LETTERS FROM OUR LOYAL SUPPORTERS

SEND US A NOTE:
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR
FROM YOU! >>>>>>

POST-A-NOTE

HOME

Note: Letters are now organized into 4 catagories: Woody Thorne, Celebrities, History Pages, and Misc.

..

Official Woody Thorne Website Letters

Our Friend In Slovenia

I found "Teenagers In Love" on your Top 500 list. It is my favorite song ever! Do you have the original ep with the picture sleeve? I would really like to see how my favorite singer looked like. Robi, of "The Bitch Boys", Slovania.

Damn, Robi...we don't even know where Slovania is! Is is near Pennsylvania? At any rate, our copy of Woody Thorne's record is a straight 45, with 2 songs on it, pressed on crappy plastic, and no picture. So if you got an ep, that means you got 2 more songs than we do. Consider yourself lucky!

Fun In Utah

[forwarded] Had so much FUN in da summer sun-on my little weekend Parks Dept Jawb playin' the Duke n' Banner show on the pickups tape player! Im so glad they got BENJIMAN to howl along with Woody Thorne & the Intrepid radio Duo! What a classic moment!!!! If I lived in yer neck o' th woods i'd be obsessively taping every broadcast hour! Did you urge them to do the Woody Thorne thing for this tape? If you had not, maybe this bit with Benjiman may not have happened just so!!! Donovan & Premium Deluxe, hosts of the Vinyl Cobwebs Internet Show.

Our listener Benjamin works in a winery late at night and sez his howling may become one of the wacky things in his life that he will never forget. Something he will tell his grrandkids about. Awww!

Gene Norman Who?

We no longer have this recording available, and have no news on Woody. His hit "Teenagers In Love" was featured in Quentin Tarantino's,  "Pulp Fiction". But did not make the soundtrack. Crescendo Records, Inc.

How many letters do we have to send before Gene gets to read one? Or is that more than a co-incidence that your company is no longer speaking to him? And anyway, you may be sittin' on a goldmine, so there! Hmmpf, looks like I'm venting some steam....

Ipswitch#1

hey guys can u not just put the darn song on ur site...  d'oh!!!   well here's hoping.. all the best. Steve Sinclair Ipswich,Suffolk,England

We'd love to Steve! But that would be against the law, and as you know, we never break any laws here. <clearing my throat>

Ipswitch #2

I found your site whilst combing for music for my collection..and found the Woody Thorne page.. Your site is really cool.. keep up the good work. I am from a town in the south east of England called Ipswich. I will surely send u and bits and pieces I have on good ole Woody.. and if there are any other long lost artists that you want songwise etc please let me know cos I may well have something of interest.. Take care and kindest regards Gene Velline :(|)

Jeez, what are the chances of finding 2 fans in the same city in England? My mind boggles....

Celebrities

It's Tommy Chong!!! (of Cheech&Chong)

Dear Duke&Banner: Hey man, thanks for the letter and [print out] of those Methamphetamine horror stories. It's nice getting mail in here because it keeps my respect level high. I don't have access to a computer, but when I get out in June I will be able to check out your website.

Prison has provided me with a great overview of our present government. Our American way of life namely "freedom" is under attack from religious zelots who will only stop when they themselves fall into this huge pit called the "Justice System." Their days are numbered and if the Universe is kind, they (the evil ones) will be going in when the rest of us are coming out. Keep the faith, and I'll be available for interviews in July. P.S: Happy Bong Day! Tommy Chong, 07798-068, Unit 4B, PO Box 7001, Taft, Ca. 93268

After reading some letters, all I can say is, "Wow!" Send him a kite tonite, give him something positive. He's in prison for selling, of all things, glass pipes (Bongs) and to quote the govermant lawyer: "Making movies that glorify drug (marijuana) use." Keep in mind that a recent Google search netted 109,000 websites that tell you how to make Methamphetamine, many of which boast the formula for the "Nazi" process, used by Hitler!

Hell's Angels Move Over

In spare time, I'm still working on my electric bicycle.  Finally put a speedometer on it so I can tell how my "improvements" are doing.  Now have a hot machine that'll do 29 mph for about 10 miles before it needs a charge,  (Or a new controller.)  (Or a new motor.)  (Or the melted wires replaced.)  And so on and so on...  Wanna race?? Engineer Randy, SR

Next thing you know, you're gonna be wearin' leather and giving the finger to CHP for makin' you wear a helmet!

Toss The Album, Save The Cover

Thank you for your comments. Believe it or not, I too am an album collector. Those of us who collect albums would never consider such a practice. However, those who don't may in fact find this to be a helpful hint to help preserve their saw blades. We are sorry if we offended you in any way...Kevin Jackson, VP of Marketing, Orchard Supply Hardware.

Hey Kev...I know this may sound really stupid, but we have alot of saw blades hanging around the garage. They all have a hole in the center. A common 16 penney nail holds about a dozen sawblades on any wall surface. This way, OSH sells an extra nail and kids don't get ideas when they see the glorified destruction of an obscure record album (possibly one we've been looking for) as portrayed in your crappy TV Commercial.

Eternally Greatful

Thanks for the birthday greetings. Is KBBF in NYC? Ernie Sierra of The Eternals

The last time I checked, all stations that start with "K" are on the West Coast, except KBBF which is on the Left Coast....proudly. Happy Birthday. PS---Are you geographically-challenged like me? D&B

Fun In Salt Lake City

Hi you scary scary guys! My Woody Thorne Journey began in 1994 as I viewed several screenings of PULP FICTION . There is a scene of  John Travolta & Uma Thurman in a booth at that 50s themed restraunt/club and as they pontificate on the wonders of $5.00 Milk shakes theres a mystery singer going "Aaah  Woooo" over &  over, & im sittin' there in that Summer of OJ  theater going who is THAT? The song did not end up on the sound track ! Fast forward to the Summer of Iraq & I rent Pulp Fiction on DVD & there in the Sound Track credits is : "Teenagers In Love" by WOODY THORNE. I do some research & get 1961 as the year & issued on the Gene Norman Presents (GNP) label, & my search is on...Ebay, where I get a lot o' my 45s these days.
Months pass,then a VG plus copy shows up, I get topped at $33.00, months pass & a beat up copy shows up.  I put $ 10.00 on it but it ends at $ 40.00!   More than the VG+ one!
A year passes, A MINTY copy pops up & no way will I let this thing go BYE BYE! I put $100 on the behemeth thinking theres no way.....   DUH!   Yes way! A dude beats my $100.00 bid! So all CWAYZEE like I Email the winner & typeth "Oh, you fowl pig!"
He typeth "Nanny Nanny Nyaah Nyaah!"
He also typeth  These guys called the DUKE & BANNER play this Behemieh on their local show here all the time & howl along with Woody & his chirpy chick trio on a Mexican station situated on this Lefty coast!
Sais he just had to own it himself ever since! So I typeth "Oh oh say can you please- tape their show-oh for meee ?" (Sung to de tune of the Star spangled Duke & Banner sign off)
So he sends me a stolen radio hour on a cassette. I come home all doped up on Wizdem Toof meds spy box from a certain guy on left coast name o' Hank & I plop down on sofa nursing my throbbin' jaw to the tune of the DUKE & BANNER soiree! I must have played the 2 hr tape over 3 times layin' there !  Dyin' with envy!  Manys the time I tried to finangle a show here in little ol' SLC' Utah-TO NO AVAIL!
Well somehow fate said lets record over the tape-the prongs werent popped & I hadn't  labeled it & it was GONE!
ARRRRGH!
So I E mailed Hank & want "BAAAAAWWWW!
Puh-Leeze tape me another segment & he saiz i'll do it & better yet, have them Loony Toonies Howl along with  Woody Thorne"
And then it came to pass that another tape arrived & there upon,lo & behold comes Woody thorne & his chickie trio & Duke & Banner ANNND Benjiman with a radio Moment like no other!!!!!!
Been playing this tape on both jobs,drivin to Idaho 3 times a week in my meat delivery van & on the weekend Parks dept job in my little City pick up!
I like to howl along whenever that bit comes up! If I lived your way  i'd be taping you all the time ! I understand that rekkid is on CD now. I guess that'll do but i'll keep searchin' for that vintage platter!
If I can find my own copy of Arch Hall Jr doing "KONGA JOE backed with "MONKEY IN MY HAT BAND"  on the Signiature label. then I suppose I can one day snag Woody Thornes disk!
Carry On! I hope that station keeps you on till you cant go on no mow!
Donovan & Premium Deluxe, hosts of the Vinyl Cobwebs Internet Show.

We heard that since you wrote this letter, Teenagers In Love is now going for as much as $300.00. Speaking of your...unique letter writing abilities, are you smoking funny cigs, or did you gain your talent when the Feds decided to send radiation your way?

History Page Letters

A Real DHS Member

Love your web site, and your reminiscences of old Duarte were quite welcome (I graduated DHS in 1967). I knew there were some radio pirates operating back then, but always thought Jim Pierce was behind it all. I was at his house with a mutual friend once, and it was crammed with electronic stuff.  And I hadn't even thought about Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. White, and Mr. Scheel and those guys for years. What a different world that was. The summer I graduated, I worked alongside Mr. Howe, who was also trying to make ends meet in the summer. He was alright.
By the way, the river you're talking about is the San Gabriel River, not LA. We used to go out on the river on an inner tube almost every day in the summer when the water companies were releasing water from the upstream Morris and San Gabriel reservoirs for spreading purposes. Catching lizards and snakes rounded out the day. I never dreamed other kids were hunkered down at home soldering radio sets.  I don't think we had a word for 'geeks' in those days -- it was just the soshes and everybody else.
Bill, Pasadena Ca.

Funny, the first time the FCC banged on the door, I also told them: "I think Jim Pearce is behind it all" but they didn't seem to believe me. We'll be going into Coach Howe, Fessler & others in Chapter 11. Bro Duke

Who is Bill?

Bill wasn't part of our graduating class. Drag out your yearbook and see if he's listed among the Sophmores. My memory is fuzzy, but the name is beginning to ring a bell. He may have not been in our immediate circle of friends. Try to find him in the yearbook. If you and I can see his face, that might jog our memories. Now..I wonder who else might find us? Bob Banner

Fun With Ziv TV

I Led Three Lives was "loosely based" on Herb Philbrick's book. When they ran out of material from the book, the production company "improvised," meaning they just made stuff up. It was, after all, just television.

The gritty, quasi-documentary look of the show wasn't planned or designed. It was because Fred Ziv, the producer and owner of the production company, didn't want to spend money on make up. When they wanted to do location shots, they often didn't bother with permits and police clearance and other assorted niceties. They just jumped in a truck, drive down the street until they found a place that matched what the script called for, emptied out the equipment and did the shot. They were back in their truck and on the way to the studio before anyone could complain. Few, if any, did. It was Hollywood.

Watch the show and you'll see Richard Carlson walking down Hollywood neighborhood streets. Guerilla television, of a sort.  Fred Ziv also created and produced The Cisco Kid, Highway Patrol and a bunch of other 50s TV. He sold his entire library around 1960 for $20 million....a huge pile of money at the time. He lived half a year in Cincinnati and half in Palm Springs. I spoke with him a couple of times....a real character who had a great retirement. David Alexander, Author of "Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry."

Sounds Like A KDHS production! Permits? Who needs permits?! My fave Hollywood story is from Robert Opel (he streaked at the Academy Awards) who was filming a porno movie in Macy's, without telling them.

"F*** You Santa Claus" is a 20 minute ditty filmed around Christmastime, while the real Santa was on lunch break, in his personal chair.

Macy's security eventually found out, and the final scene is Robert and his stars quickly running out of the store. It's rather jittery, I understand.

More From Bill

I was Googling around for Kennedy assassination stuff and came upon your site, which caught my eye because it had something about Duarte in it. I've been fascinated by the assassination since about noon on Friday, November 22, 1963, when fellow DHS frosh Greg Schubert came up to me and said the President had been shot. We went over to the cafeteria, where they had it on TV. I still remember Mrs. Farrell in my French I class being handed a note and her reading it: "The President is dead." Then she went back to the blackboard and resumed teaching! Sometime after that we were dismissed.  That day still haunts me. America has been in deep crap since that day. I have all the conspiracy books, some good and some ludicrous, and I'll always believe that this government was complicit in Kennedy's murder. Nixon and Cambodia/Laos, Reagan and Iran/Contras, Bush I and Saddam, and now Bush II; to me, it all started in 1963. Bill, Pasadena

Mrs. Farrell must be a Taurus. No sensitivity whatsoever. Just like Bob Banner. A no-goodnick. Too busy writing on the blackboard to stop.

We totally agree with your theory of Kennedy. The smoking gun is Enron, with two of its higher-ups, laughing while being recorded. Two reports came in of cars smashing after they deliberately turned off the power, and they laugh about it! If it's OK for a corporation to kill and maim citizens in order to earn bucks, then who's to say that killing a president is any different? How much money has Halliburton earned so far in this current war? Would they kill to earn more? You bet! Bro Duke

Dead Air

Thanks. I am going there right now. Attention KSGM listeners, there may be dead air this morning as I am reading Chapter 9 of Criminals! Don, Mo.

Pasadena Lives!

I have since read your entire chronology of history. If I can think of anything to contribute, I will email it in. There's still a Dow Electronics here in Pasadena, but I always went to C&H Surplus; remember that place? It's been there forever.
Bill, Pasadena

Thanks for jogging our memory. C&H and Dow should certainly be included in a future chapter. Dow has expanded, by the way. In our local wholesale shop is a whole display of Dow Radio poly bags with semiconductors stuck in them. Cool!

Roddenberry Clarified

Just to clarify....Gene Roddenberry didn't "give us" I Led Three Lives.....he wrote two episodes for Ziv Television, the production company that produced the series. Also, Gene was an ardent supporter of unions, a life-long member of the Writers' Guild and strong supporter of union rights. He was probably the only card-carrying member of the ACLU while he was a member of the LAPD in the early to mid-1950s.
I spent almost three years researching and writing his bio and I know these things to be factual.
David Alexander, Author of "Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry."

Roddenberry was a part of LAPD?! You mean, all those Jack Webb lines where he grills the bad guy, and never manages to run out of wind, comes from the same orginization that employed Gene Roddenbury?! I'm crushed!

Early Geek

I just finished reading Chapter Eight. Just thought you'd like to know that the "German kid" Dennis Schultz was my best friend at Duarte and at college. We attended Cal State Long Beach where we roomed for a year. True to his geek nature, Denny graduated in 1970 and became an accountant. I never knew he had any interest in electronics, but he was truly a math whiz. There was a bowling alley in Duarte on the north side of Huntington (a few blocks west of Robert Hall's) where Denny made a little money as a score-keeping "accountant" for the bowlers. I last saw him in 1975; at the time, he was working for an accounting firm in LA. I have no idea where he is now; maybe retired (like me).
I am amazed at how good your memories are.  My four years at DHS are mostly a confusing blur, but some of it's coming back now. Your description of the teacher's lounge jolted me back, and I too remember the clouds of smoke that poured out whenever I passed by.  We used to kid Miss Wood about her smoking habit, probably brought on by her desperation to find a husband (or so we imagined).  Wilkinson filled me with dread, but I never got caught by him.
My friend Bill Deom (DHS class of 1965) retired last month, and for the first time in 37 years I visited the DHS campus to dig up some humorous stuff on him for his retirement party.  The front of the school has been updated, but the inside part looks about the same. But I really have no fond memories of the place  -- all I have to show for it is poor grades (I couldn't have built a crystal radio set if my life depended on it) and a still-faint crush on a girl who didn't know I was alive--a very common story, I'm sure.
Bill, Pasadena

I think Bob had a crush on Lloraine Fellwock, but he won't admit it. All I know is, he kept on turning her away. All she wanted was for him to walk her to school, but no, he was too busy laying horizontal and listening to his radio.

Miss Wood's smoking habits may not actually have been the reason she was single. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now....

Our Man In Monrovia

It has been great reading your history pages during lunchtime, the pirate radio sounds like it was great to put together. That is amazing that KWKW donated the FM gear to PCC (my college) and that FM had lost interest. No one cared about sound quality?


I had all the interests you did as a kid but no guidance or resources. Sorta just fixed stuff and played with my electronic stuff that I pulled out of the trash. Garbage day would find me on my bike looking for anything to take apart in the celler. Got a few prizes, a 54 AMI model F jukebox was one and a selectamatic 100
mechanism from a juke box in a restaurant that was burned. I learned a lot from those toys.

Alot of the FM radios back then were not that great on quality unless you wanted to mortgage your house. Therefore, not too many people listened. The KWKW transmitter was a bare bones 300 Watt MONO transmitter made by GE. Yeah, it looked like a fridge, and the sig made it all the way to Monrovia, a whopping 8 miles. By The time it got to Duarte, you more or less crassed your fingers and hoped, thanks to the 50 foot antenna that was mounted on the roof of the college.

Back then it was called KPCS. Now I understand, it's KPCC and they got an antenna on Mt. Wilson with the eqivalent power of 50KW. The FCC map sez it goes all the way to Cucamonga! Hopefully the programming has improved.

Blasts From Da Pasts

I'm getting a real kick out of your History pages. Not only do we get a history of duke & banner, but we get the story of growing up during the 50's & 60's too. By the way you used to have some listeners in Sonoma when you were on KTOB, I think their names were Frank & Arleen. Are they still listening? I have'nt heard any dedications from them since you moved over to FM...Hank, SR

Hmmpf, far as I know, no one has offered to send them a note, though we did send them a Christmas Casette last year. On our final KTOB show, Frank called up at 3AM to tell us his wife was fading rapidly on the couch.

Amazed

You know, Duke, the thing that amazed me, and still does, about you as I read the history? You were able to make things work with the minimum of equipment. Designing your own transmitters, amps, boards, etc. Shaving rocks to the correct frequency. How many people would be able to do that without sophisticated equipment? No one today, that's for sure. And those shows you did. Crash editing, my God! Who does crash editing anymore? But you did, with just two or three tape decks. And you made it work. I am really surprised you didn't end up in Hollywood as a sound editor. I really am. Everything today is so technical, I doubt if anyone, besides you, could do that kind of thing today with just the bare minimum essentials. Dan, somewhere in an obscure Central Valley town.

I think we're still doing it, this time with KBBF's bare, essential , and worn-out equipment.

We Got Girls!

Dear Duke&Banner: Having fun reading your history pages. Still haven't found that someone special? Don't spend another day alone. We have a database of beautiful Russian Women looking for a Western Man just like you! Maughan, somewhere out there in cyberspace.

I don't know why, but my mind is envisioning a dainty 300 pound petticoat with a beard. Not that I have anything against a 300 pound dame...

Our Man In Mo.

Hey Duke I am having a very good time reading your history and can hardly wait the week til the next installment. The latest chapter was fantastic, but I think if you will check with Bob, the river you were talking about is the San Gabriel, not the LA River.

I had plans for that river. I was going to turn it into a test range for model rockets. A classmate of mine, Ed Gombert and I were going to launch model rockets there. We never did, but it was fun drawing up rocket plans and laying out the test range. He went on to work for Disney and put out several animated features for him.

Did I ever tell you I took an electronics class at Duarte High School? I even took my transmitter to school and powered it up for the class. They were suitably impressed. I even fed some RF to an oscilloscope and showed them what amplitude modulation looked like. One of my classmates, Bill Farren, brought in his CB radio, but he couldn't raise anyone on his whip antenna from inside the classroom.

Another interesting note, you mentioned Pappy Dow. When I worked for him, his place was called Dow Trading Company, and I think it was in a different location than when he first started, because one of my first jobs there was putting the shelves together for him to put all his electronic parts on. He was a good guy, even if he only paid $1 an hour. I learned a lot from him.

And you are right about the news media and law enforcement. Anything we get from the cops or the government gets printed without any hesitation. Of course I am careful to say: "according to a police report..." but I have often wished I could contact everyone the cops mention as "bad guys" and get their side of the story. Unfortunately, I am the only newsguy in the building (doing news.) And while the bad guys may eventually be found innocent, the court of public opinion has already condemned them because they were arrested.

One other commentary on your history, I was at Northview Junior High the day Kennedy was shot. I can remember it was just before lunch. My neighbors, the DeJohn family, were Catholic and they had a picture of JFK in their window with black crepe for months afterwards. I agree with you on the conspiracy stuff. I do not think we will ever know for sure who did it and why.

Keep up the history, can't wait for the next installment! Don Pritchard, News Director, KSGM, St. Genevieve, Mo.

What? You don't want to make any comments about our fine&plump Russian girls? Call within the next 5 minutes and we'll throw in a second one for free! Call now, operators are standing by!!!

Cheap 45's

Thanks for the latest installment of the Duke and Banner history. I cannot wait for the next chapter. Your discussion of the differences in record vinyl quality was most interesting. I can remember when we went to Canada in the summer of 69 that the Canadian records all seemed to be pressed on good vinyl, did you ever find out why that was...Don, KSGM, Mo.

In the library are 45 RPM's from England, Holland, Spain, Italy, Russia, Japan, Iran and even low-overhead Mexico. None of these countries have ever heard of Polystyrene. It's a USA exclusive! Styrene does has a use, though. We did some experiments with heat on a hot summer afternoon using direct sunlight. In less than a minute, the vinyl record started warping. By the time the temp. reached 105 degrees, the record was toast. The Styrene record had no problems at all. The temp. reached 125 degrees. An hour later, we removed the record (using gloves) and put it on a turntable. Worked perfectly! I remember going into a bar on a hot August night. Someone selected "Feelings" By Morris Albert (no it wasn't me) The needle bounced around all the warps, and came to rest on a groove that was still intact: "Feel....Feel....Feel..." So maybe there's a need for Styrene in August.

Another Homer And Jethro Fan!

A mutual friend, Stuart, gave me a link to your wonderful web site. I really enjoyed reading your history pages. A few notes on records that may be of interest.

First off, don't forget that Decca used styrene for pressing LP's.  I used to have a copy of the original cast album of "Wonderful Town" that, unfortunately, was played just one too many times and had that distinctive styrene wear noise.

Another Really Dumb Record Idea (TM) was RCA's foray into DJ 45's that contained four songs by two different artists.  I collect Homer and Jethro and have a DJ pressing where they're paired with country singer Terry Fell.  How the heck are you supposed to file and find this thing in a radio station?
Your remarks about obscure 45's brought to mind a couple I have.  Are you familiar with "Rubber Room" by Porter Wagoner?  It's the flip side of "The Late Great Love of Mine." It's probably the worst song ever recorded.  It's a song about a man trapped in an insane asylum, complete with bad country backup singers and misguided echo effects.

I've also got a couple of locally produced 45's by one Rose Carico of Tobaccoville, North Carolina. "I've got Countryitis" and "Laundromat Blues." These no-hit vanity records can be a goldmine for amusing material.

Speaking of Columbia vinyl 45's, have you ever run into "Cool it in Outer Space" by The Geezinslaw Brothers?  It's a fun little novelty number about an outer spaceman dad trying to get his son to cool the jets on his hot-rod space rocket.  Yep, I've got a glorious vinyl copy of that one, direct from WBOB.  Strange, it doesn't even look like it was ever played ...

The jewel in my 45 collection is probably a record that no one has ever heard of.  In the early 1970's in the small town I grew up in was a strange murder case.  There was some kind of drug deal that went bad and some guy, vaguely connected with the mob or something, turned up missing.  There were rumors the guy had been thrown down an abandoned copper mine in the town.  Well, this stunt guy who always wore a mask, apparently from Nashville, volunteered to go into the mine to look for him.  A crowd gathered and the Nashville Flame, wearing a jumpsuit and mask, sort of like a combination of Evil Keineval and the Lone Ranger, was lowered into the mine.

He never found a body, but within a week after the pictures appeared in the paper, stacks of 45's turned up in my hometown's only record store and different shops around town.  "The Tragedy of the Ashe County Mine" is the Nashville Flame's song about the whole sad murder case.
The record is pretty unlistenable, but that was the fun part about it all!
Randy, North Carolina.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo www.coolcatdaddy.com

Tobaccoville? Oh No! They're all dying from Cancer!!!

Good Therapy

I'm still enjoying the Duke & Banner saga. You're really writing a novel here. Must be good therapy in a way. You sure remember a whole lot more than I do about the past. I too remember "I Led 3 Lives." My mother used to watch it all the time. That and Sid Ceasar's show, and "The Real McCoys." Hank, SR.

Really good therapy is dropping pots and pans on Bob, and knowing he's in pain.

Bob Strikes Back

Reading your rant about me actually LIKING that British stuff shows what a weirdo punk I was back in the early 1960's. There was no rock on FM radio in the Los Angeles market until KHJ brought it to the band with their FM affiliate in 1965. FM was my Nirvana with Beautiful mood music! Classical music! Depressing Jazz! Broadway Show Tunes! British Radio Plays!

Actually, some of the plays were created by Americans, such as Arthur Miller. Another interesting note: The version of 'Waiting for Godot' on the radio (KRHM's Theater Unlimited, on Sunday Nights) featured as one of the characters, Bert Lair, the guy who was the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz. [ed note: does he mean Bert Lahr?] Also, did you notice that the center of that Caedmon record looked like it was pressed by good ol' Capitol? The 45 hole sized indentation in the middle of the album was typical of Capitol's West Coast album pressings. Like my George Shearing albums, (British!) and my Beatle albums. (British!) Face it, Duke! It was a British conspiracy to blow your mind! Has Caedmon re-released their stuff on CD? Bob Banner, Forestville.

D&B Bios

Bro Duke...I have a few requests for this week....How about "Beach Girl" by Pat Boone and "What You Gonna Do" by Debra Lewis. I really enjoy the web site. The letters section is great. Still waiting for the Bios on you guys to show up. Take care...Hank

Great idea, Hank! We're working on a Biography to be posted in stages on this hear website. It's got alot of hills and valleys and certainly tests the limit of the US constitution of free speech. We'll try to make the low points humorous, to soften the blows. In the mean time, The Duke&Banner Unofficial Video Biography is in stores today. "Pump Up The Volume" is 100% Duke&Banner...the early years.

Miscellaneous Letters

All Clogged Up

I bought your constipation remedy from your site. After I tried it, I was impressed. It's just as good as the name brand. I'm happy that you provide quality medicines at reasonable prices, and will definately visit your site again and again.......Gracie Jones, Los Angeles

Geez, listening to Bob can plug you up! And be habit forming?

 

A Typical D&B Fan?

AH Woooo!
Had so much FUN playing Duke n' Banner show on the pickups tape player! Im so glad they got BENJIMAN to howl along with Woody Thorne & the Intrepid radio Duo! What a classic moment!!!! If I lived in yer neck o' th woods i'd be obsessively taping every broadcast hour! Did you urge them to do the Woody Thorne thing for this tape? If you had not,maybe this bit with Benjiman may not have happened just so!!! Im burning this tape to disk so I can dub another tape when needed! I also digged (SIC HEE HEE) the little skit they did!  I threw up my bye bye miss Americano pie onto the fine upholstery of my little vehicle!


I spent all evening surfin' with the Sentinals on Del Fi all over dem guyses web site readin' of all them Hi Jinxes at Duarte HS 1962-66 where Monster Mash melts inxonoribly(HOO!) into Elusive Budderfly !   (Whuh?)
My favorite Paul Anka tune will always be "Cray Hay Hay Hay Azie Love"
WHAT MUST I DO- TO GET THRU TO YOU !
DONT... DONT... DONT-CHA SEE...WHAT YOU ARE DOOOING TO ME!!!

The stories of snappin' up 45s at all them rekkid stores of yore brought tears to my eyes as a Johnny come lately who spent those prime Rekkid collector years (1961-71) learning how to walk,talk & aim true for the toilet. At 13 in 1974 I finally had exposure to my first Salvation Army discovery of those
gaily colored labeled 45s of the past. Playing a 1961 45  in 1974 felt like ancient history then.
There was only a 13 year spread then but by '74, 1961 may as well have been 1761 to my way of thinking! But these old records far outclassed what my peers were wasting allowences on!
I could go on!
I need to fire off something  to the dynamic duo but dont know where to start!


I do an internet show with a pal. Its Vinyl Cobwebs and you can check out our past shows playlist. We play roughly stuff from early 50s up to 70 or so. with heavier emphasis on pre '64 era stuff. Hosted by Donovan & me. Its 90 % vinage vinyl & 10% CD's.
Premium Deluxe, Utah

Here on the Left Coast, it's OK to use the phrase "Gaily Colored." I ain't so sure about Utah. How much of that Polygamy beer have you been drinkin? You know you can't drink just one....
Its at vinylcobwebs.freeservers.com

Roy Orbison

All right you guys, it's Roy Orbison's birthday, so how about playing the original "ooby dooby" for Miles From Mom&Daddio; and "love hurts" from Blake to my lovely wife, Soulful Cathy. We dig your new website...Muchas Gracias. Blake, Occidental

One Of Us

I'm pretty impressed with your musical knowledge and history. All those obscure billboard facts and figures. Hey, you must know Rip Lay from the east bay. if not, we'll turn you on to him, he's one of us. I still want to hear: "Shakin' All Over' by the original Guess Who, aka Chad Allen and the Expressions from Winnipeg, Canada on your next show apr 13-14, please
R&B Blake & Soulful Cathy

Hmm, does he lay down while he rips? If he lays down alot, he may be a perfect match for Bob Banner, who lays Horizontal most of the year. Even in the Summer. He's a perfect Taurus. Only reason to get up is to make a dry peanut butter sandwhich. D&B

Another Man For Rip

bro duke...I  knew Rip Lay when he had a record store in Concord. He also used to sell  records via an auction list. I picked up alot of great 45's from him. We kind of lost touch and I have not seen any new auction lists from him in Goldmine or Discoveries magazines. Maybe Blake knows where he is. Hank, SR

Nooooooo!

Hey guys, how about playing "miss american pie" and "help me rhonda" for me? The "G" station don't play it no more. ILOVA DAGEESTATION, Santa Rosa.
Let me repeat that: No, No, Nooooooooooooo!!!

Goodbye Nina Simone

Hey bro' duke. thought you might like to know that Nina Simone died yesterday. Guess it's time to dig out a copy of "I loves you, Porgy" or "Little girl blue" which is the first record I bought by her. It kind of made me think: You could'nt hear songs like that on todays "TOP FOURTY" stations. They only play the same style. In our day you had Andy Williams and Chuck Berry on the same playlists. Anyone could get a song on the "TOP SIXTY" or whatever. You had so many different artists on the KEWB or KFWB surveys. Even Nina Simone could have a hit. Those were good days. I really miss that.    Hank, Santa Rosa

Kinda wish we had a Time Machine, huh? But Hank, she died in France. We'll have to call her "Freedom" Simone, or we'd be un-patriotic! D&B

Music Among The Gassed

Thank You for playing my requests. That is very nice of you. Cheryl, Rodeo

Hey, if we didn't play Barry&The Tamerlanes, who would? Just curious, though: How many oil refinery explosions and
meltdowns have you gone through?
D&B

Oh Boy...Pat Boone Scored!

We lost another great songwriter last week. Felice Bryant died fom cancer at age 77. She wrote or co-wrote with her husband Boudleaux Bryant just about all of the early Everly Brothers hits, including "Bye Bye Love","All I have to do is dream","Bird Dog","Love Hurts", just about ALL of them. Maybe you could play one or two this week in her honor. My requests for the week are "Image" by Hank Levine and "A Picture Of You" by the Danleers. By the way, Beach Girl by Pat Boone did score. It got up to a whole #72. WOW.....Take care Guys.....Hank

I figure the only way this little ditty made it up to 72 is due to the Beach Boys buying a few copies for their grandpa. Where's Lil' Dickie Clark when you need him? D&B

A Dogmeat Relationship...or...honey, where's the Purina?

My old lady wouldn't let me call last show she thinks i been stalking you guys but i was listening, horizontally with my radio...for the next taurusland show she wants james brown doing "please please please" -- from cat to dog....can you kindly play them in the first half of the show so i don't feel like dogmeat on monday morning i'm gonna call if you don't...mercury retrorocket means updating your mind every five minutes, una vez mas...Blake, SR

Anybody who would stay up until three AM on a night when he or she has to punch a time clock only five hours later has got to be freakin' wierd....or, dedicated. Our show brings out the wierdness in even the most normal listener. I remember staying up late Sunday nights to hear the Memory Lane Show, an isolated island of 50's rock and roll put on by 'Memory Lane' Quigly on the normally all-classical college station KUSC. If I wasn't Bob Banner, would I lay horizontal and listen to the D&B show every Sunday nite-early Monday morning? You betcha, In a heartbeat! It would be a MUST HEAR, just like my depressing jazz. Sleep can be caught up on, later. Bob Banner

Job Offer?

I have what you want and maybe you have what I want.  For some time now, I've been wanting to make a major face lift for my personal website, but I don't know how to do it, and your website looks great!

What I am good at, is posing for pics and being the subject of a live cam video show or something like that.  I'm also good at doing live,
personal things.

So if you have the know-how to improve my site, and you want to either see me do something for you regularly on my cam or in person you should come to Toronto and we should talk.  Seems like a fair trade to me, don't you think?

Please let me know asap so we can begin having fun together. Afterall, don't you want to be my web-slave?
Sharon, Toronto

I'll do anything...just don't play Miss American Pie after you tie me up with leather restraints. Paco, did you write this letter? This sounds like something you'd do! D&B

Fun With Doormats

A video has been made of me being stomped on by 3 gorgeous models. The models are Sharon, Charlene, and Shawn. Sharon wears Cowboy Boots, Charlene wears Stillettos, and Shawn wears hiking boots. All 3 of them stand, full weight, on me at the same time. The kick me in the face and stomach, use me as a doormat and force me to do their bidding....Andy, Toronto

Geez, and I used to think Mud Wrestling was kinky!

The Faith is Gone

Bro Duke...Adam Faith died this week although I don't think he had any hits in America. He was real big in England during the 60's....Love the first page of the Bio. Can't wait to hear the "rest of the story". Take care..Hank, SR

Way back in a dusty area of our record room, where the light rarely shines, we discovered something called "The First Time" by Mr. Faith, released over here by AMY / MALA / BELL. Faith had 2 releases here that scored, (if you call #97 a score) but why should we have any of those? No...we'll play the one that didn't score at all! Oh, boy!!!! D&B

No Squash

It's allways nice to meet up with people far away. I dont get to travel much anymore, but i remember back in my younger days, before my leg grew back, I used to travel a lot. Back in those days, if ya had a fake leg where i lived, the King put ya on a ship, and if ya didnt want to go he would poke ya in the eye untill you did, and then you had to go forth upon the frothy seas for months at a time in search of booty for the king. We raided a lot of ships, but they were all full of men too, and we never got any booty. Some guys lost thier hand to excessive masturbation and we replaced em with  big ass whaling hooks so they would stop. Its even harder to be at sea that long when everything is sticky.(some guys have no restraint) You could tell the real lazy guys. They had an eyepatch cause they didnt wanna go to begin with, and a hook 'cause all they did  was jack off afterwards. I think they may have been gay. (they called themselves "squashbucklers") I never let em squash my buckle, or any other part of my pants. They all had parrots too. You could barely sleep at night for the boysterous "yo ho ho"s and the goddam scwalking. It would go on all night sometimes and the guys would show up for work in the morning with thier hooks all defouled. especially if we had rum.  Then ya couldnt get shit done.     it was a difficult life, i was glad when my leg grew back. Shovelhead, Location Unknown.

Hey Shovelhead, I don't want to question yer letter, but the last time I looked, legs don't grow back, unless yer some sort of space alien....Mind if I squash yer buckle? Alright, how about your leg? The new one. I'll bring my hook.

Get To Work!

When is Bob going to put something on your web pages. It's the perfect place for him to let off some steam. We need a "Bob's thoughts for the week" icon. Did Bob get in touch with Frank in Sonoma yet? Hank, SR

You're asking Bob to be vertical? And actually do something with his life??

With Friends Like These....

Dear Duke Congratulations! You're now 55! Double Nickles; the Old National Speed Limit; Ancient Artifact; Living Fossil; Old Coot; Old Codger; Old Geezer; Grandpa; etc.

Suggested Songs for Your Birthday:
1) It Was A Very Good Year; Frank Sinatra
2) W(OLD); Harry Chapin
3) Old Rivers; Walter Brennen
4) This Old House; Rosemary Clooney (I think)
5) When I'm 64; The Beatles

You know you're really OLD when:
1) You remember vacuum tubes.
2) You remember testing vacuum tubes at the drugstore.
3) You remember what a 5U4 was and what it did.
4) You remember that when you turned on a radio or TV you had to wait a few minutes before the device began working.
5) You remember what a turntable was and how it worked.
6) You remember 12" vinyl discs with grooves in them and little 7" discs with bigger center holes in them. 7) You remember 10" shellac records that spun at 78RPM
8) You remember listening to the latest pop music on AM radio.
9) You remember avoiding FM radio because all it played was Mood music, Depressing Jazz, Classical Music and Broadway Show tunes.
10) You remember when 'Longhair' meant a dweeb that actually ENJOYED Classical music and not a follower of the Grateful Dead.
11) You remember when 'Beetle' meant an insect or a certain little German car, not a rock group.
12) You remember when all tape recorders were designed for open reels and how to thread one up.
13) You remember tiny reel-to-reel tape recorders that used little 3" open reels of tape and never turned the correct speed.
14) You remember Bell and Howell film projectors and could actually thread one up.
15) You remember typing a letter on a manual typewriter.
16) You remember when Carbon Copies were actually sheets of carbon paper inserted into the typewriter.
17) You remember the Mimeograph machine, and got off on the smell. 

Take care and Happy Birthday, ya OLD FART!! Bob Banner, Forestville

Beatles were a rock group? You're kidding! What was their hit? "Don't Bug Me Baby?" "Don't Raid On My Parade?"

Yes It Shook

Bro duke, Glad to see you survived the big shakedown. "Whole lotta shakin' goin' on". My wife and I were asleep but it woke us up in a hurry. It was  moving the house from north to south. It did'nt really last long enough to get us too worried. I think that the one that hit Oakland back when was the worst I've felt. I was working for the lighting store when it hit and all our chandleliers on display starting swinging like crazy. I covered my head on that one....Hank, SR

I understand that it actually made Bob change his Horizontal Orientation for a few seconds.

We Love Da Prez

Your President George Bush Question and Answer Page is funny. We've been asking him questions all day at the office...Frank, SanDiego.

Office name withheld, just in case the boss is watching. Get to work, guys!

Fond Memories Of The Duke&Banner Billboard Sign

I followed a link to your site and, lo and behold, there was a pic of your sign! I remember it well, as it was next to steelhead beach, one of my favorite cruising spots (of course, I preferred Wohler Bridge, before they took away the parking) Any chance I ever saw you guys there? Hungry4U, Russian River.

We were there, but maybe not for the same reason, Hungry! We were looking for clues as to who stole the sign. It wasn't trashed, becase there wasn't a stick left behind. And ain't it funny that it disappeared right after the "G" station changed format? [Of which the sign poked fun] We suspect that it was their angry program director!! He was finally forced to adopt the format that we've been telling them to do for almost a decade! Maybe you could help us erect (pun intended) a new sign?

Overworked...Overwhelmed? Printer

Just visited your web site for the first time and let me tell you I'm impressed. You guys seem to have a really good thing going along with a great sense of values and humor. It'll take a while to read through all the stuff you posted but a quick run through tells me it's the same kind of stuff I always wanted to share with the world. Good irreverent, meaningful stuff!
It's been a great pleasure to meet you, at least on-line, I hope someday we'll meet in person. I expect that I'll have to go to one of those great bike rallies in the near future. I love the Trike you have on your page, I would so love to check one of those out. Oh! and the music... !
Gotta go to bed now, got 400 megs of files to upload to a printer while I sleep.
Bruce, Canada.

Gee, thanks! We really enjoy posting irrelevant...ahh, irregular...irrational...no that's not it...irresponsible? Yeah, that's it! Irresponsible, meaningful stuff. We love posting it.

Cheap Ronnie Dove

I was in Florida in the service in '65 and I first heard Ronnie Dove down there. They had corner stores down in Tampa, and they had cut-out bins of 45's for 29 cents each. I used to pick up alot of records there. You're right about Cal-E-fornia (as Arnold says.) No stations up here played any of his hits. Hank, SR.

During the lean years, (1963-1974) when it became impossible to buy any of the original Paul Anka ABC-Paramount hits, Ronnie Dove was good substitute. It was clear that the arrangers (Ray Stevens & Bill Justis) were attempting to fill the void.

I'll never forget that night in '74 when I walked into Wallach's Music City. I started thumbing through some 45's ...and there, staring right back at me was Paul! His long 12-year old RCA contract had finally expired, the vault was opened, and a small oldies company named Eric did something no oldies company had ever done before: Not only was it a 2 sided hit, it even had a picture sleeve! I think Eric was celebrating just as much as I was.

Bob Is Vertical?

I was talking to Bob the other day, and he said that he needed to go do something. I asked him, "Does that mean you're gonna get vertical!?" When he said yes, I dropped my box of Cheezits all over the floor...Dan, In the obscure Central Valley town of Wheatland.

Make him buy you a new box.

New Time Slot...Friday Nights!

That's great news about the new day and time! Now I can go back to recording your shows at normal speed so I can play it in my car. I hope the station is promoting you guys on their spanish language shows..Hank, SR.

To quote our boss: "I worked at KRLA. I love oldies. Welcome to the new KBBF: Oldies...all night. Maybe even every night."

New Time Slot!

Congrats on your new time slot! Now all you have to do is set up a web cam so I can watch and listen...Don, News Director, KSGM, St. Genevieve, Mo.

Why does this sound like some sort of an X-Rated request? Or is it that I just have a dirty mind?

Strange People

I was talking to Bob. He told me how he gets by in 100+ degree heat without an air conditioner. He opens the place up at night and lets the air in. What?! Bob actually opens up his dungeon and let's fresh air in?! What is with that boy, anyway? First he admits to getting vertical occaisionally, and now he admits he lets fresh air in his dungeon? What's next, he's gonna invent the perpetual motion machine? Dan, in the obscure central valley town of Wheatland.

Little known fact: Bob hoards his fans like an alcoholic collects wine bottles. At last count, he had 27 of the buggers. Little ones, big ones, fat ones, and some that don't work. So what does he bring to KBBF on a hot summer night? The filthiest unsafe rat trap he could find! The cord was patched in numerous places, and the front, once white, was covered in black, oily, and sooty dirt!! The air that came out was so poisoned that both Gary and I had to continually rub our eyes in order to remove the waste particles so we could see. Sorta reminded you of Los Angeles during a stage III smog alert.