The Latest From Franklin Avenue
I dive into the Franklin Avenue blog when I can, and just noticed the following two posts:
First Jack, Now Jill talks about a radio programming strategy that I've missed. While the radio station's website is listed as "under construction," 92.7 FM is now branded as "jill fm." Tell me more:
Last week also saw the introduction of "JILL-fm". “Lite 92.7/fm” changed format Friday morning and is calling itself JILL/fm. “Lite 92.7/fm” is part of a three-station simulcast of three Class A Amaturo Group of stations - KELT-Adelanto, KLIT-Fountain Valley, and KMLT-Thousand Oaks. The JILL-fm format is a mix of soft Adult Contemporary hits....
But I thought we had that on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the KOST.
Rodney on the Walk details efforts to get Rodney Bingenheimer a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As stated at rodneyonthewalk.com and in the supplied biography:
We are spearheading an effort to have Rodney Bingenheimer inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As most of you know, his contribution goes much further than simply being a DJ at KROQ. For the last 25 years, he has quietly and unpretentiously helped set the musical and cultural tone not only for Los Angeles, but for the rest of the world....
Rodney "on-the-'Roq" Bingenheimer, is one of the best known disc jockeys in the world, and has been called "The Prince of Pop." His show on Los Angeles' KROQ-FM has been a hit with youth of all ages since its inception in late 1976, becoming famous for, among other things, the newest and the best rock music for all of L.A.'s "in-crowd" and forward thinking listeners.
Rodney appeared on The Monkees TV series as a regular guest, and was Davy Jones' stand-in. As a teenager, Rodney grew up with hundreds of rock stars, including: The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Byrds, Elvis Presley, and David Bowie (while landing Bowie a record contract with RCA .) Every year, Rodney does a salute to Bowie and a salute to producer Phil Spector on their birthdays.
In the 70's Rodney made his name as a national columnist for "Go" and "Phonograph Record" magazines; and he also operated and co-owned his club, Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, an L.A. club where Bowie, Iggy Pop, T.Rex, Suzi Quatro, Led Zeppelin, and Sweet were all regulars. In fact, the list of Rodney's friends in music, TV and movies is a "Who's Who" of rock. Rodney even recorded a single with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Eric England of Hole called "I Hate the 90's" produced by Cameron Jamie.
He was the first to play records and do interviews on his KROQ show with such artists as Blondie, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Van Halen, The Go-Go's, Nina Hagen, The Cramps, Nena, The Clash, The Cure, The Smiths, The B-52's, Billy Idol, Adam Ant, Echobelly, Ride, X, Siouxie and the Banshees, Bad Religion, Duran Duran, The Jam, The Bangles, The Runaways Redd Kross, Bananarama, Joan Jett, Tom Petty, Dramarama, Teenage Fan Club, Suede, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen, No Doubt, Blur, Elastica, Belly, L7, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Rialto, Placebo, Oasis, The Verve, Kent, Ash, Gene, Travis, Coldplay, Doves, JJ72, The Strokes, Starsailor, The Hives, The Vines, Black Rebel, Motorcycle Club, and The Electric Soft Parade, plus over 300 celebrity interviews!
Rodney's movie credits include Up in Smoke, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Repo Man, Get Crazy, Back to the Beach (with Pee-Wee Herman), The Runnin' Kind, Rockula, Inevitable Grace, and Frank Zappa's newly-released Uncle Meat, and Mondo Hollywood TSOL Live From O.C. (on home video), as well as videos by The Ramones ("Something to Believe In," "Lifestyles of the Ramones") and the Monkees ("Heart and Sole"). Rodney also hosted KDOC-TV's "Request Video" program in L.A. and Orange County, and UHF's "Notes From The Underground." Rodney also played a character in Nickelodeon's "Sponge Bob Square Pants."
Then there are the books. Rodney has been mentioned in I'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres; the Bowie biographies: Stardust, Alias David Bowie, and The Bowie Chronology; as well as Ultra Violet's Famous for Fifteen Minutes; John Tobler's Elvis: The Legend and the Music; The Monkees' Tale by Eric Lefkowitz; Wonderland Avenue, by Danny Sugerman; Led Zeppelin: Hammer of the Gods, by Steven Davis; Ramones: An American Band, by Jim Bessman; Route 666: On The Road to Nirvana, by Gina Arnold; Networking In The Music Industry, by Eric Olsen, George Harrision's Dark Horse, by Geoffrey Giuliano; Life as Such, by Lord Such; Hollywood Rock, by Marshall Crenshaw; and Making Tracks: The Rise and Fall of Blondie, by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (with whom Rodney recorded "Little GTO".) Other Books include: Waiting for the Sun, by Barney Hoskyns; The Look by Paul Gorman; The L.A. Musical History Tour, by Art Fein; and The Punk Rock Diary, by George Gimarc.
Today, as always, Rodney represents the young. He plays music you can't hear anywhere else in America on the radio - local L.A. artists, punk, imports, and psychedelic 60's music, and he supports it with his continuous involvement in the L.A. music scene and world music scene. In short, the key to Rodney Bingenheimer's success is his Janus-like ability to recognize the past - while always looking toward the future in music....
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