This is a collection of press clippings and e-mails, starting in October 2002, when Crap From The Past moved to its Friday night time slot. If you have a question or comment that you'd like posted here, send e-mail to Ron.
At the tender age of eleven, Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber began laboriously copying the chart positions of every single on the American Top 40 into a binder, genuflecting before the divine word of Casey Kasem. At the same time, he began regularly purchasing 45s of every top single he didn't already own. His enthusiasm for pop music has, in the ensuing three decades, evolved into Crap from the Past, where he's been behind the mic passing the love on to us for sixteen years now.
Gerber currently broadcasts out of KFAI in Minneapolis, with syndication in England and New Zealand. (Luckily for everyone who isn't a Kiwi, a Brit or Prince, there's a podcast feed.) If he were simply slapping a hodgepodge of pop tunes onto the turntables every week, his program would be no worse - and, let's admit it, probably better - than most of that which spews forth from community radio. But Crap from the Past is so much more; the Boogiemonster bills it as, in effect, "a graduate-level course in pop music," but it's even better than that, because he rarely if ever resorts to critical post-structuralist gender theory.
See, when Ron Gerber lays down a show on Tears for Fears, he doesn't spin "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and call it a night. He spins "Everybody Wants to Run the World", which the band re-recorded from scratch as a charity single for some kind of benefit run, changing only one word. He spins "Victims of Fact", a single recorded by Neon, an early group comprising the members of what would become Tears for Fears and the members of what would become Naked Eyes. He spins a cut recorded for The Karate Kid Part II by Mancrab, a one-off outfit helmed by Tears for Fears' lead singer. And he digs out his 1980s issues of Billboard to read out the original reviews of these songs.
Similarly, a New-Kids-on-the-Block-themed program features Biscuit, the boy band's bodyguard-turned-rapper, the Perfect Gentlemen, an even younger boy band created by the New Kids' producer Maurice Starr, and the James Brown records off of which Starr bit to formulate that irresistible New Kids sound. Interwoven are interview excerpts from a New Kids concert VHS tape. (Imagine how full this guy's house is, and of what else.)
Gerber also conducts the occasional interview of his own: electronic pop pioneer Thomas Dolby, forgotten - and much Boogiemonster-championed - power-popper D.L. Byron and mayor of Funkytown Stephen Greenberg, to name only three.
Though Gerber introduces certain songs as, say, "atrocities," don't take the Crap in Crap from the Past too literally: the show's not some sort of kitschfest, but if it's necessary to play some kitsch, the Boogiemonster won't back down. (He may, however, talk over said kitsch or yank it off early.) As a man unashamed of his pop habits, I adore Crap from the Past. If you don't deign to enjoy pop yourself, prepare to be converted. It's a bit of a cliche to put it this way, but were you to give his show a listen, you'd almost certainly be infected with his near-obsessive - okay, obsessive - passion for well-crafted pop and all information relating to it.
[Direct all correspondence to colinjmarshall at gmail.]
You can argue that MP3 players and podcasts and on-demand streaming audio have supplanted the radio as an all-day/every-day form of entertainment. But it's kind of a moot point as far as Minnesota's most adventurous station is concerned. The best reason to tune in to KFAI isn't to catch something you've been waiting to hear (though there's plenty of that); it's to find something you didn't know you'd want to hear until that very moment. You might leave the dial at a specialty show you've made a habit of following—say, the irreverent Friday-night Top 40 tribute Crap from the Past—and when you wake up the next morning you'll find bluegrass or Afrobeat or spoken-word poetry running across their airwaves. It's the same unpredictable story at all hours of the day: Worldbeat turns into Americana, Latin music into blues, and, most impishly, Earl Root's metal show Root of All Evil into Ernestine Gates's Sunday morning gospel program. Throw in a significant number of special-interest news shows, and KFAI stands as the only station in town that actually has something for everyone.
10. RADIO MINNESOTA
When it comes to cabin fever, music is the best short-term cure. And when it comes to music, the Twin Cities are a radio paradise. MPR's acclaimed and much-publicized offshoot, The Current [89.3 FM], the U of M's Radio K [770 AM] and the community radio station KFAI [90.3 FM] provide an endlessly fascinating parade of great music and local weirdness.
Metro Tip: Check out local music and live bands with Radio K's Off the Record, The Current's Mary Lucia and KFAI's retro radio program Crap from the Past.
Very cool - I've been listening to some of your shows, and I LOVED the "I didn't know that was a remake" episode. You'll find a parallel universe, as well, with my "Originalville" episodes.
Ron, mutual admiration here. It's shows like yours that I listened to as a kid that always made me want to be a DJ. You're someone who is influencing a whole new generation of DJs who care about the music (not about heavy rotation), and since I can't go back and thank those DJs I listened to as a kid, I thank you for what you're doing.
Thanks,
Brian Ibbott
www.coverville.com
The Cover Song Podcast
Hi ya
One of the fans found your site and the show you did with Nik Kershaw songs. Can I say well informed. There were a few singles you left out but there again they didn't go anywhere bless him, they were Elisabeth's Eyes, James Cagney, Somebody Loves You, What do you think of it so far?, Wounded. I think that was it, if you want a full discography then go to www.nikkershaw.net. You will need to go and log into the forum and if you search for discographies you will find lists of them with all the info you need. You will also find on the forum what he is up to now.
You have made some fans very happy over here!
Kriss :-)
Bracknell, Berks, England
Hello Ron,
I just came across your 'Crap From The Past' webpage while googling for D.L. Byron - I was wondering if "This Day and Age" was available on CD, and thanks to you I now know where to write to try and get it re-issued.
At the time that album was released, there were a lot of scathing reviews about his similarity to "The Boss". I don't own any Springsteen albums, but still play D.L. Byron... thanks for passing on the word to potential new fans.
Jean Trivett
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I recently found myself on your website while looking for information on the Pepsi Dance Party (a Boston area radio show from the early sixties) and I was amazed you had such a long and high-quality track (number 020114c from a 2002 show).
I sincerely want to thank you for airing it, my grandfather is Ken Carter, host of the Pepsi Dance Party (not just "some guy who at the station in the seventies"), a show which became the largest dance show in New England and was eventually televised on WMUR in New Hampshire (a network visible all over New England) from about 1962 until 1964. Ken Carter later became the owner and operator of Carter Broadcasting, which at one point owned eight radio stations and several television stations. Carter Broadcastings current flagship is 50,000 watt WCRN in Worcester, Massachusetts and my grandfather, now 74, still heads Carter Broadcasting.
We were all absolutely thrilled that we heard the Pepsi Dance Party broadcasted once more and I thank you greatly for playing it. What we're all wondering if you know if you have any more tapes of the Dance Party and if you would be so kind as to share them with us. A recording of the Pepsi Dance Party that old and in such prime condition is quite rare, I doubt even my grandfather has one from the early days of the Dance Party.
Thanks once again for such a wonderful recording,
-Cory O'Hayer
I am truly horrified, offended and daunted by your inclusion of Giggles' "Love Letter" as listed as Crap From The Past. As a DJ for W.O.R.K. FM in Buffalo, NY, Giggles is one of our most requested artists from callers who want dance jams from back in the day. Aside from "Love Letter," Giggles' 1993 dance club hit "What Goes Around Comes Around," "Hot Spot" (charted at #48 in 1988 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco Charts) and "He Said, She Said" are all extremely fun, shoulder-shakin' songs. Then again, "Love Letter" being voted 'Worst Song Ever Recorded' by some two-bit station shouldn't be taken seriously since on the same list, New Kids On The Block are also signalled out for criticism - lest we forget how many #1 hits they have had? Not to mention successful solo careers for both Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight? Shame, shame, shame on you!
Vanessa Paenessa
W.O.R.K. FM, Buffalo, NY
JACK-FM mixes up the ear candy, by Breuse Hickman
It's only a matter of time before he lands on an airwave near you.
Jack, aka JACK-FM is the much-ballyhooed radio format that mixes '70s, '80s and '90s hits with current tunes.
It's been popular in Canada since 2002 and industry watchers are predicting the format will be found in at least 100 U.S. markets by the end of this year.
Many music followers whose interests lie deeper than, say Britney Spears, Rob Thomas or the faux-punk music of Avril Lavigne will no doubt roll their eyes at what they see as another attempt by mainstream radio to remain relevant.
Who can blame them? While satellite radio and iPods certainly can't replace local radio's community spirit, technology is opening up new musical vistas for listeners who don't need to be reminded they know every word to some tired Eddie Money song.
JACK-FM's method is painfully obvious. It wants to meet your party-shuffling needs by juxtaposing several musical genres and eras so you'll be inclined to keep tuning in.
That's quite a task. Even though JACK's playlist is huge -- 1,200 songs at last count -- it still will need to appeal to the lowest common denominator to sell itself to advertisers.
"I've heard it said that JACK-FM is adventurous radio for people who aren't very adventurous," Minneapolis-based disc jockey Ron Gerber said.
Unquestionably, Gerber is biased. And his estimated million listeners are glad he is.
Now in his 30s, Gerber has collected records he heard on pop radio stations while growing up. And for 13 years, he has played many of them on his syndicated "Crap From the Past" radio show, which has been growing in popularity with more public and college radio stations picking up his show almost every month.
Most people find his show accidentally, "usually because they are online, searching the name of an obscure pop song," he said.
That search usually leads to the crapfromthepast.com Web site, where they can hear several years' worth of archived shows.
"I think I'm the only show where I actually say something is bad," Gerber said.
He said what he's doing isn't that far off from how radio remained relevant in the '50s and '60s, "back when you had James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the Beatles and even Frank Sinatra played on the same station," he said. "It was pop and it aged well."
Locally, Brevard radio veteran Dean Mionske is trying to win listeners by mixing a daring playlist with a little attitude during his retro show, which airs from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday nights on WMEL-AM.
But he hesitates to call it an oldies show.
"It's not all the light rock stuff you usually get from stations that play older songs," he said, admitting he's followed obscure Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin tracks with KC & the Sunshine Band disco tunes. "All I know is the stuff I'm playing I haven't heard on radio for awhile."
He figures his audience will come from folks who want to expect the unexpected from their playlists.
"There's a little shock there," he said. "That's how I like it and hopefully, the listeners will, too."
Hi Ron,
I've been sitting here all day working on my web page, and I just typed my name into Yahoo to see what it would bring up. As I scrolled down, I was intrigued by the radio link and went to your site. I am dying to know where you got a copy of my old record "If I Were Only A Dental Hygienist"! It was the only 45 I ever put out and I have never recorded the song since... I never even perform it. What a hoot!
Did you live in LA, and have we met? I'm cutting a new CD. I've got a song on it called "Dumped By A Dweeb" that might be a good one for your show, also a song on my last record called "I Don't Need A Man, I Just Want One" which you can hear on my web page if you're interested.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Claudia Nygaard
Web Page: www.claudianygaard.com
Dear Mr. Boogiemonster,
I was recently doing a Web search for the above title, and was delighted to stumble upon the playlist and RealAudio stream for your broadcast of March 7, 2003. Why, you might ask, was I looking for information about this recording? Well, I played on it!
Tom Perry was a high school friend of mine, and we had played together in a couple of bands. He recorded this song on a four-track tape machine in his bedroom, and asked me to play bass on it. I think he played pretty much everything else, and did all the vocals.
Trust me - the master tape sounded much better than the disc that ended up in "The Disco Handbook." I remember being pretty disappointed when I finally heard the finished product! For one thing, as you can certainly hear, the "center" hole was actually puched a bit off-center, making for a distinctive wavering in pitch. I have no idea what happened to my copy; I might have thrown it away in disgust, but I really can't remember for certain.
Musically, let's just say that this wasn't the best thing Tom ever did, by a long shot. I'd say it was probably not crafted with originality in mind. I remember thinking that it was obviously influenced by the Bee Gees' output of that period, with a nod to Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing." Tom had some definite ideas about what he wanted me to play on bass, but in one spot I incorporated an idea from "YMCA" by the Village People. The whole thing was pretty much a hodge-podge of disco cliches.
Tom was actually a talented singer and songwriter, who did some composing for films. Around the same time we recorded "Pick Up Your Feet," I also played in the pit band for a musical revue that he had written with Nick Petron, with whom he also collaborated on "PUYF." We also made a recording of all the music in this revue, with the intention of producing an album. However, the finished discs ended up disappearing under some sort of mysterious circumstances; I think the story I heard was that they were stolen out of the back of a car, or some such.
Anyway, I recently happened to be thinking again about "The Disco Handbook" and "Pick Up Your Feet," and wondering if perhaps I could obtain a copy via eBay or some other online venue. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to hear the music again on your site. You've also saved me some money, as I was reminded of why I probably disposed of this record in the first place! Anyway, I also looked around your site a bit, and found it quite interesting. Thanks for bringing back some memories for me!
Joe
Joe - Holy cow! How terrific to hear from you!
Like I explained during the show you heard, I got The Disco Handbook when I was 11, and I was always intrigued by the awful-sounding flexi-disc that came with it. Over the years, I'd poke around on eBay and Google, trying to find any other references to the song or to Tom and Nick - nothing. If you want, I can burn the A and B-sides to a CD-R for you.
How old were you guys at the time? Were you commissioned by the publisher to put together a disco song, or did you record it first, then shop it around? Just curious.
Is it OK if I post your letter on my website? I do get quite a few artists who stumble across their songs on my playlists, like you did. Do you have a website to plug? Or Tom & Nick?
Great to hear from you, and let me know if you'd like a CD with the songs - that'd be no problem at all. (Oh, and let me know if I can post your letter, minus the e-mail address.)
Take care!
Ron Gerber
Ron,
Thanks for your prompt reply. Actually, yes, I would like to take you up on your kind offer of a CD-R containing both sides of the disc. The two sides were not different mixes of the same track, as you speculated on your program, but were actually separate recordings. I haven't heard side two since its release, but I seem to remember that my bass playing was a tad more aggressive and adventurous then on side one!
You may certainly publish my e-mail message on your site. I'm also in the process of trying to contact Tom, who might be able to give you more information. I think he might be tickled to know his humble creation was remembered after all these years and played on the radio! I've lost touch with him for the most part, but a few years ago a mutual friend wrote and told me that Tom had just gotten married. I sent Tom a brief e-mail, to which he replied - but I've misplaced his e-mail address and am attempting to track it down again.
Here's a link to Tom's page on AMCTV's site. Not much information here, unfortunately. I don't know if Tom would like to be known primarily for writing the music for "The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood," but the movie is certainly notable, if for nothing else than for starring Adam West of "Batman" fame!
I graduated from high school in 1976, and Tom a year earlier; I can't remember for certain whether "Pick Up Your Feet" was recorded in '78 or '79, but it was one of those two, which would mean that Tom and I were in our late teens or early twenties at the time. Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about how Tom and Nick came to hook up with Bruce Pollack and to get the commission to produce the music for "The Disco Handbook."
By the way, the reason I happened to be thinking about this book again recently is that I took a book out of the library called "Working Musicians," also by Bruce Pollack (as an editor rather than writer). It contains a list of his other books, including "The Disco Handbook." I had previously almost forgotten about it! Frankly, I didn't even remember that there was an author credited at all. Anyway, seeing the title in print inspired me to look on the Web and try to see if anyone had ever posted anything about it. As I'm sure you well know, you never know what you'll find on the Internet.
Anyway, thanks for your offer, but I have nothing to plug! I was a free-lance musician for a long time, and intended to make a career of it, but I've been gradually developing a more pragmatic attitude over the past several years, and have now given up playing music altogether. I don't know what Tom is doing now, but he might well appreciate your offer to help promote whatever he might be up to. As for Nick, I have no idea, as I barely knew him. He was an instructor at Adelphi University in Garden City, Long Island, at the time that Tom and I made this record, so he was a bit older than we were.
Thanks in advance for the CD. Take care, and keep up the good work!
Joe
CD Review: Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers, by Peter S. Scholtes
There's pop music, and then there's "pop in the poppiest pop pop sense of the word," to quote Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber from KFAI-FM's Crap From the Past (90.3/106.7). That's how he described Fountains of Wayne on the air a few Fridays ago, as I headed out of town on a hot highway into the night. And I knew what he meant as soon as he threw on "Stacy's Mom," the band's brash attempt to outdo Mrs. Robinson and Stifler's mom in one era-collapsing swoop. Fountains of Wayne's PR juggernaut is such that it took local community radio to alert me to the new album, issued on a boutique label owned by the A&R rep who signed them to Atlantic before the major dumped them. (Their two acclaimed albums on Atlantic sold poorly.) But the band's FM-radio appeal is so obvious that they made I-94 and surrounding Hudson seem suddenly epic and full of late-night possibilities. Pudge's Bar, here I come! Hello, Wisconsin!
The creative fountains of Fountains, singer-songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger, have always seemed capable of making the stuff summers are made of. They've digested so many nostalgic influences that references are useless--try the Cars, drive-up fast food, and England for starters. But they also subsume their personalities in craft and homage, an effect that makes them seem a little arch, like a British invasion Urge Overkill. I found it admirable that they were able to provide the important title song of 1996's That Thing You Do!, a movie about a one-hit-wonder everyband from Pennsylvania in 1964 (called the Oneders, for emphasis, and modeled after countless garage bands from co-star Steve Zahn's own Minnesota). Yet Fountains of Wayne really are a kind of everyband, the musical equivalent of the cutting-edge suburban Everywheresville that is New Jersey--a state they can't stop singing about.
Good thing the band's character studies lend themselves to chameleonic rock and playacting: FOW make lush acoustic funk for the hippie parody "Peace and Love" ("Riding around in a Volkswagen van/Thinking 'bout the people upside-down in Japan"). "Valley Winter Song" is the Hang Ups on a good day; "All Kinds of Time" is Semisonic on a better one. And in a perfect pop scheme where every line must rhyme, the boys muster such lyrics as "I used to fly for United Airlines/Then I got fired for reading High Times." That's their career in a nutshell.
From: Marty Rhone
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 7:08 AM
Subject: flatteredDear Boogiemaster
While surfing the web late this Sunday night I came across something that surprised and amused me. I was delighted to come across your website and delighted I should make one of your programs with my 1977 hit in Australia, "A Mean Pair of Jeans". I was also surprised to discover that a copy had made its way to you and the twin cities. After getting over the initial shock of being part of a program called 'crap from the past' I chuckled my way through some of your program titles and saw that I was amongst some esteemed company which softened the blow somewhat. The program was your Hasselhoff one of July 1999 and up till now I presumed the only other country that would have heard Mean Jeans would have been Germany which I undrstood to be the only other country where the song was released.
A bit of trivia. A Mean Pair of Jeans was the first 12" 45rpm record to be released to discos in this country. I think that was instrumental in the record's success in this country. If you would like to learn a bit more about myself and maybe discover some more 'crap' you can go to www.martyrhone.com
All the best
Marty Rhone
Marty - So great to hear from you! And I'm glad you're not offended by the show title!
I came across your song on an Australian compilation called "The No. 1 Seventies Album". (2-CD, Polygram, 1998) The collection had a handful of songs that were completely unfamiliar to me, like "A Mean Pair Of Jeans", as well as "All My Friends Are Getting Married" by the Skyhooks, "I Wanna Make You My Lady" by Mark Holden, and "April Sun In Cuba" by Dragon. I routinely play '70s and '80s hits from other countries, and your song fit the bill nicely even though I'd never heard of it before.
Glad to see that you're still making music down under, and I'd like to post your letter on my website, if you'll let me.
Thanks so much for writing!
Ron G
From: DJ Kraze
Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2003 7:41 AM
Subject: RobeyHi Mr. Boogiemonster, I'm a new listener to the web version of the show, (someone on Radio-info.com posted a link in the Coast-to-Coast message board) and I've been listening when I get the chance during work. I don't know why but I'm going in reverse in your web episodes and I got to the one where you mention Robey from the Nightmare on Elm Street TV series. I remember these as locally they were running these into the early 90's and on Sci-Fi channel many years after that.
Anyway, I was working in radio at a local college station back in the mid-to-late 80's doing a rap/hip-hop program and was doing some self-explorations of the urban library and they actually had an LP from her in there. Since her TV show had not been airing, I had no clue at the time of who she was. I tossed it on the turntable and found myself quickly putting it right back on the shelf with the thoughts that 1. I would never put it on a turntable again and 2. Puzzled as to why it was there in the first place, but since I had no clue where else to put it in the station (I didn't think of the round file at the time) I returned it to where I found it.
A couple of years later I was in Kenmore Square in Boston and saw a 12" single from her there for 99 cents merely remembering it from before and then since Friday the 13th was airing by that time I put 2 and 2 together and just continued past it thinking "she made a good move to drop the singing career".
Now back to present day, I'm doing some online searches for a few things, and I remebered the mention on the episode I heard from a few weeks back and decided for the heck of it to see if anything even exists on Robey and sure enough I found either an official or fan site (I'm about to dig deeper when I close this e-mail) and yes she does have a first name afterall.
hi, my fiance was the lead singer for looking glass which did the song tongue twister that you featured on your august 5,2002 show... it would be SOOOOOOOOOOOO great if we could get a copy of it, in any format... is there anyway you could get make me a copy????? I will be happy to pay any cost it would take, and I would so deeply appreciate it... please let me know. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lisa
Toms River, NJ
Lisa - No problem. I can burn you a CD with both sides of the 45 that I have.
I featured the song as a weekly featured called the Random 45, which is exactly what it sounds like - I drop the needle on something I've never heard before and we all hear it together for the first time. I originally found the single in a store in Minneapolis, and I bought it thinking that it was by the same Looking Glass that did "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" in 1972. Obviously, it wasn't the same group. Could you fill in some more details about them? Like when it was recorded and all that?
Thanks for asking!
Ron G
Hey Ron, I was in the Looking Glass in the late 60's, I was 19 years old at the time, I am now 53 years old and I am still in the music business, although I am only doing covers in a band called YBNORMAL in Ocean County, NJ...it is totally unbelievable that anyone has a copy of Tongue Twisters. I started the band "The Looking Glass" in Toms River, NJ in the sixties. We recorded "Tongue Twisters" and performed it on the Kirby Scott Show in Baltimore, where the song went to the Top Ten. I was partially involved in Brandy, but because of contractual problems, the original band quit, and were replaced by the band you know as "Looking Glass"...
I appreciate whatever interest you may have in us, its great to know that all of our hard work lives on...if even in a dusty record shop.
Keep up the Great Work preserving music of all kinds and popularity!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Frank Antuna
Looking Glass lead vocals and guitar
Hey Ron, You just made my year. It was certainly good of you to send me a copy of my record, but to have sent me the actual record, is unbelievable. I am sending you a check for $20 [to be donated to KFAI], I wish I could send more, as the record means a lot to me, but at the age of 53 I am still a struggling musician, a price I choose to pay for music being such a great passion for me. Thanks again.
Frank
Subject: Tim Bedore from Quake contacts lawyer
Date: Monday, April 07, 2003 6:28 PMR:
Just kidding.
Big Rick Stuart sent me your site's address. Tried to listen to my last day at the Quake but didn't hear it. Is that a glitch or am I just impatient? I'd probably cringe with embarrassment anyway. Last day on Quake was weird and somewhat disappointing in that I didn't get to do my show as I wanted but played host to others and their music choices (Howie Klein, Ben Fong Torres) but it looked good on paper when the PD drew it up. My wife is from Minneapolis. Have spent much time there. Will probably move back one day in the not too distant. Keep up the pop work. Ever play the Kings' "This Beat Goes On/Switchin To Glide"?
Tim Bedore
'Crap from the Past': Calling all fans of no-hit radio, by Rod Smith
The condom isn't quite long enough for Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber--or rather, the condom song isn't. "Wait a minute!" he exclaims, eyes widening to comic proportions. It's the Valentine's Day edition of Crap from the Past, Gerber's weekly Friday-night radio show, and he's just realized that the track going out over the air--a single by an obscure Canadian band about a long-unused rubber--is nearly over and he doesn't have anything cued up to follow it.
Gerber leaps out of his chair in front of the mixing console in KFAI-FM's nicely appointed Studio 4, whips around the long desk, and flips hurriedly through a blue nylon CD binder. He finds his quarry, a homemade compilation titled Crapulation #48, spins back around, slips the CD into the player, and cues it with time to spare. Within a few seconds, he's seated and composed enough to colorfully back-announce the song he's just played, "Circular Impression" by the Extras. Gerber even tells the story of his 12-year search for the record, which he wound up acquiring from Dr. Demento himself in trade for a copy of Trip Shakespeare's Lulu.
"He's a great guy," Gerber notes of Demento. "Very friendly. And he's got an encyclopedic knowledge of music."
As does Gerber, although you'd never guess it just by looking at him. With his close-cropped hair and navy denim button-down tucked neatly into black jeans, the buff 34-year-old seems the antithesis of the stereotypically slovenly pop-music obsessive. By the same token, only his exhaustively catalogued CD collection betrays the faintest hint of the fact that this jovial schlockmeister is a scientist by trade, with a Ph.D. in optics, nine patents under his belt, and a resume that includes stints with IBM, 3M, and Kodak.
He's hardly a newcomer to broadcasting, either. Gerber got his college-radio start in 1986, during his undergrad days in Rochester, New York, where he also worked part-time as a board operator at a commercial station. When Gerber left for graduate school in Tucson, Crap from the Past, which he had premiered in Rochester, moved with him. (The name was suggested by a friend.) Gerber's Tucson days also provided another opportunity to work in commercial radio, this time as an intern and call-in character on a morning show co-hosted by Jimmy Kimmel (of Jimmy Kimmel Live fame).
By the time Gerber launched the well-seasoned Crap on KFAI (90.3, 106.7) in 1999, he'd been in town long enough to befriend kindred spirits Joel Stitzel and Chuck Tomlinson, the hosts of Radio K's Cosmic Slop. Out of deference to the fact that "they were here first," as Gerber says, he yielded turf rights to whole decades of pop's lesser pantheon. "They tend to play more '60s and '70s stuff," he observes, "so I concentrate on the '80s and '90s. I'm playing songs now that didn't even exist when Crap from the Past started."
When some kind of overlap is all but unavoidable, as with the recent death of Maurice Gibb, Gerber treads carefully. His tribute to the deceased Bee Gee consisted entirely of cover versions of "Stayin' Alive," a move he correctly guessed the Slopsters would not be making.
Philosophically, though, the two shows are, as Gerber sound-bite source Lisa Simpson might say, craptacularly similar. Both offer largely forgotten pop music that is relevant, first and foremost, to the hosts--dusty gems and sonic coprolites alike. Both include plenty of between-set discussion, mostly pertaining to the music. And, as with Stitzel and Tomlinson, the imp of the perverse is Gerber's copilot. "I like a good pop song," he observes. "But there's something about the bad ones that does it to me every time."
Hi Ron,
Back in the late '70s, I played bass in the Deputy Dawg Band. I was bored at work yesterday so just for fun I did a web search on "Deputy Dawg Band" and voila, I got a hit on your site. And sure enough, there was "Disco Wretch" streaming out of my pc speakers(!)
Last night I ran into Gregg "Del" Plagge who wrote and sang "Disco Wretch" and now lives out here in Portland, OR. We had a good chuckle about all this, but now we're both curious... Where in the world did you get a copy of that record??? "Disco Wretch" was the first single we released and we only pressed a few hundred copies. We never had any distribution to speak of on that release -- we mostly sold copies at our gigs. Were you -- or someone you know -- a Dawg Band fan back then? Just curious. Anyway, good luck with "Crap from the Past" and thanks for keeping those old memories alive.
Best regards,
John "Doc" Reynolds
John - Great to hear from you! It's always a thrill to hear from any of the artists I play!
I have a regular feature on the show called "The Random 45", which involves playing interesting-looking 45s without really previewing them at all. So I'm always buying 45s with the word "disco" in the title, as well as anything from the '70s and '80s that might sound interesting to pop music fans.
And truth be told, I'd never heard of the Deputy Dawg Band when I found the 45. It could have turned up in one of a few places - a thrift store in the Minneapolis area, at a record show in Minneapolis (belonging to a midwest vendor), or even at a record store in Nyack, New York, where I bought their entire 45 section for $10. I have a few hundred of these random 45s that I pick from every week, and I found most of them out here in Minnesota. And how could I pass up a song called "Disco Wretch"?
My posted playlists have been terrific for a few of the lesser-known artists that I've played over the years, and I've heard from members of the Dynomiters ("Rock And Roll President", 1976, Epic Records) and the Extras ("Circular Impression", 1981, Ready Records in Canada). I'm glad that you got in touch with me, and I'm glad that I could give your 45 some exposure on the show.
Good luck to you and Gregg in Portland; I hear it's beautiful out there.
Ron G
KFAI still fresh after 25 years, by Chris Riemenschneider
In the on-air studio at KFAI-FM, Trinidad native Tony Paul sorts through some of the African-music CDs he has played on the community station for 23 of its 25 years.
In another studio, Indian activist Chris Spotted Eagle is learning the ropes for a new show, "Indian Uprising," which will start next month on the station (90.3 FM in Minneapolis, 106.7 FM around St. Paul).
Although they came to KFAI decades apart and worlds away from each other, Paul and Spotted Eagle unknowingly tell similar stories about what attracted them to the station, which has the most diverse format on Twin Cities radio.
"No other stations offer this kind of mix of education and entertainment," said Paul, who started when the station was just a 10-watt outlet housed in a south Minneapolis church.
"It's a great place to learn and listen," said Spotted Eagle, who describes KFAI's current third-story offices in the West Bank area of Minneapolis as "somewhere where the doors are always open."
Diversity is at the core of KFAI, which will celebrate its 25th year of so-called "Fresh Air" broadcasts with an eclectic concert tonight at First Avenue in Minneapolis.
In 2 1/2 decades, KFAI has grown in size, power and, especially, relevance. Its antennas on top of the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis and in West St. Paul have 125 to 175 watts each (still minuscule compared with 100,000-watters such as KQRS and KDWB). Its budget -- which mostly comes from listener-support drives, plus some state money, foundation grants and company sponsorships -- is at an all-time high of about $689,000 this year, compared with $380,000 five years ago.
The biggest changes, though, have been in the demographic makeup of its shows and volunteers.
The station's programming has mirrored population trends in the Twin Cities. Older shows that cater to Hispanic, Hmong and gay and lesbian listeners now share time with programs geared toward Filipino, Eritrean, Ethiopian and Khmer immigrants.
Executive director Janis Lane-Ewart said she is hoping to add even more diversity to the station, which is run by five full-time staff members and 300-plus volunteers.
"We've had requests for shows from Tibetan immigrants, East Indian, Brazilian and Portuguese," she said.
Against the tide
That she and the rest of KFAI's operators solicit the public for programming ideas underlines the station's uniqueness.
Other stations have been narrowing their formats in the past 25 years. Many FM outlets in town are now owned by two giant out-of-state companies, Clear Channel and Disney, which sometimes distinguish their stations by the type of Sheryl Crow song they play.
KFAI program director Dan Richmond, a musician in the country-folk band the Ashtray Hearts, said there is no pressure from the staff for volunteers to play local and independent music.
"It just happens," he said. "The people who volunteer here are all passionate, diehard music fans."
Some of the KFAI shows with local music include Friday night's "Local Sound Department," Saturday night's hip-hop-oriented "2 The Break a Dawn" and midweek afternoon blues programs such as "Rollin' and Tumblin' " and "The Jackson Buck Show."
Late nights also offer adventurous music programming with shows such as "Fresh Ears," "Radio Rumpus Room" and "Crap From the Past." Mornings offer gospel, R&B, jazz and lots more.
Fans in England
KFAI's wild mix of music and ethnic programming has made it a popular destination on the Web in the past two years. A sampling in November found that the station's Internet link got hits from 97 countries in one month.
Blues musician Joel Johnson has noticed how far-reaching KFAI's Web broadcasts have been with his long-standing blues program, "The Lazy Bill Lucas Show," which airs Thursday afternoons locally -- and around pub-closing time in England.
"I keep getting calls from these guys in Bristol who apparently love the show," he said. "The problem is their accents are so cockney and they're always so drunk, I don't know what they're saying."
While music shows are great for entertainment, Johnson is also a firm believer in KFAI's more serious social programming.
"I've seen it where there were two shows back-to-back involving countries that were at war with each other, and the shows of course went off without a hitch," he said. "Where else on the radio or in the entire [Twin Cities] would something like that happen?"
Noncomm AMPERS affiliate KFAI/Twin Cities (90.3 Minneapolis and 106.7 St. Paul) recently moved Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber's weekly '80s music show Crap From The Past to Friday nights, 10:30pm to 12Midnight. Now, the show (which has been on the air in various cities for nearly 11 years) has a weekly affiliate in New Zealand! The show now also airs at 7pm Saturday nights on GoldRush Radio, 91.1 FM and 1440 AM, in Lawrence, Otago, New Zealand. "Crap From The Past" is an in-depth journey through forgotten gems, dance mixes, hits, rarities, and thematic programming. Recent shows have featured long-form interviews with songwriter Holly Knight, a tribute to two-hit wonders, exclusively Australia and New Zealand-based artists, and a show entirely in Spanish (including the talk breaks and all songs) to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Learn more and listen to archived shows at www.crapfromthepast.com.
No More Crappy Time Slot Dept
Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber's "Crap From The Past" show on noncomm KFAI/Twin Cities (90.3 FM/Minneapolis, 106.7/St. Paul) has moved to Friday nights, 10:30pm to Midnight. Previously heard Sunday nights from Midnight to 2.a.m., this "forgotten hits/retro music" pop show replaces the "Friday Night Poker Party" which retires after 7 years. An interesting fact about "Crap From The Past" is that Ron has taken the show with him across the country as he has moved over the past ten years. C.F.T.P. has been heard on WRUR-FM/Rochester, NY, KAMP Student Radio and KXCI-FM/Tucson, AZ, and KFAI since 1999. For more details, visit Ron's extensive website (which proves he has nothing better to do with his time), at www.crapfromthepast.com.
Bring In The Trash
With a name like "Crap From the Past," it has to be good, right? Host Ron Gerber dumpster-dives into the pop archives for themed programs that have included "Two-Hit Wonders," a Tears for Fears night and a collection of Jimmy Jam-Terry Lewis productions. This weekend, the Fresh Air Radio show moves from Sunday's graveyard shift to prime time on Friday night. (10:30 p.m.-midnight today, KFAI, 90.3 & 106.7 FM.)
Subject: The definition of crap...
Date: Monday, September 30, 2002 7:26 AM
Hi:Congratulations! You are hereby annointed as being officially brain dead and tone deaf. Do a scientific study based on popularity and you'll find that most music turned into crap after the late 80s to early 90s. Save your subjective opinion and do your homework. Billboard history shows that the widest range and scope of chart music and hits was in the 70s and mid 80s. Today, music is dying a Gen-X suicide.
Today you have black gangsta and white grunge music, latin, some Manson type bohemian skanks...and then nothing. Zero, zilch. No ear candy. Audio insanity. Bjork sounds like an escapee from a mental ward. If music today is good, then why is the record industry hurting? It's because sounds today are so bad that people would rather download oldie retro stuff off the web than pay $20 to listen to some wild animal yell about violence and call it musical art.
Mr. 30 Something
Subject: Re: The definition of crap...
Date: Monday, September 30, 2002 6:57 PMMost bad stuff you list from the past is too obscure and therefore irrevelevant [sic]. You can't say that the top hits of today are better then the 70s and 80s. There's just no way. We're talking ear candy as opposed to audio poison. The difference between the music of love and life and the sounds of violence and death.
It [sic] like a [sic] saying the sky is orange and not blue. This way [sic] is beyond taste and boarders [sic] on psychosis. Is Eminem better than the Eagles? Today us [sic] 30 somethings make up the majority in America. If they took a poll, your opinion would be in the rule in nut houses but not among the majority. Even if you're a moron. LOL!
