it is for many that the passing of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009 will forever be remembered as a day of unspeakable sadness. His death, like his music, touched many, cutting across generational, ethnic, and geographic boundaries. Perhaps moreso than any other performer - even the Beatles or Elvis, or, sigh, Garth Brooks - he was a global phenomenon, adored by tens, perhaps even hundreds of millions of fans the world over.

As I write this, the news of his passing is mere hours old. I heard the news on a radio station while out running afternoon errands. Since returning home, I have avoided televised news coverage of the event. I imagine most within the news community are feeling the adrenalized rush that comes with a death of this magnitude.

For the 24-hour news networks who've no doubt sucked every last bit of marrow from the indiscretions of the latest politician to fall from grace, such news must be absolutely intoxicating. The only thing more sickening is the idea that millions will sit glued to their TV's for the next few days, hungry for some new morsel of information to prolong the buzz that pulses within them.

He's dead, though. What else is there to report?

"Well, maybe he commited suicide. Ooh, wouldn't that be juicy?" I actually heard someone say that only moments after his death was confirmed and I immediately felt ashamed to be of the same species as them.

While we humans have the ability to love our children and to lend a hand in time of need, we also have an insatiable need to be entertained. What seems to entertain us most, though, is celebrity misfortune.

Sadly, Michael Jackson's death won't so much bring a hint of sadness to our day as it will a sort of glee. Who, upon hearing of Jackson's death, didn't immediately ask their friends, co-workers or family members if they'd heard the news?

And of those who knew of Jackson but weren't big fans, how many will be rushing out to the store over the next few days to pick up one of his albums?

The man is dead and we are all ambulance chasers, every last one of us.

The Dandys Are Sound

Ah, yes...2002. Portland's esteemed psych-rockers the Dandy Warhols release their fourth LP, Welcome To The Monkeyhouse. It was an album that sounded unlike previous DW efforts and more like a Duran Duran record. That, of course, might have had something to do with Duran's Nick Rhodes being involved in the sessions.

Needless to say, it was an album that, as a DW fan, you either loved or loathed.

So, here we are some seven years later and the band is releasing their original mixes for the album on July 14th.

When Being Up To No Good Bites You In Da Azz.

This past weekend, former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was killed by a woman he'd been having an affair with just before she allegedly turned the gun on herself.

Naturally, as a lifelong fan of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, I was shocked and saddened by this news. McNair was still a young man, with a wife and four children, and a long life ahead of him. Now, of course, thanks to following his dick, he's a dead man.

Truth be told, I have not been above running around in the past, but I eventually...and it was really long eventually at that...came to realize that such antics were a display of poor character. I was better than that and, let's face it, any woman who's okay with being "the other woman" isn't exactly a shining example of pristine character herself.

I'm pretty sure McNair would agree with me. If he hadn't been shot to death by a woman he shouldn't have been with in the first place.

I don't mean to sound preachy. It's just that he'd still be here if he hadn't chosen to play with fire rather than stay home and play with his kids.

Now, as a result, they are without a father and will, at some point, come to understand the circumstances that lead to his death. No child should ever have to hear that their dad was caught up in some stupid shenanigans that led to him being taken away from them forever.

If only he'd thought of that before he decided to take the low road.

Parker Lewis Can't Lose...On DVD At Last!

The year was 1990. Fledgling network Fox unveiled a new show, called Parker Lewis Can't Lose, about three high-school chums who skewer "the establishment". Billed as an irreverent, intelligent comedy, I was not only surprised to discover that the claims were actually accurate, but that Parker (Corin Nemec), Mikey (William Jayne) and Jerry (Troy Slaten) would quickly become a fixture of my Sunday evenings. Did I mention that it was also a great excuse for me to resume my teenage crush on Melanie Chartoff (as the lusciously evil Principal Grace Musso), who had stolen my heart during her stint on "Fridays" many years prior?

Sadly, Parker Lewis lasted only three seasons, during which time the show stood as a valiant alternative to the usual sitcom fare until the suits at Fox retooled it to death in its final season. Imagine Miami Vice season 5...aka Don Johnson loses the pastel suits and starts wearing socks...and you'll get the idea.

Fast forward to the new millennium. My memories of the show having grown foggy, I search the internet hopelessly for evidence of its existence. I begin to think it was all just a glorious dream. Then, blammo, I discover that Season One has finally been released on DVD by the fine folks at Shout Factory! after years of legal red tape is finally ironed out.

Season One, of course, features 26 awesome episodes, as well as a nifty-but-all-too-brief bonus feature called "The History Of Coolness".

Total running time: 900 Minutes. No, really!

BUY YOURSELF SOME COOLNESS

For Your Listening Pleasure...

After a bit of a break to work on other things (with the proverbial promise of money held over me like a carrot on a stick), we are back with our first new Awesome Rock Power Hour after a couple weeks off. And, yes, I just referred to myself as "we". What made us do that, I wonder?

In this episode, Gimpy tracks down the mother who left him behind while Sapthong starts his first indie rock band with a stray dog and a glockenspiel. They immediately cut demos at a Chuckie Cheese and, a week later, take the blogosphere by storm!

Or not.

LISTEN