Friday, February 23, 2007

U.S. Out Of Europe!

I don't know how to say this, but I'm really starting to agree with Pat Buchanan more and more these days. He's a permanent guest on various programs on MSNBC, usually discussing the Iraq war, immigration, or some other foreign policy issue. While I would disagree with some of his views, he is spot on once again, this time in his column on the failure of Europe as a world power. Noting that European powers lack the will to support the United States in exercising military power, Buchanan calls for big changes in the U.S. role in Europe and NATO.

There is a larger meaning to all this, and Americans must come to terms with it. NATO is packing it in as a world power. NATO is little more than a U.S. guarantee to pull Europe's chestnuts out of the fire if Europeans encounter a fight they cannot handle, like an insurgency in Bosnia or Kosovo. NATO has one breadwinner, and 25 dependents.

Wow. This is powerful stuff, because it's a debate that our elected officials have been afraid to have since the end of the Cold War.

You can read the whole column here.

Monday, February 19, 2007

WDRE Remembered

One of the radio stations that was an essential part of the 1990s for me was WDRE-FM, whose passing 10 years ago this month will be marked by a reunion show on Y-ROCK on XPN on Wednesday.

In November 1992, the new owners of religious station WIBF (103.9 FM) in Jenkintown, PA decided to simulcast New York's WDRE (for "Dare To Be Different") into the Philadelphia market. For many of us, the "modern rock" blend was a welcome relief to the formulaic rock of WMMR and WYSP. The playlist was a mix of grunge and alternative: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Liz Phair, Cake, as well as "older" artists like U2 and REM. By the time the New York station reverted to its WLIR call letters, the station had developed its own local programming and identity. Bands like No Doubt and Garbage developed a local fan base thanks to exposure on 'DRE and Radiohead played at the station's Christmas show(!) at Egypt (a club on Delaware Avenue).

Then there were the DJs, who really seemed to be having a good time while keeping up on all this great music: Marilyn Russell, Dan Fein, Bret Hamilton, Jim McGuinn, Preston Elliott, Mel "Toxic" Taylor, and the morning show crew of Sarah, Vinnie, and Spike.
The stations was still, however, never a big ratings success, and in February 1997, station ownership announced that it was flipping the format to hip-hop. But, unusual for radio, it gave enough advance notice for the staff to plan one final, blowout concert - "Bitterfest" (featuring G. Love) - at the Electric Factory, on the last day. It sounded like a blast!

Thanks for the good times guys!

Modern rock wasn't quite dead in Philadelphia; Y-100 (WPLY-FM) would become the home for some of the jocks ... but that's a story for another day ...

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Comic Strip I Love: Get Fuzzy

Since I stopped subscribing to a daily newspaper in the late 1990s, I really haven't kept up much with the comings-and-goings in the comics world. I know "The Far Side" and "Calvin and Hobbes" are no longer around, but that's about it. When I occasionally pick up a paper, I check out "Dilbert," which is still around, and all-too-familiar. I also like a strip called "Get Fuzzy". It's drawn by Darby Conley, and features the adventures of advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two pets: Satchel Pooch (a dog) and Bucky Katt (a cat).

The three characters live in an apartment in Boston. The humor comes from the conflict between Bucky's and Satchel's personalities, which are extreme stereotypes of cats and dogs. Sweet, trusting, naïve Satchel (always with the wide eyes!) is routinely subjected to the exploitation of cruel, self-centered, aloof Bucky. Rob, the middleman, is pretty frazzled from dealing with them, or more specifically, from dealing with Bucky's destructive nature and overall nastiness.

Absolutely hilarious!

The "Get Fuzzy" website