Topic: Art Bell hates me, and so do you!

[themudking]

I've tried to refrain from posting this but tonight I've decided it's time.  I loved AB back when he wore #23...hell I loved him when he retired and came back wearing #45...was really excited when he returned to form and started wearing #23 again!


But I can't get the feeling out of my gut that if AB ever really liked or was interested in the fan-base he created we would have been given a proper send off rather than a posting on a webcam that could probably rank as the equivalent of your girlfriend or boyfriend breaking up with you by txt message then saying "by the way you might want to get checked out by your doctor...just found out I've got a..." First your sad and hurt...then you're angry and worried.  If AB had a reason for what he did then fine...I can deal...but I can't help thinking that the current AB must be truly and completely done with us as a source of revenue.


The reason I say this is I just listened to the last episode of the Bruce Williams show thanks to Michael V. for the link in another thread.  Bruce did it right...he ended his show the same way he carried it for years.  Sure he talked about the good ole days and let us inside the production a little but when he signed off it felt good because you expected something, got it, and said goodbye knowing the product stood the test of time and survived with dignity the sadness of ending.  Art has never given us that type of closure during any of his many times leaving.  Maybe he isn't wired that way...I'll leave that to you guys for debate.  What I do know is that he knew the C2C "brand" was falling apart and rather than take a snapshot of the way it used to be and allow us all to mourn its loss together with a send-off show, he sent us a txt message and then later followed it up with a message (if he wrote it) that an 8th grader could have done a better job with creating allegories and double meanings.  From that day forward when I happen to listen to old episodes its been different, I envision him not as the guy who had "Art's Parts" and was clued into the multiple angles of our existence, but instead as a guy who was selling tickets to go on a cruise ship with special guests Richard Hoaxland, and members of the disclosure movement.  Don't forget to tip Ed Dames on your way out.


to sum up this mess of thoughts: AB sold a great product nightly for a long time and now that the product has no value he is more than content to live out his life without us.  I am not mad at him for this, it is his right for all the hard work he put into C2C.  I just hate the fact that I didnt realize the game earlier and because of that I scheduled an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to get something to help with this rash.


ART BELL QUITS COAST...COAST QUITS ART BELL...WE'RE BREAKING UP?

[The General]

I think that the difference between how Bruce retired and how Art snuck away is that Art 'retired' so many times that he didn't want to make any more big announcements about it.  After a while, it becomes a case of the boy who cried wolf.  And he probably felt silly retiring for the fourth damn time.  At least I hope so, because it was silly to retire 4 times.   And unprofessional, frankly.

If he had made a big announcement and did a final show where we all said goodbye, and 20 different celebrity guests phoned in with their last words, it would have been maudlin,  AND, we all would have said, "yeah, right. He'll be back.  Radio is in his blood."  Well, he's not coming back.  He's old, done with it, and with his family.  And I say that's great.  Art clearly loved what he did, and that's obvious in his classic shows.  And we loved what he did too.  But now it's over, it's been that way for a long time, and sometimes you don't get to take a final bow.

[EvB]

Goodness Muddy - forgive me if I sound like an insensitive douche, but why on earth would any of us think that a man who left a trail of wives and children behind him over the years (thouse whom we've heard from are bitter about the method, if not the fact) would give a rat's ass about how we feel?

Art has a fascinating mind and a talent for keeping talk interesting.  he shared that with us for as long as he did and, as things stand now it seems he's no longer in the game.  Th-th-th-that's all folks (unless it isn't given Art's histroy of retirements and comebacks)

Yeah, I sound like an insensitive douche.  Sorry - I think you know I'm not usually like this. It's just how this post struck me.

[EvB]

I think that the difference between how Bruce retired and how Art snuck away is that Art 'retired' so many times that he didn't want to make any more big announcements about it.  After a while, it becomes a case of the boy who cried wolf.  And he probably felt silly retiring for the fourth damn time.  At least I hope so, because it was silly to retire 4 times.   And unprofessional, frankly.

yep, this too.

[Eddie Coyle]

I think that the difference between how Bruce retired and how Art snuck away is that Art 'retired' so many times that he didn't want to make any more big announcements about it.  After a while, it becomes a case of the boy who cried wolf.  And he probably felt silly retiring for the fourth damn time.  At least I hope so, because it was silly to retire 4 times.   And unprofessional, frankly.

If he had made a big announcement and did a final show where we all said goodbye, and 20 different celebrity guests phoned in with their last words, it would have been maudlin,  AND, we all would have said, "yeah, right. He'll be back.  Radio is in his blood."  Well, he's not coming back.  He's old, done with it, and with his family.  And I say that's great.  Art clearly loved what he did, and that's obvious in his classic shows.  And we loved what he did too.  But now it's over, it's been that way for a long time, and sometimes you don't get to take a final bow.

        I agree. I can't even picture Art doing a farewell show. The 2002 abdication was when I stopped really "caring" about the show. It's a business, nothing personal. This most recent retirement didn't shock me in the least. In the past few years, I was more shocked when his name would appear in the "upcoming episodes" log of C2C, but underwhelmed by his guests...If a guy is going to be on once every 6 weeks, the guests shouldn't be the caliber of Evelyn Pagilini.

[Eddie Coyle]

Goodness Muddy - forgive me if I sound like an insensitive douche, but why on earth would any of us think that a man who left a trail of wives and children behind him over the years (thouse whom we've heard from are bitter about the method, if not the fact) would give a rat's ass about how we feel?

Art has a fascinating mind and a talent for keeping talk interesting.  he shared that with us for as long as he did and, as things stand now it seems he's no longer in the game.  Th-th-th-that's all folks (unless it isn't given Art's histroy of retirements and comebacks)

Yeah, I sound like an insensitive douche.  Sorry - I think you know I'm not usually like this. It's just how this post struck me.

   No, you're not an insensitive douche*(though I often am) just stating some uncomfortable facts(not opinions) about Art. Stuff that seems to come with gifted "artistes"...their personal lives are often rather shambolic.

[EvB]

Evelyn Pagilini

Damn, I gotta get over cringing every time I notice we share a name.

[SomeVelvetMorning]

I agree with the replies.  Art seems to have a knack at leaving people behind whenever he tires of the current arrangements.  Wives, kids, employers, and listeners are all advised to proceed with caution.  I think this is likely why Art will never work for  anyone else again if he ever works again at all.  Despite that, he was and is the best at what he does.  You might have a doctor who is a complete jerk but if they can cure your disease, then you happily accept their efforts.  It is the same with entertainment in general.  As has been said, goodness and greatness are separate issues especially in the professional circles.

[Michael Vandeven]

The 2002 abdication was when I stopped really "caring" about the show.

yup, this was when i said to myself, "now that tears it."  can't believe it's been almost a decade since i gave a shit about c2c.

[Eddie Coyle]

yup, this was when i said to myself, "now that tears it."  can't believe it's been almost a decade since i gave a shit about c2c.

         No kidding, time flies. I remember reacting to it with a "not this shit again" feeling. And a bit of bad timing for Art with the announcement, because the Beltway Sniper case was coming to it's climax, so I was tuning into local radio from VA/MD and that had my attention, not C2C. "Oh Art's retiring again,ok"...

[Scully]

Anybody else feeling like Art's jilted lover?   

[PhantasticSanShiSan]

Anybody else feeling like Art's jilted lover?   

No.  More like someone who realizes that the sporadic string of one night

stands, nights that gave you hopes for the chance of reliving some exciting moments of the past but ended up leaving you completely unfulfilled, are over.

AT this point its preferential and less work to "masturbate" (see: Listening to the old shows on streams) and think of how our "lover" used to be, then get worked up just to realize what the relationship and the lover, has become.

[EvB]

No.  More like someone who realizes that the sporadic string of one night

stands, nights that gave you hopes for the chance of reliving some exciting moments of the past but ended up leaving you completely unfulfilled, are over.

AT this point its preferential and less work to "masturbate" (see: Listening to the old shows on streams) and think of how our "lover" used to be, then get worked up just to realize what the relationship and the lover, has become.

Nicely put.

[Usagi]

Anybody else feeling like Art's jilted lover?   

Yes, and our mom is constantly trying to hook us up with Snoory.

AT this point its preferential and less work to "masturbate" (see: Listening to the old shows on streams) and think of how our "lover" used to be, then get worked up just to realize what the relationship and the lover, has become.

*gasp*  That is what it is, isn't it?!  I knew I felt slightly dirty listening to the stream.  Good thing I have nothing against... that particular activity.

[anagrammy]

        I agree. I can't even picture Art doing a farewell show. The 2002 abdication was when I stopped really "caring" about the show. It's a business, nothing personal. This most recent retirement didn't shock me in the least. In the past few years, I was more shocked when his name would appear in the "upcoming episodes" log of C2C, but underwhelmed by his guests...If a guy is going to be on once every 6 weeks, the guests shouldn't be the caliber of Evelyn Pagilini.

Nailed it, Eddie.  I wondered then if he had any control over who his guest was.  I think not--so lack of control over guests AND callers?  Why bother.

Art lead the audience to believe we were "friends."  Remember when he would talk about his back pain night after night, how it began with the fall off the ladder, etc.  I remember one full moonlit night I was driving by a particularly scenic part of Puget Sound, right after my divorce, and Art said,

"They tell me I shouldn't talk so much about my personal life, but this is who I am.  I share my life with my listeners and together we explore all the weirdness that's out there--and there's plenty out there to explore.  Tonight we have with us....after we thank the people that make CoasttoCoastam possible, our wonderful sponsors...." 

That is an Art Bell introduction par excellence.  A Noory introduction:

"Michio Kaku coming up, folks, they say he's the best.  Get ready for THAT after the break. I love my mother.  She means the world to me and I use Portable Flowers to let her know I care."

When Ramona died, Art talked about it for an hour and a half, sharing his sorrow with his friends, his fans. 

It becomes clear that the personal friend Art was a persona for the airwaves, and a damn good one at that.  It was not "who I am" no more than your work persona is who you really are.  It's who you are at work, that's all, a legitimate part of you, but not the whole you.

Take a look at the latest photo of Art.  Gone is the cigarette, gone is the black, gone is the mustache and most importantly, gone is the mystique.  There you see a nerdy grandpa with yellow teeth, looking like most grandpas do, nothing special, except maybe that he has a very young wife and a child, but even that is not all that unusual.

It's a little like Marilyn Monroe, but with a happy ending.  And this is a happy ending-- I am picturing Rod Sterling walking in as Art is holding Asia's hand and the three of them are walking in a park by a lake.  And Rod Sterling says, "The ride may be over, but the mysteries remains..." and you see a shot of a flying saucer zip across the sky and the AB's don't even look up.

Anagrammy

[Do you think it was angels?]

And this is a happy ending-- I am picturing Rod Sterling walking in as Art is holding Asia's hand and the three of them are walking in a park by a lake.  And Rod Sterling says, "The ride may be over, but the mysteries remains..." and you see a shot of a flying saucer zip across the sky and the AB's don't even look up.

Sheer brilliance!

[Roger]

Nice. Good visualizations in few words.

A writer's life in L.A.: must be harsh.

A writer's life anywhere: harsher more so.

Good concept, good summary, still: no work, little comfort
having deep thoughts. The non-buyers of good concepts: pricks.

The pricks produce all the crap. Yet somehow, in all this mix
called 'survival of the fittest' in business, some real art does
get through.

'Facts'?  Writing isn't about 'facts'.

Product alone is 'fact'.

Lucky are we all when 'product', good writing, and fact align.

Not neccessarily in that order.

r.

[Mops]

Nice. Good visualizations in few words.

A writer's life in L.A.: must be harsh.

A writer's life anywhere: harsher more so.

Good concept, good summary, still: no work, little comfort
having deep thoughts. The non-buyers of good concepts: pricks.

The pricks produce all the crap. Yet somehow, in all this mix
called 'survival of the fittest' in business, some real art does
get through.

'Facts'?  Writing isn't about 'facts'.

Product alone is 'fact'.

Lucky are we all when 'product', good writing, and fact align.

Not neccessarily in that order.

r.

 
In Art's time, radio was a madhouse, a disease and a heart attack waiting. It was an inspiring addiction. He rode that crazy bull until he either broke it or they both got bored and trudged off into the sunset. The smell of processed radio and rebel reenactors wasn't going to bring him back. The internet, on the other hand, is the new, old radio -- a madhouse, a disease and heart attack waiting. Care to saddle-up, Art?
And, Roger, never let the bastids getcha down. Those who can't write or report, edit and publish. They censor, abuse, often plagiarize and almost always compromise the publication and everyone around them. They are the head cases one step ahead of the law [sic sic sic sic sic sic sic]. They need you in order to be somebody.
And, MV, don't forget to teach all of those beautiful kids you are going to have how to beer bottle cop cars.
It's been my pleasure.  Thanks for the invite.

[anagrammy]

Nice. Good visualizations in few words.

A writer's life in L.A.: must be harsh.

A writer's life anywhere: harsher more so.

Good concept, good summary, still: no work, little comfort
having deep thoughts. The non-buyers of good concepts: pricks.

The pricks produce all the crap. Yet somehow, in all this mix
called 'survival of the fittest' in business, some real art does
get through.

'Facts'?  Writing isn't about 'facts'.

Product alone is 'fact'.

Lucky are we all when 'product', good writing, and fact align.

Not neccessarily in that order.

r.

Hey Roger --  This post reminded me, I've been meaning to ask you if you are a screenwriter in L.A. or are your writing book(s)?

Anagrammy

[Roger]

No. Yes.

[Roger]

No, wait. I meant, No, No. I meant, I've written IN books. In the margins!
Which is probably why the library no longer allows me to get into the rare
books room!

[the_wanderer]

No. Yes.

i'll challenge you to write in real time in the moment to MST3k a C2C show.  i've done a couple, unscripted raw, nothing prepared.  it's easy to write prepared text, ask LMH.

[Roger]

I thought you were asking if I had written IN or upon books. I respect
you so much, I felt I was called on the carpet! By the sexy librarian
with the winged horn-rimmed glasses, who reins-in all us rabble-rousers
with a simple 'shhh!'

I do know (vaguely) a stunt-person in Hollywood, though! Does that count?

If I wrote a book, would you date me?

I can write a book! I'm starting tonight! No! I swear to God,
TWO BOOKS! Three!  If I was famus, wud ya luv me?

[Roger]

Well, wait: first of all, how will writing a MST3k make us more attractive
to anagrammy? Secondly, as a defunct venue: how do we make money doing that?

I'm thinking this is a waste(sp?) of (is it waist?) time.

Now if Barbara Hale said: DO IT! I'd do it.

If anagrammy said 'Do it!', I'd try it.

Like I've said before: why can't we idiots make our own radio show?

What's stopping us?  It would all have to do with a genuine secured
fund of monies contributed by a cooperative numbers to a defined purpose
that could legally allow that all contributors would get their money
back unless the agreed-upon aim was not realized.

The AIR-WAVES are free to develop.  Much better that than prescious earth.

Who says a 'year' is 365 days?  Imagine the interest and intrique possible
with a bunch of commedians/commediennes as we all are doing radio!

Could be deep, shallow, funny, serious, religious, agnostic, atheistic:
hosts take the chance and be subject to all rebukes!

Could be a merry troop! Or complete flop.

Otherwise: just us griping about our so-called daily fare. Like it was
compulsive.

Otherwise: turn it off. Gather around the fire-place instead of a tv or
computer screen. Tell tall tales or recall actual stories remembered from
forebears.

We can be insular, disregard what is being lost, or we can gently and
insistently preserve what we have found beautiful, lovely, funny even,
and things fitting no thing or category with which we are familiar.

A single principle abides: cooperation to mutual good is better than
insulation, fighting and killing out of fears. This, most of all, is
what I find most objectionable in the fear-mongering crap coming out
of c2c nowadays.

I believe in the age-old and well tested principles of diplomacy, which
have been neglected or broached by men and women of recent history.

When something different faces: talk. When talk doesn't work, bribe.
When bribe doesn't work: boycott or embargo.  When none of these work:
threat war or fighting.  When even that fails: then true war is reasonable.

Who doesn't know that the very first facet of diplomacy has never had
any serious or sincere endeavor?  People hear only what they want to hear
and when they don't hear what they want to hear, they are ready to jump
to fighting.  Yet diplomacy, tried and true, disallows this.  You can
bribe.  This is TRADE.  Money talks. But part and parcel to TRADE is
LOVE-TRADE: marriages, intermingling or allowing ones' kids to have kids
with the so-called ALIENS' kids. Those 'Others'.

This has been a big cause of 'embargo' because of
racial prejudices.

Kids are kids and are all loveable.

Intellectual constructs, belief systems, 'GOD' concepts
apart from simple kindness or GOODNESS that everyone
feel, disallow such innocent mingling.

It is idol wars. Idle doings.

So land is held back, love is held back, war is loved!

Who says 'freedom' is a 'cause'?

Love is the only 'land' there is.  'Land' includes the air-waves.

Today, 'money' has weapons as the modicum of 'exchange'. Takings, killings
but not allowing loves. No minglings.

What are 'air-waves'?  What is 'ether'?

What is moving to and fro?

I see hard-heartedness. Stiff necks. Bitterness.

So yes. About this cheapness, I am bitter.

Don't like it.

Not nice.

Not kind.

[Roger]

Breached, broached, broken, whatever.

Stakes, high as some put them, some deep trend goes merrily along
and bad bets are bound to get little or no returns.

I think things are going pretty well. Glad I have nothing to do with it,
and glad it will get better no matter what I say or write.

Or do we?

Our words but fringes to what's going on.

[Evil Twin Of Zen]

Breached, broached, broken, whatever.

Stakes, high as some put them, some deep trend goes merrily along
and bad bets are bound to get little or no returns.

I think things are going pretty well. Glad I have nothing to do with it,
and glad it will get better no matter what I say or write.

Or do we?

Our words but fringes to what's going on.

oh i'm purdy sure we know what's going on and pissed cuz yer not sharing any. 

[Roger]

Crap! My Mom happened to read my postings, somehow, to this odd site.

Back to mowing lawns in lala land.  Hope that show does well without my
contributions! Good luck Harmon! F****rs! Just like when I got fired
from SG-1!  See what that got ya!?  Thank GAWD I still have a job on
FRINGE! . . . .huh? What~? FirED? I was just starting on the next
season!?~!!!!

O well, back to work on the Mayan calender. Let's see, I left off at
2012. Now! 2013 through 3012. 1 cent per day. Pretty good pay!

[Roger]

Uhm, my son, 'Roger' is now, and henceforth, not allowed to use his father's
computer! He has obsessive-complusive disorder, attention-deficit-hyper-
activity disorder and our doctor says he has a 'messiah complex' and he is
not using his lithium right now. We're hoping the electro-shock treatments
will help.

Sorry for whatever he might have said heretofore.

We are a good family, and we are not responsible, so our lawyer says we
should say, for whatever he wrote in one of his manic . . . oh yes, he
is manic-depressive or 'bi-polar' . . . .states.

We don't know how he found the key to our liqour cabinet.  We are good parents.

We've taken away all sharp objects with which he might try to write.

Roger's Mom

[Roger]

oh i'm purdy sure we know what's going on and pissed cuz yer not sharing any. 

I'm sorry to have to use the 'quote' button. It isn't that
this child wants to see his own words propagated. I jist
didn't want to adumbrate your words. That little bit after
my verbosity, where you said something me-wards, cut me to
the quick.

I'll share some. Tit for tat. Just happen to think 'writing'
is no person. No person very important. Writing is the
thing.

I wez just trying to be funny. After I writ what I wrote,
almost got a stomache laughing.

That warn't me: that was comedy writing!

Is 'comedy' a person?

Who gives a flying f*** by whom it comes? Any writer might
be an actual idiot!

I thought the internet was great for the sake of writing
in and of itself.

Trust me: I'm a nobody. Not famous, don't live in LA,
never wrote a screen-play, never wrote a book, never
did anything important or associated in any recent way
with the 'rich and famous'.

My dad WAS friends with Erle Stanley Gardner, my Mom did
write for Love Pulp mags in the 30s and 40s, but me?

I haven't done shit but inherit a love of words from my
more worthy parents.

They did things. Beside writing anonymously on the internet,
trying to be funny, I mow my lawn as art.

I'm a joker. Like a 'Loki'. I mock, I taunt, measure
according to my own puny lights. Nothing final, certainly
not. I'm a fool.  Just don't like other fools pretending
they aren't, like me, also fools.

I'm not proud. I'll pick up that penny you dropped for me.

Thanks for the rebuke. I happen to believe we live by
rebukes better than compliments.

[onan]

Dear Rog,
 
I didn't sleep for fuck last night, so I am real fuckin grumpy this AM.
 
Bowie said it better:
 

I never did good things
 
I never did bad things
 
I never did anything out of the blue

Then there are a couple whoa whoa's
 
I think ETOZ was just sayin you ramble a bit.
 
ffs it is the intertubes and you can write whatever your heart desires, just like ETOZ can.
 
As for the "imma not takin myself serious and neither should you take yourself serious" It is a healthy ego to not take oneself too seriously, but that doesn't mean there is no reason for some serious thought. Nor does it mean that someone/anyone can challenge another's non-serious thought. It is the give and take of what did you call it? fuck me I am too groggy to remember, it had something to do with compromise with others... talking, bribing, beating them up I think was your message.
 
ETOZ hasn't gotten to the beating part yet. But for god's sake I may.
 
You do have an ability to turn a phrase, at least I see it that way. But you have or at least appear to have no discipline. I am fine with that but your meanderings are difficult to understand, perhaps that is your desire. If so, it doesn't work.
 
And that is too bad because good, creative ideas need clarity. Yeah it sucks but as Gloria Steinem (sp) once said:
 

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.

I look forward to further meandering posts... good writing, and if you do have some stuff to pass around send some to ETOZ.