WMMS, WJW, Cleveland Appearances

From the 70s: Was it W "Magic MushroomsS"?

This morning I did the morning show on WJW, the local Fox affiliate in Cleveland and Rover’s show on WMMS. It’s a little easier this time around, and I find myself enjoying talking to these folks, who, although it’s a job, seem interested. Rover was especially smart, and his morning zoo format was on hold while we talked. It was free and easy and he was up on the whole story, leading the listeners through a story that many of them may not have been all that familiar with.

We got done and we talked about the history of WMMS, which approached Detroit’s gold standard WABX in the early 70s as far as progressive programming. It broke Ziggy-era David Bowie in the Midwest, and also tried mightily to support Roxy Music, even though the local flavor was more James Gang, Michael Stanley’s Silk and Rasberries.

The station is now owned by Clear Channel, housed in a faceless office building in a generic office park, with a day care and gym in the building for all the corporate drones.

Clear Channel just can’t keep itself for getting rid of people, it seems, and I looked at the folks that were part of Rover’s show and was happy they were there. At least for a while. You never know when a company’s top dogs are paid salaries ranging from $3.4 million to $658,000.

Corporate America: What a scumbag, greedy way to roll.

It's On: Review of Sowell Book, Radio Appearance

The early stages of press for  Nobody’s Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Serial Killer, are beginning, and as usual, I look at the situation as a necessary evil. It’s great meeting both the fans and detractors of a work but by the time this point comes, my head on onto forward things, new stuff.

Then a good review pops in a well-read true crime pub and I’m back in the PR game.

“…The writing is smooth; bringing together a group of the downtrodden without losing their individuality then on to the judicial proceedings (with an interesting twist, by the way) with flawlessness. Readers will be pleased to find the trial portion is not a repeat but rather unweighted with information not mentioned in the first 200+ pages.”

The bad ones come as well, but it’s cool that anyone is reading, still amazes me every time.

Last week I did Dan Zupansky’s excellent radio show, and he never disappoints as a no-bullshit guy who knows the material and comes with a straightforward deal for his listeners – hear the show and you’ll know what the book is like. I did the show for Girl, Wanted and it was the same smooth ride.

Next week, I’m in Cleveland hitting WMMS and the local Fox-TV affiliate while also attending the staging of “Violence of One” at Baldwin Wallace University, a play about Sowell and fellow Cleveland native Jeffrey Dahmer. After the play, we’ll have a Q & A and a discussion.  It sounds pretty good, actually, but I’m always thinking about what is on the horizon.