2021 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming Weekend, WCWP’s 60th Anniversary October 19, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Aviation, Football, Health, History, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Rock, Sports, Technology, Travel, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
After a year away, Homecoming Weekend was back in full force! And WCWP’s 60th anniversary on Monday made it a four-day weekend!
It was my first time back on the campus of LIU Post since October 28, 2019 – a week after the last Homecoming – with Ryan Grabow.
On Thursday, October 14, I charged up my camcorder and changed batteries in the shotgun mic and audio recorder. I also charged up my GoPro Hero 7 for multi camera production, but didn’t use it.
Friday, October 15
I left for LIU Post via Uber at 10:30. Upon arrival, I gave my COVID-19 self-check form – which I filled out before I left – to the gate attendant. Then, I was driven down to WCWP in the Abrams Communication Center. I immediately went to work as Art Beltrone and Hank Neimark pre-recorded an interview in studio 1 for Monday’s 60th anniversary broadcast. The guest and recorder was Samantha “Sami J” Negron.
Here is the interview:
After that, I moved my equipment into studio 2 to record part of Art Beltrone’s solo show, WCWP’s Early Years, which kicked off the 60-hour (hey, 60 hours + 60 years!) Homecoming Weekend programming block. Jeff Kroll was the board operator and his wife Pat was producer.
Hank Neimark was Art’s first guest:
Jay Elzweig introduced the songs, all from 1961, the year WCWP signed on:
Several WCWP alumni were interviewed via Zoom:
Two of the Zoom guests were Stewart Ain…:
…and Steve Radoff:
Another show feature had Art reading Post Pioneer newspaper articles. This one was “Message to the Students from the Provost”:
Jay showed off his t-shirt:
The show closed with a preview of 4:00’s Strictly Jazz with John LiBretto and Hank Neimark:
Art also asked Jeff and Pat Kroll their thoughts:
After Art’s closing remarks, the show was over.
Here’s video of portions of WCWP’s Early Years:
Joan Yonke, LIU Post Campus Director of Employer and Alumni Engagement, dropped by the station during Early Years and came back again afterward. It’s always nice to see her.
While the pre-recorded WCWP Career Paths with Bill Mozer ran, I took some photos in the lounge area:
Here’s Homecoming Weekend coordinator Zach’s dog Diesel:
Strictly Jazz started a few minutes after 4PM due to technical difficulties, but ran without a hitch after that.
As you saw, Jeff Kroll ran the board again.
Joining John LiBretto…:
…and Hank Neimark…:
…was Rita Sands, appearing by phone.
They spoke to Jon Korkes via Zoom (after John held Jeff’s “un-mute” message up to the webcam):
They spoke to me in studio 2:
And after my dad picked up to drive me home, Ted David on Zoom:
Here is my video of the first hour:
And the scope of the entire show, just as in 2019 when it aired before mine:
10/20 UPDATE: John Zoni took over studio 2 at 6PM:
Sami J was on at 8PM with Total Access:
My friend and ardent supporter Jay Mirabile had a special edition of his DFK Show at 10PM. Here’s a photo he posted with Sami and Peter Sacoulas:
And his aircheck:
Saturday, October 16
I spent much of the morning editing media and drafting this blog post. I left for Post, this time with my dad, shortly after 1PM.
Both gates were open with no need to check in. So, when we got to campus at 1:30, I photographed the turn into the east gate:
Bernie Bernard and Adam Smook were congregating in studio 3. Adam and I are both from Wantagh – Wantagh Woods, at that! – as we discussed. We also talked about fellow alumnus Frank D’Elia, who worked with Adam at WOR and then WABC.
Jay Elzweig and Jett Lightning came in, as our WABC discussion continued, eventually turning to jingles. Bernie mentioned how JAM Creative Productions recorded a name jingle for her. That jingle has become part of her annual Homecoming Weekend show, which airs after coverage of the football game.
The LIU Sharks‘ Homecoming football game was against the Merrimack Warriors. Merrimack won convincingly 43-5. The Sharks only got a safety and a field goal. I walked toward Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium during the third quarter.
I planespotted to and from Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, watching planes turn toward JFK. This is Delta flight 169 from BCN (Barcelona El Prat Airport):
JetBlue flight B6192 from ACK (Nantucket Memorial Airport):
Carnival attractions in the parking lot:
“Hoco”? That’s a new one on me.
The stadium entrance:
A play on Bronko Piersall Field:
The scoreboard:
The new press box and stands:
The opposite side:
That’s enough for me. Back to the station.
Emirates flight 201 from DXB (Dubai International Airport):
Jeff Kroll told me he’s been on that flight in the past, all 13 hours of it.
Delta flight 858 from ATL (Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport):
Delta flight 4721 from BNA (Nashville International Airport):
WCWP’s transmitter:
When the game was over, I got to work photographing the postgame show, hosted by John Zoni:
Here is my aircheck of the postgame show, which includes final thoughts from the broadcast booth by Tom Scavetta and Alex Damiris:
Next, the aforementioned Bernie Bernard:
The first page of her playlist:
Jett Lightning was Bernie’s first guest:
Then, me:
Meanwhile, WCWP’s internet station, The Wave, hosted a barbecue outside. Zach was the grillmaster:
Dave asked for a picture:
Seconds later, Qatar Airways flight 701 from DOH (Doha Hamad International Airport) was flying about as low as the earlier Emirates plane:
Jeff’s been on that flight, too. It’s 14 hours long! Nonetheless, he raved about their service.
One last Delta plane: flight 1984 from SAL (San Salvador International Airport):
Back inside, John Zoni and Lew Scharfberg wrapped up the bagels from earlier in the day:
Jay Elzweig was the last of Bernie’s guests that I photographed and video recorded:
In addition to reminiscing, he gave the weather forecast, right up my alley as a fellow weather buff:
The weather Friday and Saturday was warm and a little humid, but a cold front came through Saturday night, leading to seasonably mild and dry conditions Sunday and Monday.
Video of all three segments (my vidcap is the thumbnail):
I chose to leave earlier this year, but there was more to do before I left.
I photographed Art Beltrone’s interview with Nick Mattina and Griffin Ward:
Art:
Nick:
Griffin:
Art’s notes:
A candid shot of Art’s off-air conversation with Lew Scharfberg:
Then, I recorded Art’s interview with me. Here are vidcaps:
…and the video itself:
I mentioned Dan Cox’s predecessor as WCWP’s Director of Broadcasting, and Dan himself who has held the position for 19 years and counting, but forgot to acknowledge Joe Manfredi, the Director of Operations when I was a student. He’s my fellow 2021 WCWP Hall of Fame inductee along with Jay Mirabile. Participating on Zoom during the broadcast to remedy my omission voided the chance for this interview to air; no double-dipping.
Finally on Saturday, posed photos, starting with Peter Sacoulas and Sami Jo Negron:
Me with Peter and Sami:
John Zoni:
…and Tom Scavetta:
Art Beltrone, Bobby Guthenberg (a.k.a. Bobby G.), Joel Mahan:
Art, Bobby G., Jerry Reilly, Joel:
I met Joel and Jerry in 2019 and was so glad to see them again this year. Joel was eager to listen to my regular Wednesday night show and Bobby complimented my work.
Jett Lightning and Jay Elzweig:
Bernie Bernard:
Bernie and John Mertz:
A candid shot of Art Beltrone and Alan Seltzer:
…and posed:
And with my dad having arrived in the parking lot, the last photo was me with Bobby and Alan:
Like Art at the end of his interview with me, Bobby thanked me for everything I do. I told him I appreciate that.
It’s an aircheck palooza from here on out, except for any photos I find in the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group. To that end, here’s a photo of another guest on Bernie’s show: her former student Joe Connelly:
Alan Seltzer and Bobby G., followed by just Alan:
And Bernie’s outro:
Bobby G. and Mike Riccio were next at 7PM. Here is a scope of their first hour:
Again, courtesy of Bernie, it’s Bobby and Jett:
Mike Riccio:
And the four original hosts of The Rock Show: Bobby, Mike, Alan and Bernie:
A partial scope of Alan’s 10PM show, Seltzer with a Twist:
Sunday, October 17
Once again, I spent the morning editing content from the day before and the aircheck of Instrumental Invasion. Full details about the show are in a separate post, but here’s the scoped aircheck:
I airchecked a handful of Sunday’s shows, also of the partial scope variety. Jay LaPrise was on at 8AM with The Why I Work in Television Radio Show:
At noon, “Jammin'” Jamie Mazzo and Sara “Sadie” Dorchak hosted The Ladies of Prison Break Radio. This is a partial scope, but a long one: 49 minutes. The aircheck begins with a trailer-style Homecoming Weekend promo voiced by Zach:
10/20 UPDATE: Next, at 4PM, Joseph P. Honerkamp. You can call him Joe. Here’s a full scope:
Jett Lightning came on at 6PM with Lightning’s Hits and Rarities Reliquary. As you’ll hear, Jay Elzweig – weather forecast in tow – joined Jett later in the show:
Rock ‘N’ Soul Gospel followed at 8PM, hosted by Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh. His scope includes a community calendar spot voiced by me and a promo for Monday’s 60th anniversary special voiced by Jeff Kroll:
And as midnight approached, Zach wrapped up the weekend that was:
Monday, October 18
I had yet another morning of editing; in this case, Sunday’s aircheck scopes heard above.
Noon came, and so began the WCWP 60th anniversary broadcast, hosted by Art Beltrone and Hank Neimark, board operated by Jeff Kroll, and produced by Pat Kroll; same as Friday.
My initial plan was to listen to the stream, but as noted earlier, I joined in on Zoom. Here are some screencaps:
Show timeline:
- Introduction with sign-on audio
- Dr. Jennifer Holmes, Dean of Arts, Communications, and Design; and Michael Berthel, Chief of Staff and Vice President for Student Affairs
- Hank counts down to 12:15, pops champagne, cuts cake
- Dr. Kimberly Cline, LIU President
- Jeff Kroll
- Dan Cox, WCWP Director of Broadcasting, reads citation from Nassau County Executive Laura Curran
- Hank Neimark
- Bruce Mahler (via Zoom)
- Jon Cole (via Zoom)
- John Commins (via Zoom)
- Joel Feltman (via Zoom)
- Diane Taylor (via Zoom)
- Stewart Ain (via Zoom)
- Joe Honerkamp (via Zoom)
- John LiBretto (via Zoom)
- Jon Korkes (via Zoom)
- Rita Sands (on the phone)
- Bernie Bernard (recorded Saturday)
- Jeff asks Art and Hank to share their recollections
- Harry Lowenthal (via Zoom)
- Mike Chimeri (via Zoom)
- Bobby Guthenberg (via Zoom)
- Zach Parker
- West Side Story opened in theaters the same day WCWP signed on
- Alan Seltzer (via Zoom)
- Ted David (recorded via Zoom)
- Jeff’s recollections, John Commins and Mike Chimeri’s interjections
- Aleen “Junie” Thomas (via Zoom)
- Dr. William Martinov, LIU Director of Athletics (recorded Saturday)
- Andrew Scarpaci (recorded Saturday)
- Art and Hank re-read citation
- Pat Kroll
- Joe Honerkamp and Stewart Ain share stories about Mrs. Abrams
- Lew Scharfberg (via Zoom)
- Bruce Leonard (via Zoom)
- Fred Gaudelli (via Zoom)
- Bill Mozer (on the phone)
- Jon Cole, Mike Chimeri, Fred Gaudelli, Joel Feltman speak to Bill
- Elise Person (recorded on the phone)
- End
The show was 2 1/2 hours, but I’m posting audio in three parts. Here’s part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
And my pre-record-voiding appearance:
Pat Kroll also took several photos, starting with the cake:
Art with the cake:
Hank, Jeff, Art:
Hank cutting the cake:
Dr. Cline:
Dan Cox reads County Executive Curran’s citation:
The citation:
Thank you very much for reading, viewing, and hearing all the way to the end. To repeat myself, I greatly appreciate the support I get for the work I do. This was a labor of love and friendship.
60 cheers to WCWP! See you next year.
Instrumental Invasion, 10/17/21, 2AM (Homecoming Weekend) October 17, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Technology.add a comment
In the past, I talked about my Homecoming Weekend shows in posts dedicated to the weekend, but now that I have posts dedicated to each week’s show, I figured I’d make one for this show. (Here’s the weekend recap.)
The 2021 WCWP Homecoming Weekend edition of Instrumental Invasion was mainly recorded on September 26 with the last two talk breaks done on the 27th. Tweaks to the second hour were recorded in the early morning hours on the 28th during a bout of insomnia. Ironically, I suffered from insomnia again as this show aired.
The playlist was created on September 23 with annotations on the 24th and 25th. Since most of the music was from previous Wednesday night shows, the script was drafted by copying and pasting from past scripts. It was tweaked on the 24th before recording. I was amazed how quickly I breezed through. I figured I would work on the November 17 special on the 27th and record the last two talk breaks with ease later in the day. Unfortunately, I made a clerical error on the playlist. I should have put “3:18:59” after “Travessia” by Gregg Karukas. That mistake made me program for three minutes I didn’t have. I spent nearly an hour replacing the Paula Atherton song, writing replacement annotations, rewriting the talk break script, and attempting a hurried talk break record. The overnight tweaks allowed me to keep in most information and record a relaxed talk break. (If you want the full story behind “Travessia,” “Bridges” in English, listen to the April 21 aircheck.)
Zach, the Homecoming Weekend coordinator, referred hosts to Google Drive folders with liners to use in our shows in addition to the ones I already had. That’s why I included “double play” and “it’s a triple play.”
I misidentified the voice of one of the liners. I thought it was Johnny Dark, but Jeff Kroll told me at the stations on Friday that it was Bumper Morgan. Jeff worked with Bumper and Dandy Dan Daniel – responsible for the “FM 88” liner – at WNBC, and he personally recorded their liners. Zach let me redo the line with the correct name in Studio 1.
I thought about recording video of my original editing sessions in OBS, to compensate for a lack of an aircheck video, but didn’t feel up to that. Instead, here is a screencap of the full Adobe Audition multitrack session:
And here are images of Zach’s effort to replace my mistake:
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 10/13/21 October 14, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Film, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Sci-Fi.add a comment
The October 13 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was another 3-2-1 recording. The first hour was recorded on August 26, two second hour segments on the 27th, and the last on the 28th. Pickups were recorded on August 28 and 29, and September 1.
The playlist was created on August 25 and annotated on the 26th. The script was drafted before recording the first hour and then before the first two of the second hour.
There were no references to Homecoming Weekend because it was unknown at the time if it would even happen. The release of the weekend’s schedule on September 1 allayed my fears. For the first time since 2014, I only have an overnight pre-recorded show. The theme will be music from musicians’ latest albums.
The Hall of Fame ceremony, which would have coincided with Homecoming Weekend, was moved back to its traditional month of April.
10/20 UPDATE: Here is my recap of the weekend, culminating in WCWP’s 60th anniversary broadcast.
Getting back to the 80th Instrumental Invasion, after playing “Ballad of the Whale” by Yellowjackets, I finally got to reference the scene in Star Trek IV that there was no time for back on June 2. I almost met William Shatner last Thursday at New York Comic Con and saw a livestream of George Takei‘s panel the day after I attended. You can read about my experience here.
Ironically, in a later segment, I had to cut an anecdote about my cousins in the Pacific Northwest – I’ve only seen them when they visit the East Coast – and an assumption about The Rippingtons‘ Built to Last album that entries on Wikipedia and Discogs disproved.
“Sunset Passion Juice” by Special EFX had been a single for a while leading up to recording, but the mellow sound made me reluctant to play it…until this show.
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
For the second week in a row, the aircheck includes my show promo.
My experience at Day 1 of 2021 New York Comic Con October 9, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Animation, Art, Audio, Audiobooks, DVD, Health, History, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, Technology, Trains, Travel, TV, Video, War, Wrestling.2 comments
Other New York Comic Con recaps: 2012 Day 2, 2014 Day 1, 2017 Day 1, 2018 Day 1, 2019 Day 1
I returned to the Javits Center on Thursday for the first day of this year’s New York Comic Con, my sixth time at the event. It was also the first time I set foot in Manhattan since a failed trip to Lisa Hilton’s performance at Carnegie Hall, nearly two years ago.
The days and weeks leading up to my trip were filled with trepidation. I felt anxious about what to expect. Would there be a capacity limit? Would I get scolded by staff or security? Did I waste my money on a badge? Why did William Shatner have to go to space, leading his events to be moved to the evening?
The day turned out to be as exciting as it was my last time at NYCC in 2019.
Under the assumption that I’d be meeting Shatner, I tweeted him about my concerns:
Been going back/forth on replying, but here goes: I have Asperger Syndrome, & I’m going to day 1 of NY Comic Con on Oct 7. I’m worried about what to expect, including photo op w/you that I bought. I’m hoping staff are nice, not angry/scolding. Will wear mask, of course.
Mike Chimeri
He replied encouragingly. I was hoping to link to that reply, but it seems to have been taken down.
Regardless, that led to many more replies from fellow fans. One fan in the UK made this suggestion:
Hi Mike, not sure if you have the same in the States, but in the UK we have a scheme where people wear a lanyard with sunflowers on, this signifies that the person wearing the lanyard may perceive life differently and to be a bit more understanding around them.
Mark ELVIS Goddard, @GBsBestElvis
They are just a subtle way to let people know to be kind I work in the tourist industry & if a customer is wearing one we automatically know 2b kind & maybe a bit calmer around them, but they don’t have that awkward conversation of explaining why they don’t do lifts for example!
Mark ELVIS Goddard, @GBsBestElvis
So, I paid about $8 for a set of artificial sunflower heads. They shed like dog fur, but I proudly put one in my ticket holder above my badge.
My day began like any other Thursday since last April, in the days when the Javits Center was a field hospital for COVID patients: edit Wednesday’s Instrumental Invasion aircheck, make a scoped version for my blog, publish the blog post, and share the post on social media. That left me about 45 minutes to eat breakfast (a bowl of cereal), shower, and get dressed and packed.
An Uber driver picked me up around 9:00, dropping me off at Wantagh LIRR station within ten minutes. Once there, I bought my ticket and walked to my usual spot on the west end of the platform, above Wantagh Avenue. The train arrived at 9:28:
I was hoping for the new M9 railcar, but it was the old M7. Oh, well.
I listened to much of my aircheck on the platform and then on the train.
Penn Station has changed drastically since last January, as seen in these photos taken on the way back from Javits:
When I arrived at Javits, my Clear app vaccination voucher was scanned, then my badge, and I went through security. It was hassle-free, thankfully. I took the first photo at 10:42, snapping away until I reached the autographing area in hall 1E:
Knowing I’d be meeting Dee Bradley Baker, earlier in the week, I ordered a compilation DVD on Amazon of Phineas and Ferb episodes centered around Perry the Platypus, Dee’s character. Assuming I’d be seeing William Shatner’s panel at 11AM and getting a photo op at 12:10 PM, I bought a 1PM ticket for Dee. Thankfully, it was accepted at 11:00.
As I waited in line, I saw Dee and other celebrity guests assembling behind the curtain. I waved to Dee and he signaled back to me, pointing two fingers at his eyes and then toward me, as if to say “I’m watching you.” That was flattering. When I was next in line, I learned that photos were not allowed at the table; autographs only. I asked the representative if he had a photo op. Yes, at 3:40, an hour and 50 minutes before the rescheduled Shatner photo op would have been. I was fine with that.
Dee and I spoke briefly as he signed the DVD box art:
To Mike!
Dee Baker
Agent P (Perry’s code name in the O.W.C.A. [Organization Without a Cool Acronym])
Dee’s autograph
Then, he graced me with Perry’s signature vocal effect. We said our goodbyes and I proceeded to the sales table to buy my photo op.
It took half an hour because neither my credit nor debit cards worked and I had to withdraw cash from an ATM, then going on the line for cash payments.
I had 3 1/2 hours to spend until it was time to wait in the queue. What to do?
First, I bought lunch at the food court: chicken fingers with waffle fries and a Sprite. I ate as I finished listening to my aircheck. When I went to out my Bose SoundLink wireless headphones away, the ear cushion for the right channel came loose. I had to buy a replacement set from their website.
After that, I proceeded up to the show floor:
What?! Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jim “Good Ol’ J.R.” Ross?!
I was a big pro wrestling fan growing up, along with my sister Lauren and cousins Chris and Sam (Samantha). After another ATM trip, a dream of mine was fulfilled: an autographed photo…:
To Mike!
“King” Jerry Lawler (WWE) HOF 07
Jim Ross
WWE HOF ’07
Jerry and Jim’s autographs
…and a photo op with King and J.R.!:
As you can see, I wore my 2020 U.S. Open shirt, previously seen in my pretend Winged Foot photo.
Before the photo, I told King that I didn’t know he’d be there. True to form, he quipped that he didn’t, either, but found himself and J.R. there anyway, or words to that effect. Don’t quote me. All I know is my comeback was “yeah, that’s how it goes,” meaning that’s what happens. After the photo, I told J.R. how long I’d been a fan and that I really enjoyed his two books, Slobberknocker and Under the Black Hat, which I listened to on Audible. He thanked me. (I synopsized Under the Black Hat in my latest “audiobooking” post.)
I took some more photos on the show floor…:
…then went back to the food court for seltzer (sparkling water) and a cookie. I engaged in conversation with my table mates, then called a few friends, and texted Lauren and Chris with a photo of the photo:
There was still plenty of time, so I sought out room 1E01: the Quiet Room:
As the name suggests, it’s a place where you can silently contemplate. I used my time in the room to charge my phone and draft the post you’re reading now.
My plan to pass the time worked. 3:15 came and I walked to the queue:
I spent the next 20 minutes or so chatting with my fellow queue members, then it was time.
I handed a staff member my ticket, put my belongings on a shelf, and was reunited with Dee. Here is our photo:
I was looking straight ahead, so I didn’t know what expression he made. I love it: Jack Benny-esque.
I said goodbye again, grabbed my belongings, picked up my photo print, and left the Javits Center. I may not have seen and met William Shatner, but I made many lasting memories. I’m so happy with how the day turned out. I will definitely be back.
Incidentally, there are articles on Bill’s 6:45 panel – which I would have seen if it was still at 11AM – on CNN’s website and Mediaite. Mediaite’s article includes a YouTube video of the panel (by Gragon Productions):
I watched on Friday night. It was like I was there in person.
10/13 UPDATE: Bill’s space trip was this morning. I didn’t realize it would only be a few minutes, but those few minutes were literally awesome for him. Watch the Blue Origin webcast replay:
10/14 UPDATE: Then, watch the moment of apogee inside the capsule:
10/17 UPDATE: Blue Origin had one more video up their sleeve: a recap:
Back to October 7.
Here’s my photographic journey back to Penn Station:
I reached Penn at 4:05…:
…and took the 4:12 bound for Wantagh, which was another M7:
When I arrived in Wantagh at 5:02, my mom was waiting to drive me home. As it turns out, the Penn-bound train was an M9:
Back in my room, I took photos of all the day’s belongings:
POSTSCRIPT: While perusing the New York Comic Con site on Friday afternoon, I noticed George Takei, Bill’s Star Trek co-star, was in the Q&A portion of his panel. So, I watched, periodically taking screencaps. In addition to Star Trek, he fielded questions about the animated film Kubo and the Two Strings, the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, his political activism stemming from internment during World War II (I ached as he told his story), and fond memories of Leonard Nimoy, another Star Trek co-star. One anecdote in particular was about how George saw Leonard perform in the play Equus on Broadway and Leonard returned the favor when George performed in the L.A. production. After the last question, George stood up, thanked the fans in the hall, and gave them Spock’s Vulcan salute. Now, how about those screencaps?
Well, thank you for making it this far. My next task is to chronicle the return of WCWP Homecoming Weekend. Till then, so long.
Instrumental Invasion, 10/6/21 October 7, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.add a comment
The October 6 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was, yet again, recorded over three days: three segments on August 19, two on the 20th, one on the 21st. Pickups were also recorded on the 21st.
The playlist was created and annotated on August 18 and the script was drafted before recording on the 19th.
“Completely Yours” by Patrick Bradley was the latest recurring song to account for its presence on the smooth jazz radio charts at the time of recording. I first played it back on March 24.
After playing later versions of Cedar Walton‘s “Sixth Avenue” (with Eastern Rebellion) and “The Hello” by Chuck Loeb last week, I decided to play the originals this week. Cedar’s original recording of “Sixth Avenue,” on Soundscapes, was excerpted by The Weather Channel for local forecasts in the late 1980s. “Seguaro (sic)” by David Lanz and Paul Speer was heard into the ’90s. Chuck Loeb’s original 1991 recording of “The Hello,” on Balance, featured Nelson Rangell on alto sax. Since saguaro cacti are native to the Sonoran Desert, I got to reference Nelson’s whistling cover of “Sonora” by Hampton Hawes, a staple of his live repertoire. Here’s one such performance at Smooth Jazz for Scholars in 2012:
As for this week’s show, click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
The aircheck includes a community calendar spot I recorded and my show promo.
Instrumental Invasion, 9/29/21 September 30, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, Rock.add a comment
The September 29 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded over three days. The first hour was recorded on August 12, two second hour segments on the 13th, and the last segment on the 14th. It marked the end of an 11-day stretch where I worked on three shows. A pickup was recorded a week before air to acknowledge the passing of percussionist Doc Gibbs, heard at the top of the show on “Marco Polo” by Bob James.
The playlist was created and annotated on August 11 with the script drafted before recording on the 12th and 13th.
Midway through recording, I received a liner from fellow WCWP alum Alan Seltzer, who hosts The Grooveyard on Saturday nights. The liner debuted on this show after, fittingly, “Groove On” by Euge Groove.
“Deep Into It” by Paul Brown was originally heard last October 7. It was Paul’s latest single at the time of recording, as was “Right Around the Corner” by Nick Colionne, which was new to the show.
There is a music video for “Last Train” by Bill Heller, shot in part at Bill’s house and the Huntington LIRR station. Watch:
As for the show, click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 9/22/21 September 23, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Comedy, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio.add a comment
The September 22 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was the second straight recorded over three days: one segment on August 8, three on the 9th, and two on the 10th.
The playlist was created and annotated on August 7 before the last two segments of last week’s show were recorded. The script was drafted on the 8th before recording this week’s first segment.
This was another show with segments containing songs 8 or more minutes long and only two songs in a segment.
I began the second hour with a Bob Hope catchphrase, “but I wanna tell ya,” and ended it with Edward R. Murrow‘s sign-off, “good night and good luck.” My use of the latter was to extend the last talk break so that I’d hit the post for “Day One” by the Jeff Lorber Fusion. This was the second week in a row where the Fusion closed the show.
As I noted after “Kari” by Bob James and Earl Klugh, the song was sampled on “Bob Ross Goes to Hollywood” by Birocratic:
Click here to download this show’s aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 9/15/21 September 16, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, TV.add a comment
The September 15 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded over three days. The first hour was recorded on August 5, while the second hour was recorded on the 6th (segment one) and 7th (segments two and three).
The playlist was created on August 4 and annotated on the 5th. The script was drafted before each recording session.
I made a programming mistake in the third segment of hour one, which required careful editing and cutting down on the second talk break. Otherwise, it was the usual instance of segments running short with extra liners and elongated speech to compensate.
With construction in progress at the new neighbors’ house next door, I had to limit some recording to the evenings. Evening sessions are not easy as drowsiness sets in and my nose stuffs up. So, you can tell when I recorded based on the sound of my voice.
My talk-up for “Up All Night” by Kim Waters referenced USA Up All Night, USA Network’s Friday and Saturday night series. When Rhonda Shear was host, she read the title as “USA Up!…All Night.”
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 9/8/21 September 9, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Video Games.add a comment
The September 8 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP, the 75th show overall, was recorded from July 26 to 29, alternating between one and two segments per day at times when construction was not in progress next door.
The playlist was created on July 25 with annotations carrying into the 26th, followed by the script draft.
As noted at the top of the show, I played through two versions Super Mario World over a couple of weeks in July, beating the game and finding the last of the exits on the 24th.
I played the Super Famicom version on an FXPak Pro flash cart…:
…and the North American Super Nintendo version via Nintendo Switch Online:
It was the first time I had completed the game in over 25 years. For more on my experience with Super Mario World and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, check out my post on Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the SNES Library by Pat Contri.
As for the September 8 show, I chose not to acknowledge the 75th show milestone. I’ll save that for the 100th, if we get that far.
I learned last Friday that I had been mispronouncing trumpeter Tyler Mire’s last name while talking up “(It Gets) Better” by Ken Navarro. During the live listening party on Facebook for I Will Still Be Here, Ken pronounced it “meer” while I thought it rhymed with fire. I had submitted this week’s show, wherein I played “Straight Out the Gate,” the morning before. So, it was too late to correct my mistake, the third time I’d played a song with Tyler on trumpet. If I ever play any of those three songs again, rest assured I will use the correct pronunciation.
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
9/11: A 20th anniversary retrospective September 13, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Commentary, Fire, History, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
Saturday marked 20 years since the September 11 attacks. On the tenth anniversary, I posted part of an essay where I recounted my experience on that morning. I wrote it in December 2001 for an end-of-semester portfolio. Following the excerpt, I elaborated on the events of the day and how I coped.
In this post, I’ll elaborate further and share what has happened in the years since.
There were increased expressions of patriotism after 9/11, including flying American flags outside homes and wearing American flag lapel pins. We flew a flag and, for about two years, I wore a lapel pin, usually with a red, white, and blue ribbon attached. For a while, I also wore a patriotic button, but I don’t remember what it said. Here are photographic examples, starting with my friend Joe Horst’s 20th birthday party on October 3, 22 days later:
Side note: Joe was wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers t-shirt that day. Coincidentally, it was the 50th anniversary of the Shot Heard ‘Round the World: Bobby Thomson’s home run off Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant for the New York Giants. As Russ Hodges said on the Giants radio broadcast: “The Giants win the pennant!”
Back on topic, my 20th birthday, November 17:
Christmas at the Falco house:
Joe Falco, a family friend and FDNY firefighter in Engine 1 Ladder 24, survived the South Tower collapse. He was the subject of a documentary that served as my senior project. You can watch it here:
Ringing in 2002:
For eleven years, inspired by a news report I saw on New Year’s Day in 1994, I saved each year’s desk calendar pages and had friends and family throw them as confetti:
I saved and scanned the September 11 pages:
It’s ironic that the Millionaire calendar question involved the Department of Defense. The Pentagon was one of the targets that morning. 9/14/21 UPDATE: Further irony involved a PAMS jingle for WABC (770 AM) during its Musicradio era: “Flight 77, WABC, nonstop…music.” Earlier in 2001, I discovered Allan Sniffen’s Musicradio tribute site and that was one of the jingles I listened to obsessively, assuming I heard it there if not elsewhere. Obviously, I could never listen to it the same way again. A variation was among jingles recorded by JAM Creative Productions, PAMS’s spiritual successor, for SiriusXM’s 60s on 6.
Hosting The Mike Chimeri Show on March 1, 2002:
One last photo: July 12, 2002, heading back from Atlantic Canada aboard the Carnival Triumph:
The cruise embarked from the Hudson River side of Midtown Manhattan, taking us past where the towers fell ten months earlier:
I still have the lapel pin, which I showed on social media Saturday morning:
On September 12, 2001, I added angel wings and a halo to the twin towers portion of a backdrop I made five years earlier for a home video/audio show I did with my cousin – The Chris and Mike Chimeri Show – based on a video bumper for The Late Show with David Letterman. I kept the backdrop up until September 30, 2019, during a basement cleanup. I photographed the backdrop for posterity before taking it down (for privacy, I’ve blurred my signature):
My family lit memorial candles in the backyard, as seen on the 14th, three days after the attacks:
I did not know any of the victims personally, but Cynthia D’Arpino, my learning assistant in ARC (C.W. Post’s Academic Resource Center), lost her brother-in-law Tim O’Brien who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. On the tenth anniversary, I photographed the TV when his name was read:
I did the same for Richie Muldowney:
Like Joe Falco, Richie was a Freeport native and firefighter, also serving in the FDNY, Engine 16 Ladder 7. He was among the 343 FDNY firefighters lost on 9/11. Beginning in 2011, I got to know his niece Lauren, mother Anne (who passed away in 2020) and surviving siblings: fraternal twins Kevin (Lauren’s father) and Colleen (Andello), and Mary (a.k.a. Mary Mo). I have yet to meet Brian, but for all I know, I met him, and Richie, when I was younger. My father Bill says it’s possible I saw Richie when I worked in Ehrhart’s Clam House (May 2000 to November 2001). In April 2012, Kevin married my mother’s friend and co-worker Mandy.
In 2013, I attended Freeport’s 9/11 memorial ceremony. The attacks led my dad to become a firefighter himself in 2002, in Truck 1, Joe Falco’s Freeport Fire Department company. I took a photo of him before the ceremony:
During the ceremony:
The following year, Dad and I ran (and walked) the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K.
Along the way, I photographed the new One World Trade Center (a.k.a. Freedom Tower)…:
…and a banner with Richie’s photo:
It’s become a 9/11 tradition on Facebook to link to the 2011 “My 9/11 experience” blog post, the Joe Falco documentary, and sometimes, a photo of the World Trade Center that I took in December 1999, after touring the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park:
Last year, a podcast host discovered my documentary and asked to use portions of it in a special 9/11 episode. I happily agreed.
A wealth of retrospective documentaries have aired on various channels this year and I’ve watched them all. It may be a cliche, but we can never forget. Those documentaries are a permanent reminder of what happened, along with stories of survival and how the victims’ children have grown into adulthood.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to muster up a blog post to mark the 20th anniversary, but here we are. Thank you for reading.
9/16/21 UPDATE: Game Dave‘s latest video is a Q&A edition of Digitally Distracted. For that video, I submitted a 9/11-related question, which he answered (video cued up to relevant portion):