"Sesame Street" is old and so are you, deal with it

"Sesame Street" turned 40 this month, an anniversary that made me think, “Really, 40 years??”

I still distinctly remember the first episode. I really do. There were cows in it and funny little characters and I was hooked from day one.

I learned all kinds of things from that show, like everyone can be friends no matter if they are tall or in a garbage can or red or blue or yellow. I learned letters and shapes and how to count to 10 in Spanish. I sometimes wish I had learned more of another language as a yongerser, I think it would have stuck with me a lot longer.

"Sesame Street" was my gateway show to all other television programming, since it is the first show I can remember watching.

Some other favorite kid shows were "Mr Dressup" with Casey and Finnegan on the CBC out of Winsor. Mr Dressup was a mellow "Mr. Rogers", if there could be anyone more soft spoken the the Rog. I loved "Mr. Rogers" too, I even had his complete albumn collection, a fact I finaly don’t care about mentioning anymore.

"Mr Dressup" intro

It's from Mr. Rogers that I learned how how to spell friend. The song "You are Special" spelled it out, and my constant singing of the song helped me sort out the “i before e” issue in spelling tests. I’d conjure up the phrase “F-R-I-E-N-D, special you are my friend, you’re special to me” and get it right every time. I wish more spelling had been set to music.

Of course there was Captain Kangaroo, and the clowns-"Bozo", who was the nation's clown,( insert your own "nation's clown" joke here) and "Oopsy" who was a Detroiter. And the zany shows like "The Electric Company" from the '70's (which is being revived) and "Zoom" we really had alot goin'on back in the day.

I look at some of the shows kids have now and I feel bad for them, ha ha.

Some great old school Detroit sites:

Detroit Memories

Detroit Kid's Shows

Soup to nuts, Soup was nuts!

On all things soup

Soup is warm. Soup is nourishing. Soup is SUPER!

Soup is funny.

I’ve been ruminating on soup today, ever since I heard the news that Soupy Sales went to that great laugh factory in the sky last night. I know some people might be unfamiliar with the comedy stylings of Mr. Sales. I myself have a small nugget of knowledge about the man, which ironically has to do little bit to do with soup.

Mr. Sales was known for throwing pies into the faces of thousands of people and a silly style of humor. Pee Wee Herman is said to have “borrowed” some of his act from Soupy, and even SNL paid homage to his stunts. If you liked him as a kid, his antics stay with you in the back of your dark recess of a mind.

Soupy was a comedian who started out essentially in Detroit. He hosted “Lunch with Soupy” in the late 50’s and early 60’. It was a zany midday sketch show on Motown’s ABC affiliate WXYT-7. The show was so successful the station created a nighttime version of his show, which was a bit more adult and incidentally featured some great jazz artists of the time. He was raking in the dough and he helped the network tremendously. But like anyone who’s not actually from Detroit, he left to go to bigger markets, L.A and NY.

I realize now I saw all his shows in reruns. As a kid, I thought Soupy was this funny, goofy guy in Detroit who waited for me to turn on the TV so I could be amused.

Even then it was all about me.

I have fond memories of coming home for lunch, (my elementary was in our backyard) and slurping up steaming bowl of chicken noodle perched on a TV Tray chuckling at the old Zenith. That had 3 channels. Channels you had to get up and change, no remote, horror of horrors.


Reading about him today and going through some old clips, I also realize he was one of those guys that didn’t talk down to kids. His show featured real music, like Motown and jazz, not pre-made over processed bubble gum crap. Soupy also thought that executives were ruining the business. Something we all know continues today in TV and radio. His comedy might have been a little “punny” but he certainly kept the pie industry going.

They don’t make ‘em like the used to, that's for sure.

I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out…

...So goes the old saying. I don’t know it really is a saying, but I k now I lie to say it. And then I goggled it, and apparently other people like to say it as well. So there you have it.

I mentioned last week that I recently moved, and I think the ONE noticeable thing I have always carried with me is my love of the Detroit Red Wings.

I have a vague memory of going to Olympia Stadium (where the Red Wings played a long time ago) and as a child I was THRILLED to pieces when the guys smacked up against the boards. The whooshing of the skates, the chill of the stadium, the blood on the ice. All good times. I don't really know if I really was there, or if I dreamed it, but I’ve told the stories so many times when people ask me “How long have you liked hockey” that I believe it. Such is the legend of hockey in Hockeytown, AKA the home of the Detroit Red Wings.

In Michigan, the proximity to Canada I guess explains one reason why hockey is a big deal to a huge age group and both men and women in the area. People are rabid about the games. Naps are taken in order to watch the West Coast games. Yelling very loud at the TV is very common as well. During playoffs, plans are changed and trips are canceled. It's a big deal.

I worked with a great lady at a Detroit radio station who was going through a divorce and her ex-husband gave her a choice between 4 seats behind the Red Wing bench or the house. She said, “You can always get another house!” I sat in those wonderful seats a few times, and let me tell you…there is nothing like it, nothing like it at all.

That is if you’re a hockey person. If you’re not, well I don’t know what to tell you. There are more "non-hockey" people I think than hockey fans, so maybe that’s why we all stick together. And the Red Wings have become a little bit like Red Sox nation or the Dallas Cowboys back in the day. But Red Wings fan are much much nicer than those two teams.

At that same station in Detroit, The morning show “douche” (who is my “he who shall not be named”, because A) I think he’s litigious as hell, and B) he’s a publicity whore and I’m not about to give him any.

At any rate, the dude TOTALLY dissed Gordie Howe, a legendary player who is truly bigger than GOD in some circles of Michigan. I remember trying to explain to the marketing director that the morning show was going down a very very bad path with the Gordie Howe bashing, and she didn’t believe me. She was from Cleveland, so knew absolutely NOTHING about hockey. Which always used to crack me up, you’d think in a way they would be a hockey town. Kinda like I can’t believe Seattle is not a hockey town, so close to Canada…crappy weather conducive to hockey watching, etc. etc.

At any rate, within’ about 20 minutes of the Gordie Howe snub from the morning show, people began to FLOCK to the station raising hockey sticks and screaming very very bad words about the morning show and generally causing a huge ruckus. The phone lines were off the hook and the program director dragged the morning douche onto my show (I did midday’s at the time) to make an apology right then and there.

The point of the story is –Don’t mess with the Red Wings, or the fans. Unless you know what you're doing, it's just won’t be worth it.

I'll have more Red Wings musings coming up soon.

Panic in Detroit Rock City

Song of the day: "Detroit Breakdown" The J. Geils Band

Today, I was sent a link to probably one of the best articles I have ever read about Detroit. It’s an article in Sports Illustrated written by Mitch Albom. Yes, it’s a little long and schmaltzy…but any Detroiter, former Detroiter or anyone who wonders what the heck it’s like to live in the Detroit area should read it. It certainly has made me ponder. It’s nice to know there are others who feel like I do.

It's hard to be a Detroiter. I guess I'm a former Detroiter since I don't live there anymore, but I think it's kinda like being a recovering Catholic. It will always be in you; no matter how hard you distance your self or try to deny it, it will always be a part of your makeup.

Detroit and its suburbs will always be “home”…in that Hallmark “home is where the heart is place.” I was born there, grew up there, spent my best years in radio there. My family and some great friends are still scattered about all over area. Detroit’s a giant metro region that is very spread out. It can take you an hour or more to drive from the east side to the west side. There’s no such thing as public transportation, something I knew nothing about until I moved to the NYC area. And either you get it or you don't. I suppose it helps when you've spent a long time there.

And you can love it or hate it. I know a lot of people that left and never looked back. I know alot of people who want to leave but can't. I left 10 years ago and more or less always check behind me. Sometimes I’m embarrassed and frustrated to admit I’m from there and every once in awhile I want everyone I know to just leave already. But most of the time I keep up on what’s going on. I still root for the sports teams, although I really don’t like to own up to the Lions anymore. I love Vernor’s ginger ale (which you can buy in Seattle ironically) and crave Coney Islands, (hot dog’s with chili), Olga’s (sort of a gyro) and Sander’s cream puff hot fudge sundaes (self explanatory ☺). Yes we are a fat bunch, ha ha. But Michigan summers truly are legendary.

Back in town over the New Year holiday, I got used to having to drive everywhere again. The roads are generally a joy to drive on, and they keep ‘em cleared for the most part in the winter. Yes, there are potholes and what not, but you can drive 70 MPH in most places on the freeway!

And despite it all, people are still nice and friendly; as if all they have left to give is a smile and a kind word and they’re gonna flaunt it.It’s funny, because sometimes I tell people I’m from Detroit and they think I’m all tough. But if I say I’m from Michigan they just shrug a bit. It certainly is a sad little city, and the butt of so many jokes as Mitch said in his article.

it’s the place that built my backbone; my foundation my spirit, and I'm realizing you can take the girl out of Detroit, but man that Motown is still flowin’!

How's your day 2 of '09 goin'?

GO WINGS! Heck of a game at Wrigley. I love the new NHL Winter Classic that started a few years ago. Always reminds me of a very underrated but very excellent movie called Mystery, Alaska. Loved the old school 'D jerseys too!



Ahhhh, the New Year. A clean slate, a time to start over. Usually, I have a million resolutions. And by now, I've already broken most of them. But since you can't break something you don't make, I'm actually ahead of the game this year! What a relief.

Been in the 'D for New Year's. Spent a great night down at the MGM Grand casino, where I made a sizable contribution to the city of Detroit. You wouldn't know the area is going down the tube by the crowd hangin' down there on New Year's Eve!

Always cracks me up now, how many "NON-foreign" cars area around here, as opposed to Seattle. Who knows how long that will last though, they might all be made outside the U.S.

I was ambling around the dial thinking of one of my favorite bits growing up. Ken Calvert, "the casual one" used to play it most mornings for a long time on WRIF or WLLZ....I think it was WRIF...one of the greatest rock stations in America.

If you know my humor, or share in it's madness, you too will have a whale of a chuckle.

Wet Dream-Kip Addotta

Happy New Year! If it wasn't so great in '08 it should be fine in '09 :)