tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55866419767001528302024-03-12T23:43:55.825-07:00voidmstrvisions of the voidDennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-6334367845705558262022-02-16T20:27:00.003-08:002022-02-16T20:52:41.152-08:00Pink pistola found after bloody shooting shocks Bel Air barrio<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf2oWXqHC4HlNEkDl2af9KUQqcjVRY28KjYpm2oGBfsRu4n1osfb9ocw7b_dktbmp6Q7kZe8xS4-1seCeaaHbFLyul6QNt0XWZEZR4bf-A-8aIiMuG9oLsj6CbERkCrq6GniDemPbqJvVRxh4nvlkhzWq_vj_dFrdWTBYNbDD8ukVM990qv4jlay9m=s1024" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf2oWXqHC4HlNEkDl2af9KUQqcjVRY28KjYpm2oGBfsRu4n1osfb9ocw7b_dktbmp6Q7kZe8xS4-1seCeaaHbFLyul6QNt0XWZEZR4bf-A-8aIiMuG9oLsj6CbERkCrq6GniDemPbqJvVRxh4nvlkhzWq_vj_dFrdWTBYNbDD8ukVM990qv4jlay9m=s600"/></a></div>
<P>I was waiting for my burrito from Arturo's BBQ in the parking lot of the former Bel Air Foods on Roscomare Road in Bel Air Monday when a groundsman found a small semiautomatic pistol at the edge of the lot.</P>
<P>He called his boss; the boss called his security company. The security guy called the LAPD. </P>
<P>A neighbor showed up and said that at 3 in the morning +/- bloodied shooting victims were knocking on doors on his side street asking for help.</P>
<P>Before I split (hey my burrito was getting cold!) I photographed the <b>TAURUS .380</b> where the landscaper found it.</P>
<P>When I got home I shared the photo on my local Nextdoor (Bel Air Hills).</P>
<P>It turned into an epic thread:</P>
<BR clear = "all">
<iframe src="https://nextdoor.com/embed/hhC-yJQ6R8F3" height="702" width="504" frameborder="0" title="Nextdoor"></iframe>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-12853211712332928752021-06-19T17:34:00.003-07:002021-06-19T17:34:46.900-07:00Bootlegged Again! The FLYING BURRITO BURRITO BROTHERS WMMR RADIO CONCERT<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixe3M2k2t43yjorl7byxaCR0N8QLIr-1SIV8IkeN5eJoZLIxDVX_5wpuFRC0mzzMrjl2cUvMwc5solanBpburV1WlOC-4Js5rOS4H3E-ZvNKyyIh-CS8xXzbItL5DU2LyG-aA-bYtswVU/s862/burritosbootleg.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixe3M2k2t43yjorl7byxaCR0N8QLIr-1SIV8IkeN5eJoZLIxDVX_5wpuFRC0mzzMrjl2cUvMwc5solanBpburV1WlOC-4Js5rOS4H3E-ZvNKyyIh-CS8xXzbItL5DU2LyG-aA-bYtswVU/s600/burritosbootleg.jpg"/></a></div>
<P>BOOTLEGGED AGAIN!</P>
<UL><LI>The Flying Burrito Brothers</LI>
<LI>Live at Sigma Sound Studios</LI>
<LI>Produced for WMMR by DENNIS WILEN</LI>
<LI>JUNE 1971</LI></UL>
<P><b>Fifty years ago! Damn! Still rockin'!</b></P>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BZ1rhg42J6U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-64237039154769849022021-04-21T22:55:00.004-07:002021-04-21T22:56:44.974-07:00VIDEO: In Conclusion<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='600' height='498' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzjRaNJz5FqF-O6iI8AqAN6bs2QbQIs6BNZ8hNy2L9wWXcwlMQQpaT2eJZ3GgIolO06tryBaKDlaHK6-b6Aqw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
<P>Original music wrapped around found audio and video.</P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-44520121517010667972021-03-30T11:14:00.009-07:002021-03-30T17:02:47.163-07:00Finally Found It! My 1981 Interview With PRINCE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOM6tJ7V8dqJelxDlbbEswf6oFbdd2S7ZUMiTcCexalg9DOMXPTIXDeYQ1VyKqE7c4SrFj6d8RT1LUHyial9NcAI4329yU-uIsxNNzM4JEl0ThyphenhyphensrhHcRwabsmTMeceMQtloPgYTiRO4/s1500/dirtyminds.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOM6tJ7V8dqJelxDlbbEswf6oFbdd2S7ZUMiTcCexalg9DOMXPTIXDeYQ1VyKqE7c4SrFj6d8RT1LUHyial9NcAI4329yU-uIsxNNzM4JEl0ThyphenhyphensrhHcRwabsmTMeceMQtloPgYTiRO4/w640-h640/dirtyminds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p><strong><big>PRINCE EXPLAINS HIS ROYAL SECRETS</big></strong><br />
BY DENNIS WILEN<br />
<i>The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, March 27, 1981</i></p>
<HR>
<p>Sometimes even the most arcane mysteries have a simple explanation. </p>
<p>The story behind the music of Prince is a good example.</p>
<p>First of all, his name is not a monstrous conceit.</p>
<p>Unlike Count Basie, the Duke of Earl and Screaming Lord Sutch, Prince is actually his given name.</p>
<p>"It's really on his birth certificate," swears his publicist. "Only his last name is a secret."</p>
<p>OK. Then why, on his three albums, does Prince insist on writing the songs, playing virtually all the instruments, singing 99 percent of the vocals and producing most of the tracks?</p>
<p>Prince himself revealed the truth in a recent interview.</p>
<p></p><blockquote><I>"It's simple," he said. "When I did the first record, I didn't have a band, so I had to do it myself out of necessity."</i></blockquote>
<p>Although he is shy in person, choosing words carefully and barely speaking above a whisper, Prince loves being on stage. </p>
<p>“When I was younger, I was in a lot of bands, but it’s quite different now. It’s a real powerful feeling - not the kind of power that you have over anyone else, but the power that's going on around and through me. First of all, my amp is really loud, and my guitar player’s twice as loud. When you're playing for 17,000 people and they get to screaming, then that's really, really loud. Maybe that’s the kind of power that could change things. If everybody could funnel their energies into one positive source... well, that much power, it’s just amazing.”</p>
<p>And what responsibility comes with this power?</p>
<p>“No responsibility. I think I’m only a conductor of whatever electricity comes from the world, or wherever we all come from. To me the ultimate responsibility is the hardest one - the responsibility to be true to myself.”</p>
<p>Prince cut most of Dirty Mind's demos.</p>
<p>“Basically, these are demo tapes, and I had no idea they’d be on an album together, so that's where I think a lot of the up-front quality comes from. I didn’t have any lyrics written out for some of the tunes – they just came. I recorded at a lot of small 8 and 16-track studios around Minneapolis – just personal songs that I wanted to have – and I don’t think it’s dirty. I got a new guitar before I made the record, and I started to play more one it, rather than just filling up space with other instruments.”</p>
<p>Prince's no-holds-barred lyrical approach grew out of the demo-genesis of the album.</p>
<p>“When I made these songs, I knew they would never be on the radio, and I’d never be bringing them to Warner Bros. – some of them, anyway. Then I decided that this was gonna be the record. I was so adamant about it, once I got to the label, that there was no way they could even say “we won’t put this out.” I believed in it too much by that time. The one thing that's strange to me about doing interviews behind this record is that it was made with nothing in mind but dealing with songs and ideas that I was about at that time. I wasn't gearing myself toward anything except my own personal satisfaction.”</p><p></p>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-37952439781064388422020-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:002020-03-03T09:53:49.054-08:00The Chambers Brothers Live In Tarzana March 2, 2020<h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fXJekPFxIwq8kGboQA7CoacWb1pQpTkd2A_mj9xO2j0w1nQPwKs-W4TJTGiq-1NdUhBMtpanwgW_xs_KUlAPNAizxx1aztLVjhiurRCuucWgIQTQXJIHx98X4evsuzzJyn4i6L-8x1w/s1600/brostarazana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="960" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fXJekPFxIwq8kGboQA7CoacWb1pQpTkd2A_mj9xO2j0w1nQPwKs-W4TJTGiq-1NdUhBMtpanwgW_xs_KUlAPNAizxx1aztLVjhiurRCuucWgIQTQXJIHx98X4evsuzzJyn4i6L-8x1w/s640/brostarazana.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<P> </P><P> </P>
IT'S A ROUGH AND ROCKY ROAD BEFORE YOU GET TO HEAVEN:
<P> </P><P> </P>
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<P> </P>
<P> </P>
THE TIME HAS COME TODAY:
<P> </P><P> </P>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="358" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fvoidmstr%2Fvideos%2F10158405164531414%2F&width=640&show_text=false&appId=138179216823555&height=358" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="640"></iframe></h2>
Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-90382718962262640012020-01-26T14:33:00.001-08:002020-01-26T14:36:20.106-08:00RIP Kobe and Gianna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfRcUxVSlxev8k2jUROMAkVa7u7szSDE9NUOzhIQuecp1qR9XzRnrlvzY0RXyrizk5gmJJi2lTDWQDEPSFnBs_tUMu6LWPVERU7dwyWn-qdUST4-tAC9DPESd-BwFGDhXonkBJdJKyhU/s1600/kobe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="329" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfRcUxVSlxev8k2jUROMAkVa7u7szSDE9NUOzhIQuecp1qR9XzRnrlvzY0RXyrizk5gmJJi2lTDWQDEPSFnBs_tUMu6LWPVERU7dwyWn-qdUST4-tAC9DPESd-BwFGDhXonkBJdJKyhU/s320/kobe.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwsFOYE2YHicYBwG2GIDurVOLXaGp3ZAY1Uq8okfO1J2I3D91ixbTHnPMhgv-8fJGDK5WQhFjEEeVc02TaurUrO3hEcU0lbt8Pe-F3U6zxCM7if7d0ubk2y-9mvmRtBi7j8Yfy4RcQTk/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="321" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwsFOYE2YHicYBwG2GIDurVOLXaGp3ZAY1Uq8okfO1J2I3D91ixbTHnPMhgv-8fJGDK5WQhFjEEeVc02TaurUrO3hEcU0lbt8Pe-F3U6zxCM7if7d0ubk2y-9mvmRtBi7j8Yfy4RcQTk/s400/me.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Conflicted -- an Ardmore hometown hero became an L.A. superstar, but with a huge honking #MeToo closet skeleton that's hard to ignore.<br /><BR>
Cory Doctorow told me recently that trying to place complex humans in a single position on the good-bad continuum leaves you with an incomplete solution, much like trying to determine if light is a particle or a wave. Humans have quantum-like indeterminate personalities that are not reducible to a single metric.
<BR><BR>RIP Kobe and Gianna.Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-4165322387383969582019-12-23T09:08:00.002-08:002019-12-27T21:50:22.724-08:00I admit it! I ❤️ XLNT tamales!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnT2THrJPTR0dB87FbMjjX7pKhH9wpFM13pDG5UPeGE8GRgeBKY1mcsm02IA573BiKdJ2zPx219ZKe_PV-UNCoyHyXi0IXyTygF6eEHMhJL-ejSe8uSfmr_unSWw0e1Z0dbkzO2WWnkpw/s1600/warsunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="640" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnT2THrJPTR0dB87FbMjjX7pKhH9wpFM13pDG5UPeGE8GRgeBKY1mcsm02IA573BiKdJ2zPx219ZKe_PV-UNCoyHyXi0IXyTygF6eEHMhJL-ejSe8uSfmr_unSWw0e1Z0dbkzO2WWnkpw/s640/warsunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAR at the Sunset Grill, mid 1970s. (L-R) Charles Miller, Lonnie Jordan, Howard Scott, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lee Oskar. Not pictured Papa Dee Allen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When Gustavo Arellano asked for XLNT tamale fans to represent, I answered the call. Arellano was working on a story for the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-23/xlnt-tamales-long-beach-santa-fe-importers?fbclid=IwAR2ZtF68v60YyhPdXPPG-6yl-r5S9JcJtdFcXhaivMOtjMngV06arBXN21o" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times.</a><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQgLx9wtbCUUXQy0umpX3TeDgXv7YYwoNSHx2aL-2AZa52snF8MQRw6ajjAOsRQgg0FaR00YYGEQNB8EtbGuuadmMGuboubyuqrO3Q-0jEtNcOkDFawxwIXJc7Y0yFZ7V9XTGn8Ul8aM/s1600/81MfLOzQ4hL._SY550_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="352" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQgLx9wtbCUUXQy0umpX3TeDgXv7YYwoNSHx2aL-2AZa52snF8MQRw6ajjAOsRQgg0FaR00YYGEQNB8EtbGuuadmMGuboubyuqrO3Q-0jEtNcOkDFawxwIXJc7Y0yFZ7V9XTGn8Ul8aM/s320/81MfLOzQ4hL._SY550_.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
I told Gustavo that it all started for me when I worked with the band WAR, at Far Out Productions at 7417 Sunset Boulevard, next to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Grill_(song)" target="_blank">iconic Sunset Grill,</a> right after I moved to Hollywood:<br />
<blockquote>
"Los Angeles web producer Dennis Wilen first ate XLNT tamales fresh from a slow cooker at the Sunset Grill in Hollywood when the Philadelphia native had just arrived in the city in 1977 and still enjoys their slightly spicy, not-too-greasy flavor.<br />
<br />
When I moved here, I discovered a whole new world,” he said, “and that flavor takes me back to that time of wonder and exploration. I’ve graduated to other tamales, but I always go back to them."</blockquote>
Read the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-23/xlnt-tamales-long-beach-santa-fe-importers?fbclid=IwAR2ZtF68v60YyhPdXPPG-6yl-r5S9JcJtdFcXhaivMOtjMngV06arBXN21o">fascinating history of XLNT tamales</a> here...Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-53589705418269085062019-12-21T12:12:00.002-08:002019-12-21T12:12:59.456-08:00I got a nice write-up in Philadelphia's Jewish Exponent<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5tYY9b6-DhkvcvIYH9C8KGwBnSGmfeMtIP_bPyxFYIiwfOrCShuTPMaOY-4oGXXu6dRz_GVaEGCZKOinJfcx0rJdkCs04-RQpd-AFIEinPt7edlfDT4xctHxVrNNsWTSY23lnMcCRU4/s1600/dwcover.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="591" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5tYY9b6-DhkvcvIYH9C8KGwBnSGmfeMtIP_bPyxFYIiwfOrCShuTPMaOY-4oGXXu6dRz_GVaEGCZKOinJfcx0rJdkCs04-RQpd-AFIEinPt7edlfDT4xctHxVrNNsWTSY23lnMcCRU4/s640/dwcover.jpg" width="501" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBduCUP2gGBS3UGeFlU5d4BvTwtJIxRAQv1i9H9wXuuwN-RgnMIwgxlufS_FHwcL4d_rqL_F-jJLZNY3x4B5hWbKZ0u3j9Xod0nKGbVV1vvEGeJyF3QvyuloZrRtby4c5MSsRtnemcfNA/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="588" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBduCUP2gGBS3UGeFlU5d4BvTwtJIxRAQv1i9H9wXuuwN-RgnMIwgxlufS_FHwcL4d_rqL_F-jJLZNY3x4B5hWbKZ0u3j9Xod0nKGbVV1vvEGeJyF3QvyuloZrRtby4c5MSsRtnemcfNA/s640/index.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
I like being an "active adult" –– especially considering the alternative.<br />
<br />
You can read the story beginning on <a href="http://digital.jewishexponent.com/issues/The-Good-Life-Winter-2019/index.html">page 16 of this online PDF.
</a>
<br />
Here's how it starts out...
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18ZohxmNa_CELzLglagS6E4gdfcKTMSGxoZ3yoAM5RhqypJ0t6tYG6gC0xGGtyBjDMht1bX9hHddHU-qfCvqqtKlEKmO22UU0tYVDlJ0mNwPGvvmOEGbZAEYys7-OJHKWnb5fb5_JOTg/s1600/intrograf.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18ZohxmNa_CELzLglagS6E4gdfcKTMSGxoZ3yoAM5RhqypJ0t6tYG6gC0xGGtyBjDMht1bX9hHddHU-qfCvqqtKlEKmO22UU0tYVDlJ0mNwPGvvmOEGbZAEYys7-OJHKWnb5fb5_JOTg/s640/intrograf.jpg" width="423" /></a>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-88535108651952000252019-05-09T12:46:00.001-07:002019-11-14T11:59:47.766-08:00Dennis Wilen's Big List o' Websites (PLUS BONUS SPINAL TAP VIDEO – TURN YOUR AUDIO UP!)
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fvoidmstr%2Fvideos%2F10153470090696414%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="640" height="360" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe><P><HR>
<Small><I>This video recreates the landing page for my 2001 Spinal Tap website. I built this so long ago, we had to use Shockwave/Flash.</i></small></P><HR>
<P>I'm working on my resume and I created this big list o' websites I built and/or ran. </P>
<P>Not too shabby!</P>
<P><b>PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS 1995-2019</b></P>
<UL>
<LI>Creator/Webmaster/Artist/Writer <a href="http://disloyaljewsofamerica.com">Disloyal Jews of America</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.MenendezMurders.com">Menendez Murders</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.WriteOnOnline.com">Write On Online</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.GuidedGoals.com">Guided Goals</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.RightsUniversal.org">Rights Universal</a></LI>
<LI>Partner/Managing Editor <a href="http://www.Pocho.com">POCHO</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.LaloAlcaraz.com">Lalo Alcaraz</a></LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.SpinalTap.com">Spinal Tap</a> </LI>
<LI>Founding Editor <a href="http://Brentwood.Patch.com">AOL’s Brentwood Patch</a> 2011</LI>
<LI>Webmaster/Web Editor <a href="http://www.JewishJournal.com">L.A. Jewish Journal</a> 2006-2009</LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.LACMA.org">Los Angeles County Museum of Art</a> 2005-2006</LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.EndWorldTerror.com">End World Terror</a> 2004</LI>
<LI>Senior Web Developer <a href="http://www.GeoCities.com">Yahoo! GeoCities</a> 1998-2000</LI>
<LI>Webmaster/Producer <a href="http://www.MFF.org">Milken Family Foundation</a> 1998</LI>
<LI>Webmaster <a href="http://www.HarryShearer.com">Harry Shearer</a> 1995-7</LI></UL>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-82713305658322710042019-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:002019-04-26T15:54:41.372-07:00The birds are singing out back [video]<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fvoidmstr%2Fvideos%2F10157450221176414%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="640" height="360" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
<P>
Here's about a minute of birdsong, shot on the western edge of my apartment complex back yard. We're overlooking Hamner Drive in Upper Bel Air.</P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-85889196383806746732019-01-17T15:51:00.002-08:002019-10-13T18:29:22.335-07:00Let's go back to 1975 with words by me and music by Leo SayerThanks to my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sonny.casale">Facebook friend Sonny Casale</a> I now have a written record of the Leo Sayer concert I recorded in 1975 for WMMR.<br />
<br />
We don't know WHERE my review ran -- he's still working on that <big><big>*</big></big> -- but I seemed to enjoy the show.<br />
<br />
Here is my review, and here's my recording.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy the show too!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8Iz3303eaRcljXjCGfv2MEwNF0ZADoNOaZBja2KJETxcz6hpMJGpJ_zuYpoeMkl5S_xLAybMM0_fqc7v824sIBbCucqoegQinMLN4PQQ933UIEgBmlOIdccB0gKgQ-fduoX_ypKblys/s1600/sayertrentomreview1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8Iz3303eaRcljXjCGfv2MEwNF0ZADoNOaZBja2KJETxcz6hpMJGpJ_zuYpoeMkl5S_xLAybMM0_fqc7v824sIBbCucqoegQinMLN4PQQ933UIEgBmlOIdccB0gKgQ-fduoX_ypKblys/s640/sayertrentomreview1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoat-FsIQ1jFaDhINdDpycky7zU-kZQ9N3WOAEYhUxwX6Z4W_JudJt1saPRQRvKfXrTOEgQUaGWq_EFSjCLVGmni4BcT1w6PhfPqREigYscmgX-0nmJr_PrmTYYuNBx6m30KXP3P0Opf8/s1600/page2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="721" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoat-FsIQ1jFaDhINdDpycky7zU-kZQ9N3WOAEYhUxwX6Z4W_JudJt1saPRQRvKfXrTOEgQUaGWq_EFSjCLVGmni4BcT1w6PhfPqREigYscmgX-0nmJr_PrmTYYuNBx6m30KXP3P0Opf8/s640/page2.jpg" width="288" /></a><br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/210192511&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
* UPDATE: PHONOGRAPH RECORD MAGAZINE, APRIL 1975</h3>
Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-47973444131769938302018-10-22T22:34:00.000-07:002018-10-24T23:10:53.510-07:00I got a nice shoutout at the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers (video)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTxuX6xEt9-wNGbfHHDQEjU0zWzu4kPXC9BHhDMxH7Ddx_NU39nbuXxA4T0wAQVBJdQEKLDQ4zXK3xau74LbT3EXZHn2s8CLwBkSAmFnz1Li0Y91TjT_U8olFYKOiO3J1MSb7zRmOTtM/s1600/tmorganmtearson.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="800" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTxuX6xEt9-wNGbfHHDQEjU0zWzu4kPXC9BHhDMxH7Ddx_NU39nbuXxA4T0wAQVBJdQEKLDQ4zXK3xau74LbT3EXZHn2s8CLwBkSAmFnz1Li0Y91TjT_U8olFYKOiO3J1MSb7zRmOTtM/s640/tmorganmtearson.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
My friend and former Metromedia FM radio station WMMR colleague <a href="http://www.tmorganonline.com/">T. Morgan</a> -- holding the mike in the photo -- (that's friend and colleague <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Tearson">Michael Tearson</a> on the right) had some nice words to say about me at the <a href="http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/">Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers</a> meeting last week.<br />
<br />
Morgan tells the story of how I put a brand new radio station on the national map and made a star out of unknown, un-signed Billy Joel.<br />
<br />
T. and M.T. spoke about <a href="https://wmmr.com/shows/wmmrs-50th-birthday/">WMMR's 50th Anniversary.</a><br />
<br />
The printed materials Morgan refers to <a href="https://voidmstr.blogspot.com/2018/10/tbt-1970-71-when-fm-radio-was-new-kid.html">are here.</a> <br />
<br />
The "How Dennis Wilen Made Billy Joel A Star" saga was retold recently by <a href="https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/07/25/billy-joel-philadelphia-tickets/">Victor Fiorillo in <i>Philadelphia Magazine.</i></a><br />
<BR>I'm famous for 15 minutes yet again!</BR>
<br />
<P><B>Here's the video, all cued up to right before my mention:</B></P>
<P>
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L8SovugnqmU?start=1380" width="640"></iframe></P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-38397859387546026882018-10-11T19:46:00.000-07:002018-10-11T20:56:30.152-07:00#TBT Philadelphia 1970-71: When FM radio was the new kid on the block<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrirUKSeiG29EAf2dv5n-tP_njFqOjR7xmcnZ5JWrlqc9K-D0qIrOaeQ2HBoVOLckpl0IBPGZE4uo1QZz5xVtNnhZ7RzED3qLMQOGeweb1zZVLpwefXtQpyBd3NZaEtsxHo-w-_xCgTE/s1600/IMG_3693.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrirUKSeiG29EAf2dv5n-tP_njFqOjR7xmcnZ5JWrlqc9K-D0qIrOaeQ2HBoVOLckpl0IBPGZE4uo1QZz5xVtNnhZ7RzED3qLMQOGeweb1zZVLpwefXtQpyBd3NZaEtsxHo-w-_xCgTE/s640/IMG_3693.JPG" width="480" /></a><br /><br />
Thanks to my old friend <a href="http://lightyear.com/">Arnie Holland,</a> let's #TBT to 1970-71 when Arnie edited <a href="https://www.34st.com/article/2018/10/34th-street-magazine-alumni-issue-50th-birthday-history-retrospective">34th Street Magazine,</a> an arts and culture magazine at our alma mater, Penn. <br />
<br />
I had no memory of writing this article until Arnie mentioned it yesterday. <br />
<br />
I went to see him today at his home office where he pulled out a box of the original magazines and I shot this photo of the actual pages. <br />
<br />
I wrote all about this new exciting thing called "underground radio." Think it will catch on?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyrxvndozR8-HOCVwa_xofP8Volpr1A2HnmzADI5Gr8HmxfAyERMkGPxgSz8Ik4SVY8gvO5T9WabNUagw3o6HdLzwxg1CLy6WagCDpet7xps_WBzYEhi9vBzRKkEWVO2brt8XkHNHwuM/s1600/IMG_3694.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyrxvndozR8-HOCVwa_xofP8Volpr1A2HnmzADI5Gr8HmxfAyERMkGPxgSz8Ik4SVY8gvO5T9WabNUagw3o6HdLzwxg1CLy6WagCDpet7xps_WBzYEhi9vBzRKkEWVO2brt8XkHNHwuM/s640/IMG_3694.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxv5MHfvtAXV6BCBrmvT63bsRQ8QUWPziTP_09-Lhdl4x2axkhNQJhgYDVzZkA4qWw4FMpOH7kSf_zuRSDMOJucNr040F6X-xt6t11l9L5Eo_PcKQXE-TXUwKQ87cVz0UAlytp80gC2E/s1600/IMG_3695.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxv5MHfvtAXV6BCBrmvT63bsRQ8QUWPziTP_09-Lhdl4x2axkhNQJhgYDVzZkA4qWw4FMpOH7kSf_zuRSDMOJucNr040F6X-xt6t11l9L5Eo_PcKQXE-TXUwKQ87cVz0UAlytp80gC2E/s640/IMG_3695.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-55336694686658322602018-08-13T20:15:00.001-07:002018-08-13T20:16:08.659-07:00This sounds like it was a lot of fun, but I don't remember a thing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JPYi-ZyrUjQTlhYel4GfdjN8dxKL-QjwJXclYHDn9zk4l8okGyHfkABq60EDafpOIlyqZkQmulstEINMb2-Elq8BHql7A4KhOQpeOkIFySEyFJbcmOrl4lkP43DnrKsrIrwP1KW28oc/s1600/Folk-Festival-for-the-Daily-News-in-1970-by-Dennis-Wilen.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JPYi-ZyrUjQTlhYel4GfdjN8dxKL-QjwJXclYHDn9zk4l8okGyHfkABq60EDafpOIlyqZkQmulstEINMb2-Elq8BHql7A4KhOQpeOkIFySEyFJbcmOrl4lkP43DnrKsrIrwP1KW28oc/s640/Folk-Festival-for-the-Daily-News-in-1970-by-Dennis-Wilen.jpg" width="582" height="640" data-original-width="1454" data-original-height="1600" /></a>
<P>I just found a 1970 story I wrote for the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS @phillydotcom about the Philadelphia Folk Festival @folksongsociety. I don't remember this at all but it sounds like fun!</P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-87948618955209667172018-07-27T18:24:00.000-07:002018-07-27T20:57:08.788-07:00Phamous in Philadelphia for phiphteen minutes once again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZMFyYNABjej85LelrM5yfT9rqDlRROxwru5O2bpndfTGVzAZEAK_2a6twSRdFUJPgdmTgzg3sdcFDVBRdKsdcZoeDpcFnNm6rK0SCDe_4tsBtF8s1qM5kPaJ-jniA9Vx00PMDVhvggE/s1600/billy-joel-philadelphia-tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZMFyYNABjej85LelrM5yfT9rqDlRROxwru5O2bpndfTGVzAZEAK_2a6twSRdFUJPgdmTgzg3sdcFDVBRdKsdcZoeDpcFnNm6rK0SCDe_4tsBtF8s1qM5kPaJ-jniA9Vx00PMDVhvggE/s640/billy-joel-philadelphia-tickets.jpg" width="640" /></a>
<i>Philadelphia Magazine</i> is retelling the story of <b>Billy Joel</b>'s breakout to stardom in Philadelphia and it's all my fault!
<blockquote><h1>Here’s How Philadelphia Created Billy Joel</h1>
<h2>The hitmaker, who plays Philly on Friday, tells us all about it.</h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhfHVAICYlQGrSfOLagZU07mPO_Uj61HitUUgI1Z_WhTpcUxljposuwXl0StJrhVt8SNp_w37_2O2nXuYtEC2CUaj33rlF_3QhcBwK1S1FoSCPuCA6FjS19dr_vqHrsI4nAmFKYhaY-M/s1600/DjIGISXU0AAxVEP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhfHVAICYlQGrSfOLagZU07mPO_Uj61HitUUgI1Z_WhTpcUxljposuwXl0StJrhVt8SNp_w37_2O2nXuYtEC2CUaj33rlF_3QhcBwK1S1FoSCPuCA6FjS19dr_vqHrsI4nAmFKYhaY-M/s1600/DjIGISXU0AAxVEP.jpg" data-original-width="320" data-original-height="360" /></a>
....Back in 1971, Joel was a no-name 22-year-old from Long Island. In November of that year, he released his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, which got virtually no attention or airplay.
But then one day in 1972, Philly music producer Dennis Wilen, who had launched a live WMMR concert series from Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios, got wind of this singer-pianist named Billy Joel during a visit to New York. Wilen invited Joel to do one of those WMMR live broadcasts....
</blockquote>
<B>Read the whole story @ <a href="https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/07/25/billy-joel-philadelphia-tickets/#sY3IdFCfDz8clV3Y.01">Philadelphia Magazine</a></B>
<I>Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/vgiangiulio1">VINNIE</a> for the clipping.</I>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-50679644481751643742017-10-19T19:00:00.000-07:002017-10-19T19:00:21.817-07:00Horror Film<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39YolKS_vWhVXxPTqXwaDBOGOznp_Xh-DLy1Zj-M6-1O4N8nC1YoDjM4ilnNsuLGsQy_X-fz0K61lLiXouplSDdUppXs9ECSook5Zaoo31_x63DsIWSesbpw_K3pI95Zz-E7UVCODDPs/s1600/donandmitchit.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39YolKS_vWhVXxPTqXwaDBOGOznp_Xh-DLy1Zj-M6-1O4N8nC1YoDjM4ilnNsuLGsQy_X-fz0K61lLiXouplSDdUppXs9ECSook5Zaoo31_x63DsIWSesbpw_K3pI95Zz-E7UVCODDPs/s640/donandmitchit.jpg" width="640" height="447" data-original-width="749" data-original-height="523" /></a>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-48359545538653941182017-08-21T16:17:00.000-07:002017-08-21T16:17:05.635-07:00Brewer & Shipley: 'One Toke Over the Line' Live @ Sigma Sound<iframe width="100%" height="500" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/338898197&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe>
<P><b>Brewer & Shipley</b> are <i>One Toke Over the Line</i> in this live 1972? 1973? Sigma Sound Studios recording.</P>
<P>I produced this concert remote broadcast for WMMR.</P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-26010152264816242962017-07-16T21:23:00.000-07:002017-07-16T21:29:19.485-07:00R.I.P. Old School Record Guy and Jazz Lover JOE FIELDS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXljemI5dYjjjZiXR-NbqNAS_rOflgRChCNx90bbFk-4Ib4fpUv2qW8S0_XUJNy8jNU1LN0Nt2IwwERTl8KiWdMs89Y7PPWazNDDc5Fc3QeXFNvmPb__HqEzU1X0i5xx-hECozTu7ncEk/s1600/Screen_Shot_2017-07-14_at_4.23.37_PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXljemI5dYjjjZiXR-NbqNAS_rOflgRChCNx90bbFk-4Ib4fpUv2qW8S0_XUJNy8jNU1LN0Nt2IwwERTl8KiWdMs89Y7PPWazNDDc5Fc3QeXFNvmPb__HqEzU1X0i5xx-hECozTu7ncEk/s640/Screen_Shot_2017-07-14_at_4.23.37_PM.png" width="640" height="312" data-original-width="700" data-original-height="341" /></a><P><b>Joe Fields,</b> a jazz lover and record label owner who took a chance on me with four or five jazz LPs in the 1970s has died.</P>
<P>He was 88.</P>
<P><a href="http://downbeat.com/news/detail/jazz-label-owner-joe-fields-dies-at-88">Downbeat reports:</a></P>
<blockquote><P>Joe Fields, a driving force in the jazz music business for over 50 years, passed away on July 12. He was 88 years old. </P>
<P>Fields was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1929 and raised in Brooklyn. In high school he was an accomplished athlete, winning the prestigious New York Journal American Lou Gehrig award. He was also an industrious student, working many jobs during his school years, including selling newspapers, pushing a rack in the Garment District and driving a cab. He played college football at Syracuse and the University of Bridgeport, where he was captain of his team his senior year. While attending Bridgeport, he met and married the woman who would become his wife of 66 years, Joan Nancy Boyd.</P>
<P>After graduating from college, Fields had several business ventures but found his calling in the music business. In the late 1950s, he began selling records to music stores in Brooklyn. Fields was hired by London Records to pick singles for the United States market.</P>
<P>He worked for MGM, Verve, Prestige and Sue Records before becoming the national sales manager at Buddha Records. While at Buddha, Fields started its jazz division, Cobblestone Records. He started his own record label when he acquired Cobblestone from Buddha and renamed it Muse Records.</P></blockquote>
I had three artists (co-produced with Skip Drinkwater) on Joe's Muse/Cobblestone:
<UL><LI>Norman Connors during his Pharoah Sanders period</LI>
<LI>The Grubbs Brothers aka The Visitors, highly influenced by their cousin John Coltrane</LI>
<LI>Catalyst, virtuoso players ranging from hard bop to fusion</LI></UL>
<P><i><a href="http://downbeat.com/news/detail/jazz-label-owner-joe-fields-dies-at-88">Read more at Downbeat</a> and thanks for the photo!</i></P>
<P> </P>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qP-Zt7wk3Gw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><P> </P>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OhMnwi5wGjI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><P> </P>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CiuumRcbJNo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><P> </P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-65991471339297233752017-07-15T11:59:00.000-07:002017-07-15T12:01:19.507-07:00We backed up my SoundCloud to Archive.org and you can too<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTm-WdVqWu9Y7qvb5jgLO2LmmRl-EqMoas-9IUudi6U8dCd0QG9KmFIRV-xZyTifBRjujzRPqJFSUJhLKAwW3nQd-udgtPHo9wv2wp0LA7yxCpiyrd3eUJBBv7wngNGTBo2U_aZpJs9NY/s1600/voidarchivesoubdcloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTm-WdVqWu9Y7qvb5jgLO2LmmRl-EqMoas-9IUudi6U8dCd0QG9KmFIRV-xZyTifBRjujzRPqJFSUJhLKAwW3nQd-udgtPHo9wv2wp0LA7yxCpiyrd3eUJBBv7wngNGTBo2U_aZpJs9NY/s640/voidarchivesoubdcloud.jpg" width="640" height="551" data-original-width="738" data-original-height="635" /></a><P>I am a big consumer of online multimedia and as the editor and publisher of <a href="http://www.pocho.com">POCHO</a> I regularly embed <a href="http://www.pocho.com/category/videos">video</a> and <a href="http://www.pocho.com/category/audio">audio</a> files.</P>
<P>The videos I feature are usually served by YouTube and Vimeo, and audio files mostly come from SoundCloud. I've never spent much time contemplating SoundCloud's business model -- I just thought of them as an audio YouTube analog.</P>
<P>Now it turns out SoundCloud is having cash flow problems and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/12/soundshroud/">may not be around much longer.</a> As far is POCHO is concerned this is no big deal --- creaters gonna create anyhow -- but as a SoundCloud creator myself I need to consider where my audio files will live if SoundCloud shuts down.</P>
<P>Thankfully my old friend <b>Tom Higgins</b> was a step ahead of me and put a <a href="https://gist.github.com/tomhiggins/fdcc79906af204eec5f7ff3a1fae4020">shell script up on GitHub</a> that you can use to move your <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dwilen">files from SoundCloud</a> to a nice <a href="https://archive.org/details/dwilen/">new home on Archive.org.</a></P>
<P>Thanks, Tom!</P>
Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-34455740035381613482017-07-06T16:38:00.001-07:002017-07-06T16:39:49.225-07:00It was 60 years ago today St. Hubbins and Tufnel taught the band to play<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pRY8wp_Y0L4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<P>Today is the 60th anniversary of the day that David St. Hubbins met Nigel Tufnel and formed The Originals, which eventually became SPINAL TAP.</P>
<P><b><a href="http://www.spinaltap.com/articles/taphis.html">From SpinalTap.com:</a></b></P>
<blockquote><P>Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins grew up in the same city block in London's Squatney District, knowing each other only slightly. David played guitar in a skiffle band, the Creatures; Nigel did the same for the Lovely Lads. The two began jamming together outside tube stations, and eventually, formed their first legitimate band, the Originals, later changed to the New Originals when the East End Originals (now the Regulars) threatened suit.</P>
<P>The New Originals collapsed in 1964 without record company support, but David and Nigel were hired by the legendary Johnny Goodshow Revue and played the Seaside Circuit, gigging after hours at local pubs — and it was in a Southampton tavern, The Bucket (now the Bucket and Pail), that they met and jammed with John "Stumpy" Pepys, then drummer for Leslie Cheswick Soul Explosion (now Les & Mary Cheswick).</P>
<P>When the weather turned cold, the three hooked up with bassist Ronnie Pudding from the Cheap Dates (now Cheapdate) and began working in London as the Thamesmen. They released their debut single on Abbey, Gimme Some Money b/w Cups and Cakes, in late spring 1965. It did not hit the charts immediately.</P>
<P>Meanwhile, the band played extensively in the Benelux nations, particularly Amsterdam's Long-Hair Club, where they met sixteen-year-old keyboard prodigy Jan Van Der Kvelk, who did musical charts for the band and used his Dutch music-biz connections to get them work. Leaving Amsterdam and Van Der Kvelk behind, the band returned to Britain as the Dutchmen and found Gimme Some Money climbing the charts. The band quickly changed their name back to the Thamesmen but the single had peaked and vanished from sight.</P>
<P>During the next eighteen months the group performed under the following names: Rave Breakers, Hellcats, Flamin' Daemons, Shiners, Mondos, the Doppel Gang, the Peoples, Loose Lips, Waffles, Hot Waffles, Silver Service, The Mud Below, and the Tufnel-St. Hubbins Group; personnel included: Nick Wax, Tony Brixton, Dicky Laine, and Denny Upham (keyboards); Jimmy Adams, Geoff Clovington (horns); Julie Scrubbs-Martin, Lhasa Apso (backing vocals); and briefly Little Danny Schindler (vocals, harmonica), later with Shvegman-Hayman-Kvelkman Blues Band featuring Little Danny Schindler (Shvegman, Hayman and Kvelkman signed with CPR Records as Talmud).</P></blockquote>
<P><a href="http://www.spinaltap.com/articles/taphis.html">Continued here...</a></P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-90696790696216174592017-07-02T22:49:00.002-07:002017-07-02T22:49:34.816-07:00Trump prepares for upcoming meeting with Putin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SQILb7xWVr_RWXFfZ9EgxtywtPCbKqG1CVq_AezZphQDSLinUdNDMgfGdFKXChsmGtqEaGDSiNEgBOJEclJ0pSxppjfapaGlrprUfyzFHyx3DYhIvkY7LrgziuTtDHLsNqbYZsYL0_k/s1600/reservations.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SQILb7xWVr_RWXFfZ9EgxtywtPCbKqG1CVq_AezZphQDSLinUdNDMgfGdFKXChsmGtqEaGDSiNEgBOJEclJ0pSxppjfapaGlrprUfyzFHyx3DYhIvkY7LrgziuTtDHLsNqbYZsYL0_k/s640/reservations.jpg" width="640" height="640" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="800" /></a>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-72276962490990200222017-07-02T21:00:00.001-07:002017-07-02T21:00:41.819-07:00Got FBI? It's Mueller Time!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEIYvaEnrDvbFyKOXsJFjwEi9DsgLTX_UPTPfR_RTIANeTpSx4FXyg6tKY6p74Xe8CRjihCLw3Z2uxEVStludNMyluGvUld_nOsJtz1ySC7n1PwqRv3XrpjKSvWnaP-KYrdDLRAgCUxM/s1600/MUELLERTIME.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEIYvaEnrDvbFyKOXsJFjwEi9DsgLTX_UPTPfR_RTIANeTpSx4FXyg6tKY6p74Xe8CRjihCLw3Z2uxEVStludNMyluGvUld_nOsJtz1ySC7n1PwqRv3XrpjKSvWnaP-KYrdDLRAgCUxM/s640/MUELLERTIME.jpeg" width="640" height="640" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="800" /></a><P> </P>
<P><i>[Based on a screencap of an actual <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/thelittlelord/works/27041656-its-mueller-time?asc=u">t-shirt for sale HERE.</a>]</i></P>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-30725508479543491612017-06-09T12:48:00.000-07:002017-06-09T12:48:03.697-07:00Lookit! We found Putin's high school yearbook photo!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kAXtInyHPYqi4BcX697rlyjXqy2ZF9ElGLNPKj1W4s8twyPH9kqamoqL_o7vAp1C9fu8ENpT9HInI4wf4eLgQ2CTpxJxX9FZlsrKu-wZqWO14LU8LHrNNJcEc8fGsTfoXAPoawhV1VY/s1600/vvputin.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kAXtInyHPYqi4BcX697rlyjXqy2ZF9ElGLNPKj1W4s8twyPH9kqamoqL_o7vAp1C9fu8ENpT9HInI4wf4eLgQ2CTpxJxX9FZlsrKu-wZqWO14LU8LHrNNJcEc8fGsTfoXAPoawhV1VY/s640/vvputin.jpg" width="623" height="640" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="822" /></a>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-30616243083173783182017-06-02T22:40:00.003-07:002017-06-02T23:09:59.666-07:00R.I.P. Sunset Strip landmark House of Blues<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="464" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FVintageLosAngeles%2Fposts%2F1442677315788983%3A0&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe><br />
<i>The House of Blues is going down. Photo by Alison Martino for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VintageLosAngeles/photos/a.121200214603373.17841.121097987946929/1442677315788983/?type=3&theater">Vintage Los Angeles</a></i><br />
<P><BR><BR>
My favorite night there was September 5, 2000, an evening I memorialized for <a href="http://www.spinaltap.com/articles/scenereport.html">SpinalTap.com.</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHf7YQzMeqdi8Y8LTorsWUmTych26a9XIMGUeDM8rHKIddOWowSj8TU0igE7Qbkrhe9BRhkRmg-Q6QC5hTf51vjqDQHQRUT8p0M0-omYj0k9Opgqw5jo_rkpLrFlAc7c_MB2iSb6gYPQ/s1600/random_image.pl.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="550" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHf7YQzMeqdi8Y8LTorsWUmTych26a9XIMGUeDM8rHKIddOWowSj8TU0igE7Qbkrhe9BRhkRmg-Q6QC5hTf51vjqDQHQRUT8p0M0-omYj0k9Opgqw5jo_rkpLrFlAc7c_MB2iSb6gYPQ/s640/random_image.pl.jpeg" width="640" /></a>
<br />
<tt><b>Editor's Note:</b> Dennis Wilen, webmaster for Harry Shearer, and Bunezuela, who paid $510 for two tickets to the film premiere, reports from Spinal Tap's triumphant return in Los Angeles, September 5, 2000</tt>
<br />
<br />
No fooling those Sunset Boulevard scenesters!<br />
<br />
Despite the House of Blues marquee showing TUES NITE: SUSSMAN BRIS, the can't-fool-me crowd of hepsters packed the HOB for the tour-opening gig of Spinal Tap's 16th anniversary premiere.<br />
<br />
The hard rockin', Spinal Tap t-shirt wearing-crowd was like totally ready for an extremely rare appearance by one of England's loudest bands. With tickets to the uber-private HOB "industry preview" gig reportedly going for up to $300 on eBay and September 7 David Letterman taping tickets in the $3K range, there was no question this was the hottest show in Hollywood.<br />
<br />
I myself with my own eyes saw swinging stars like Carl Reiner, Al Franken, the inimitable Hef (no ascot tonight!) with two matching blonde bimbettes, and my old Philly homeboy, bass-playin' Freebo, whose mysterious presence was only explained by the show's encore.<br />
<br />
There were lots of other celebs, I am told, plus many industry weasels in attendance.
Surprise opening act was The Folksmen.<br />
<br />
Dressed in matching khakis and vertical red and white candystripe shirts, the group played their one hit, what had once been several traditional ballads, and, to show they're no strangers to that rock and roll music you kids like to listen to, closed their set with a rousing version of <b>Boston's</b> <i>More Than A Feeling.</i><br />
<br />
Even if you think you've heard this rock classic in every possible setting, you would have probably been as dumbfounded as the audience was upon hearing it on string bass with two acoustic guitars. Stunning.<br />
<br />
Finally, as the velvet curtain rose on the laser lit, smoke-filled club stage, the thundering intro to <i>Hell Hole,</i> cut one side one on Tap's debut LP, filled the room, and Tap was Back from the Dead, in a mighty big way.<br />
<br />
From left to right, dark, hairy and menacing Derek Smalls, as always, on bass. In the center, on vocals and rhythm, blonde and beautiful David St. Hubbins. On the right, as flashy as ever, Nigel Tufnel sent out the soaring leads on his artlessly played Japanese Stratocaster copy with lots of buttons.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCPnj7n0gLWbFOFjrA8syeZssuxGW5Uw8Sme_E4XYE7NHz8eJk2dxkDO18gOcdSuqDIXlFSmsFDxK7JMhW8sbdivbS7umt4aFrYi91lO6eluGTRE8vyXTusmpZPbsASmIhZK0mNpTCyg/s1600/tap2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCPnj7n0gLWbFOFjrA8syeZssuxGW5Uw8Sme_E4XYE7NHz8eJk2dxkDO18gOcdSuqDIXlFSmsFDxK7JMhW8sbdivbS7umt4aFrYi91lO6eluGTRE8vyXTusmpZPbsASmIhZK0mNpTCyg/s400/tap2000.jpg" width="228" height="400" data-original-width="128" data-original-height="225" /></a></div>The band never stopped to rest or chat much or even tune up as they hammered hit after hit across the proscenium to the screaming horde.
<i>Bitch School.</i> <i>Christmas With the Devil.</i><br />
<br />
Whatever that song was during which Derek had gotten trapped in the pod, but not this time. The British Invasion hit that started it all off for Tap: <i>Listen to the Flower People.</i> And then, unbelievably, as the lights flashed and the thunder rolled, a prop Stonehenge is lowered to the stage.
It was easy to forget, at that moment, the huge, bald spot in the middle of Derek's flowing tresses, the crusty cold sore on Nigel's lip and the fact that St. Hubbins was made up like a geisha whore on crack.<br />
<br />
The magical musical tale began. This was Progressive Rock at its perige! Or is it apogee? I never remember.<br />
<br />
And, apparently as part of a personnel compromise that got the band back on the road, the part of the midget was danced by a woman (Jeanine?) who might have been St. Hubbins' bird, ya know watteye mean wink wink nudge nudge? But I'm not sure.<br />
<br />
As the epic ended, the crowd was silent. The 'Henge retreated into the lights. What could possibly follow this?
Cheers. Cheers. Cheers as Freebo, carrying a goddamn tuba, and a famous bass player with a bald head, wire-rim specs and a long gray ZZ Topish beard (I am spacing on the name) came on to join the Tapsters, and, in a fitting finale, together they layed down the bottom-heaviest version of "Big Bottom" you'd ever want to hear.<br />
<br />
And I don't say that lightly.
My ears are still ringing. And my mind is still spinning — in a good way.Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586641976700152830.post-36274253713092558102017-05-23T17:54:00.002-07:002017-05-23T17:57:04.994-07:00I get three pages in Carol Miller's autobiography UP ALL NIGHT<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHVLMJOl1KwPyYxus2j7iu2CqQZWpl7PFE9L2OKKI51pRgifhlhdRllFgW37wMa8xqLYFRI3Grrm2D0drQMqhdPOH8c8djCLi7GLgwQsgQhdZiV4LzeH9FfmKT8e1xR8D_KO3DIP-CA8/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHVLMJOl1KwPyYxus2j7iu2CqQZWpl7PFE9L2OKKI51pRgifhlhdRllFgW37wMa8xqLYFRI3Grrm2D0drQMqhdPOH8c8djCLi7GLgwQsgQhdZiV4LzeH9FfmKT8e1xR8D_KO3DIP-CA8/s640/cover.png" width="480" height="640" /></a><p>I'm in a book! </p>
<P>Fellow Penn alum <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Miller_(disc_jockey)">Carol Miller, the DJ and VJ,</a> put me in her autobiography <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Up-All-Night-Times-Radio-ebook/dp/B007HCAVI0">UP ALL NIGHT</a>. </P>
<P>I always tell people that I replaced her as Music Director at WMMR in Philadelphia when she went to NYC, but until my cousin showed me Carol's book (she borrowed it from the library), I didn't know Carol gave me props for getting her the job at WMMR in the first place! </P>
<P>I'm in there for three pages, starting at page 83. </P>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8Cs6o96hOhPkf2Qvz8Y6exNiveCx7K3x4lXS8P2oJyxxMi5R4a944Zto3aAmXWBRjMRH-po-bLS2Yv4XoyfHhI6hwPP7LpNq-lnAh8NCC_KcoFC_rf55w4UNnnB4wcKzo_Qesj9gYDc/s1600/page83.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8Cs6o96hOhPkf2Qvz8Y6exNiveCx7K3x4lXS8P2oJyxxMi5R4a944Zto3aAmXWBRjMRH-po-bLS2Yv4XoyfHhI6hwPP7LpNq-lnAh8NCC_KcoFC_rf55w4UNnnB4wcKzo_Qesj9gYDc/s640/page83.png" width="421" height="640" /></a>Dennis Wilenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321177590265142015noreply@blogger.com0