An unvarnished blog that dips into the past and comments on the present of WBAI-FM, a once significant, intelligent New York radio station that for years has suffered chronic abuse from within and now nears extinction. Your comments are welcomed and will not be censored.
Michael G. is a lightweight racist compared to the professional race baiters of yesteryear like Elombe Bad-breath, Bernard Off-white and the pseudo-sophisticated race baiter Samori Sniper. Michael is more like a Stepin Fetchit racist. We can handle him. We'll huff and we'll puff and we'll blow his studio in.
ReplyDeleteKGT
He is a lightweight racist, too, but he and that morning show is geared for lightweights. New York area residents, about a bus load of whom listen to that show, really need twisted black, umber and beige news and poorly conducted shallow special interest interviews as they prepare to go to work.
DeleteNo other station would give them all that crap for breakfast.
Work? Was dat?
DeleteKGT
Remember the old prank "Get out of jail free" cards that used to go around in the 1970s? Maybe WBAI should hawk those? Their target demographic is ideal for it. $50 per card would be a good price.
ReplyDeleteSDL
I only remember the "Get out of jail free" cards that came with Monopoly. Is that what you are thinking of? If they had any around, I would imagine they sent at least one to Ghosthorse, but he didn't really get out free. :)
DeleteI just heard Gary Null with Michael G. say "If you drink alcohol, you've just killed a million cells. Nobody tells you that but its the truth". I do not drink alcohol at all, but I know a medical lie when I hear one. In the next sentence, he said, "You must rejuvenate your body so you can grow your hair back".
ReplyDeleteI ain't payin' for this. I don't know about y'all.
KGT
KGT
I heard the first five minutes before I left to do some shopping, but it was long enough for me to become nauseated by his theme music and velvety "hello friends" intro. I also heard him announce the premium du jour, naming the actual Null price and adding, "but WBAI management is generous, so they will only charge you so and so much."
Delete"Charge you"? This Null product, like all the other offerings is supposed to be a "thank you gift." Hammy
Hay-tie reminds me of the character in Orwell's Animal Farm who can't seem to figure out what is wrong with the sign but has an idea it changed.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Sterin Fetchit the "Feets don't fail me now" guy?
And, yes to Monopoly. However, people started taking the Monopoly line and making their own versions of cards as pranks. Kind of the way the original Demotivational cards have been parodied these days. Maybe someone should send one off to Reimers for that fateful day..?
As for Null’s alcohol comment. Sorry, Nullster, but the human body is very resilient, which is why we exist. Some alcohol isn’t going to hurt you in any way. What WILL hurt people like you is being so damn paranoid of everything. It creates tons of stress, which will do more damage to you than a glass of wine or a smoke. Ever wonder why these “healthy” people die so young? Because they are so miserable and stressed that - pray tell! – they may smell a fume or eat an artificial flavor now and then.
SDL
Stepin Fetchit rolled his eyes and stuttered all the way to the bank. It was tough being black in those early Hollywood decades. Leigh Whipper is among the very few who was given a respectable role (he was in "the Oxbow Incident", among other films. Hattie McDaniels was once asked how she felt about always being cast as a servant. "I would rather play a maid than be one," she replied.
DeleteBillie Holiday was cast as a maid in "New Orleans," and almost came to blows with the unknown white woman who played her boss.
In the late 1920s, when Ruby Walker accompanied her aunt, Bessie Smith to a party at Carl Van Vechten's midtown NY apartment, she was amazed when the maid opened the door for them. "I couldn't believe it," she told me, "it was the first time I saw a white maid!".
By the way, Leigh Whipper was a guest at that party, as were Fred and Adele Astaire, and Langston Hughes.
The one man always ignored when talking about black entertainers is Woody Strode. His importance as the bridge between old Hollywood stereotypes and better roles for black people in American cinema is never given proper credit. His autobiography is one of the best I ever read.
DeleteSDL
You are so right. Wasn't Strod a successful athlete as well?
DeleteWhen I was doing research of the Bessie Smith biography, I came across a silent film era news item that said hundreds of black men had been hired to portray German soldiers in a battle scene. Given the blurriness of films, especially panoramic shots, in those days, I guess moviegoers could't tell the difference.
Yes, foorball player, pro wrestler, international actor. His autobiography, Goal Dust, is so good because it's very personal. He talks about how he himself was treated, as opposed to a larger political thing. Often his stories have a humor and irony to them, but no hate, just reality. One good one is about his pro wrestling days in the Deep South. He was the black good guy against the white bad guy. Well, during the show, the white fans (many probably even KKK) would cheer Strode on, yet the next day, when he'd go out to eat, he had to sit in the "colored" area of a restaurant.
DeleteFor all the talk of black history, no one ever even mentions his book. Very sad.
http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Dust-Memoirs-Pioneer-Athlete/dp/1568330146/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423608313&sr=1-1&keywords=woody+strode
SDL
The bozo bigots of BAI have no interest in positive black-related stories. When I heard Hugh Hamilton recommend that all block school children be told of and made to reenact lynchings and other early atrocities, I suggested that such dark events in our history ought not be kept from the kids, but that it would be a disservice to them not to cover the positive changes in attitude.
DeleteHaskins read my post and reported it to Hamilton on the air. Hamilton lost his composure and announced that he would continue advocating the reenactments.
I think that is part of the greater paradigm of paranoia we see in WBAI. Nothing positive ever happens, but everything is always negative and out to kill you. I guess any discussion of advances made cuts down on the downtrodden mentality and gimme gimme gimme opportunism.
DeleteSpeaking of bozos... While I was cooking, Juliana Forlano hit a new low. She made fun of NJ Godfather/Governor Chis Christie for being fat, No, not joking. The funniest thing is that "Cake" Davis was her co-host and said nothing during Forlano's tirade. You really have to wonder what was going through Davis' mind at the time.
SDL
Christie at least made an effort to lose weight, Kathy just grows and grows and grows. A stein of Double Helium water and favorable winds might transport her to a far off Afrcan Village and into the extended arms of its doggone inhabitants.
DeleteKathy is still on the air with Juliana... One wouldn't think she was fired back them, perhaps she's back on payroll.
Personally, I don't like people being made fun of because of their weight, as it can be indicative of a serious medical issue. Just for the record, my calling her "Cake" Davis has nothing to do with her weight but the youtube video of her sitting there like a dummy with the plate of cake.
DeleteIf I want to slam Christie, I can find many political reasons for doing so. I don't need to resort to weight, unlike Forlano.
Maybe I should make fun of her seemingly having small tits? No, I won't lower myself to her level.
SDL
Perhaps Kathy's biggest fault is her lack of judgement. She will occasionally make a statement that cuts through some of the crap that surrounds her. On the other hand, she has participated in some of the worst on-air scams, most notably that notorious Double Helix Water "cure-all."
DeleteHer enormous naïvité is the brunt of much mockery, and understandably so, but you are right, her weight is immaterial, at least until she associates herself with Null, then hypocrisy seeps in. I never thought Kathy Davis was evil, but I do think she is a part of the problem, because her mindset is all wrong for Pacifica as Hill intended it and I knew it.
About Mike. I always got on with him well for all the years I knew him. As for what he's doing....well. I think he's in an impossible situation as all who still are employed there are. I know he's no racist I know him to be a thoughtful kind man. I'm surprise at all the hostility at him I so often see.
ReplyDeleteI think just being there one assumes he's one with the powers that be. Perhaps it even "sounds" as if he is.
I would love to speak to him about all this. My friend you see only the on air side of things. There are other stories behind the curtain. You know the further I go from WBAI the more unfocused, and strange the place, and people seem to become. Yes before I can judge Mike on what he's doing now I'd have to talk to him.
He'll tell me the truth he always has.
I think the hostility you see aimed at Michael Haskins is aimed more at his performance on the air than at him, personally.
DeleteMy take on him is shared by many with whom I am in contact, both in and out of the station: A go-with-the flow guy who probably means well, but consequently comes off as shallow. It never ceases to amaze me that someone as gullible and lacking in conviction can be a WBAI staff member for such a long time and, furthermore, given air time.
I am of course not familiar with Haskins' station activities in the earlier years of his employment, but I don't think his intellect has diminished over the years, so I must assume that he was as unfit then as he is now when it comes to being a voice for WBAI.
The morning show is his, but nominally so. Whoever comes in as iPD quickly takes over and spins Haskins around. He seems most comfortable in a black environment, so he welcomes that, wherever it comes from. One remarkable thing is that all the years spent at the station don't seem to have taught him much. He is still a painfully fumbling engineer, he still seems unaware of the listeners' need to be kept informed: if a show is not available at air time, he offers no explanation, no apology, and sometimes not even a station break. The free form approach has certain charm, but it is not a license to forget the station's obligation to its listeners, especially the ones whose donations pay the bills. The word for all this is, simply put, irresponsibility, and that easily translates into opportunism.
If Haskins can tell YOU the truth, why can't he extend such honesty to the listeners? He not only embroiders the facts routinely on the air, he willingly, even eagerly, participates in deception.
Where was Michael C. Haskins, your good friend, when you were railroaded by WBAI's self-serving "management"? I hope you get a chance to speak to him.
Of course I don't listen....I should have made that more clear in my last post here. In my effort to move on I have stopped listening so I don't know much about what's being criticized here. I know the personalities mentioned very well, but not the sins they're accused of.
ReplyDeleteAs for Mike as I say I know him as a friend of many years. For what he has become on the air...I haven't heard any of it. I only know the person not the on air figure. The person is my friend. If what is said about him here is true then I am heartfully disappointed in him.
As I said, I hope you get a chance to have a talk with Haskins. I also hope that you will ask him how he can, in good conscience, justify some of the stands he seems to take on the air. You might try to learn what he believes Pacifica is or should be about, whether he thinks the current WBAI has strayed too far from its original mission.
DeleteI have heard Haskins lose it on the air when a caller's criticism hits home, and there are times when he very clearly indicates that he has redefined the term, "community." The morning show centers around him so he must bear responsibility for the path it has taken, a path that is clearly biased in favor of black people, at the expense of everybody else. I think it is very easy to understand why the listenership has dropped to an all-time low. The majority of the station's listeners could no longer relate to WBAI's message, and WBAI seemed no longer interested in relating to them. From management to station breakers, the priority had shifted in a direction where thoughtful opinions and honest news had, in alarming measure, become highly politicized propaganda for a small segment of the listening area's population; a station that sought to indoctrinate rather than enlighten; a station where artistic expression no longer showed vision, where it simply stagnated until its level was met by a far less demanding audience that embraced mediocrity.
We are seeing the results of decades of abuse and ignorance. Were it not for hosts like Prairie Miller, James Irsay, Simon Loekle, and a handful of others (very much including you), WBAI would not only have perished, intellectually, it would have vanished altogether.
I agree. I like Michael G. He is forced to play straight man for some of the outrageous claims of Gary Null and others. Gary says, "I can cure cancer with diet alone" and Michael says, "Wow. I didn't think that is possible. Why have they kept this from us"?, a line to Gary to say something about the Medical-Industrial Complex and the Pharmaceutical industry, to which Michael says, "I didn't think the pharmaceutical industry was like that. Thank you Sir Gary for enlightening us". Other than that, he is a great guy.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Your observations are quite correct, in my opinion, but he is a grown man who should have discovered and clasped the value of independent thought many years ago. One can move with the times without doing so slavishly. When Haskins fails to question even the most preposterous statements, he is doing himself as well as the listeners a disservice. A chronic betrayal of principles.
DeleteI cannot agree with your assertion that Haskins is "forced to play straight man." He wants to keep his job and is willing to sell out in order to do that. He is his own worst enemy as he follows the party line, unless, of course, he does so out of personal conviction.
Taking into account what Sydney and KGT say makes me wonder a bit more about something. Sometimes I feel like Hay-tie may be doing a bit of passive-aggressive sarcasm as an outlet so as to not lose his paycheck, having to tow the line. He may well be a very nice guy in real life, but I still think he acts like a dope on the air.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as I said on the Pacifica Romper Room list, I still want to see just one medically verifiable case of someone being cured of cancer by any of the "alternative" treatments offered on WBAI. Notice we NEVER have anyone shown to us with before and after medical records... Oh, why bother going on. It's like trying to disprove faith healing or speaking in tongues (i,e, baby talk)...
SDL
SDL, you know that I am in total agreement with you and that I fail to see valid mitigating circumstances in the case of Michael Haskins. To me, and untold others over the years,WBAI is far too important to have its principles tossed into a dumpster by egotistical ignoramuses.
DeleteMake no mistake, I think Haskins should be fired. He's by no means the worst of the lot, but I don't feel he contributes anything positive to WBAI to warrant his position. Even if he has to "go with the flow," one man's job isn't worth the damage he contributes. He is one of those people who few would notice if he disappeared from the airwaves.
DeleteAlso, for the format that the morning show is trying to have, I think they need some journalists who understand the faster pace of morning radio. Mornings are a time of limited listening, with 20-30 minutes being the personal average. Things have to be slam bang and compact. That's why I think DN should be on in the evening at, oh, say 6:00 PM. After all, there is nothing on the station at that time except 4th grade schoolyard antics. Goodman or Forlano? Come on...
Nothing will change unless some real radio experienced GM and/or PD with NO friends at the station comes in and has nobody to defend.
However, the show will go on with diminishing returns. After all, WBAI is helping some of its listeners to early graves. It's so nice when you have a believing set of guinea pigs ready to die for your premium. WBAI needs to air promos every hour telling people to put WBAI in their wills. If not, there won't be a payoff.
Um, wait a minute. Fass is like 81 years old, right? Let's be resonable and think about something. What does he do for his health? Maybe people should follow HIS example, since he is a real living, breathing person, and not some bullshit premium. Null can come back and talk to us if/when he turns 81. Then I may listen.
At least other stations put those warnings before an infomercial about how the following program doesn't represent the views of the station, etc. Although I think the old warning that the old astrology and tarot card phone line TV commercials used to have to put on was better - this is for entertainment purposes only. Funny how religious broadcasts didn't have to do that...
SDL
Yes, Haskins should be among the many shown the door, but that will never happen as long as the likes of Reimers, Mitchel Cohen, et al call any shots.
DeleteThe morning show is remarkably off the mark, conducted by incompetents, and tangled in passé ideologies that only serve personal agendas. Preaching to the choir has never moved anything forward. Tired of being Nulled, Fassed, Savaged, Hoppered, Kathied and Ifé'd, only the listenership bust a move... far away, out of earshot.
It is really a shame that so much hate is directed towards Haskins. He is a good man, like Sidney has said. You should follow the advice of Sidney and shut up!
DeleteWhere did Sydney say "Shut up"? No one here really hates Haskins. Most of us just think he doesn't have the talent ffor his position nor helps the station in any real manner.
DeleteAnyway. You can't put people on the air because they may be nice people. Being nice doesn't guarantee a person can do good radio or be a good doctor, etc. Talent is often seperate from personality.
SDL
Sidney did not say "shut up," that's the anonymous poster's wishful thinking at work.
DeleteHold thy tongues. If Haskins is axed then Shelton Walden will replace him. Oy vey.
ReplyDeleteLet's have an informal poll. Who would you rather have; GhostHorseManure or RavenTurd? Now don't be greedy. You can't have them both.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Chris: I just spoke to Michael G. by phone he said he "doesn't read this blog and he only listens to things that uplift him and not to people who only want to throw stones". He says "he knows of you but doesn't know you and doesn't want to".
ReplyDeleteKGT
That fits my assessment of Haskins' mindset, so it comes as no surprise to me, KGT.
DeleteMalachy McCourt is 83 years old? Maybe there is something in those brewed and distilled vitamin supplements he uses? Maybe what Null meant was that the cells the alcohol kills are the aging cells…
ReplyDeleteSDL
Malachy, whose support of and donations to WBAI goes back to my time there, is, indeed, my age. I love his "rants" (a good one today) and think that bringing him in for a weekly talk back was an excellent idea. Not too many of those these days.
DeleteMcCourt not only has one of the best personalities ever on local radio, but also one of the best voices. He's just a pleasure to listen to, even when you want to smash him on the knee cap with a shillelagh for some of his opinions. I always enjoyed him overall and raise a pint to him. Hell, I'd buy him a pint if I ever were to meet him, too.
DeleteGoing to go check the archives for his rant.
SDL
Well, the broadcast isn't in the archives. Wonder why? Did the irishmen spill some whisky on it?
ReplyDeleteSDL
More likely that the bozo in charge of such things drank the whisky, It may get there, eventually. Perhaps a couple of years from now, when the thank you gifts are found in the rubble WBAI left behind.
DeleteJulianna Forlano and Kathy Davis had to be an all-time low. It almost made me want to perform a Vincent Van Gogh operation on myself.
ReplyDeleteI think Davis and Michael G. reinforce some of the oldest and worst stereotypes of African-Americans as good-natured buffoons. As others have pointed out, at least Kathy is, if nothing else, naive, but Haskins may well be playing to the stereotype to keep his job. In other words, there's mendacity behind the mask.
Giving Haskins the benefit of a doubt is probably naïve. He knows what he is doing, though ill equipped to recognize how detrimental to himself and BAI his behavior is.
DeleteSomeone once remarked that it was imperative for a returning Vietnam War amputee to be able to justify that conflict.
Whatever happens to WBAI, I want to hear more of Malachy McCourt. I mean, how can you not love a man who says things like "I like fiction. That's why I watch Fox News."
ReplyDeleteHis perception, broad-based literacy and humor seems startling and refreshing now, but it was almost a seamless part of long ago WBAI.
Delete