9.29.7 : binnall report
BoA : Audio, Season III ... 10.20.7
Not all that much to report on the BoA : Audio front as of now. We've taped another interview this past week ,one more will be taped this coming Monday, and hopefully we'll get three or four others down on tape before the Season III premiere on 10.20.7 with our special guest Jim Marrs. I'll refrain from naming names just yet, until we figure out the schedule for the first few weeks.
This is kind of a "hump week" while we are in the midst of production, so I don't have much tangible news to share with you. Things are percolating at a fairly decent clip. That said, I've gotten a lot of interesting guest suggestions and returning guest suggestions so far, so feel free to keep them coming.
Bell Returns Again
C2C founder and all around demigod, Art Bell, returned from his quasi-retirement for a guest hosting shot on Coast this past Friday night (9.29). As expected, it was quite a lot of fun. Right from the beginning, things had that familiar feel to them. Art has a way of melding his introduction with the C2C theme music and dragging that mix out for so long that it just becomes awesome. For that brief moment, all is right with the world.
Bell started things off with perhaps the C2C line of the year as he said he wanted to answer the question that everyone was asking. Then he announced that he missed radio and was coming back to host five time a week. A beat skipped. And then he laughed, because ... it was a joke. The sad part of it is that the humor was derived from how many C2C listeners and die hard Bell heads surely lost their shit when they heard him say that, only to be disappointed that he was jesting.
It was on that sly note that the night began. The first hour was really good. Bell went through the usual hoops, updating us on his new kid and wife, giving his take on the news and fielding calls from the fandom. It felt like old times again and was a night of sheer bliss for lovers of nostalgia, especially as those old bumper music gems were busted out.
The highlight of the hour had to be the call from "JC". He was ranting and raving about Senator Craig, which should tell how long it has been since JC has graced C2C. JC hilariously included Noory in some kind of homosexual mafia that was framing Sen. Craig. It was outstanding. He also brought up "food porn" again and went after Rachel Ray, of all people. Gotta love the Rachel Ray reference. Art ended up hanging up on him when he endorsed Lima beans. Seriously. It was wackiness done right.
The guest was Graham Hancock, who was decent, albeit a tad dry. I listened half-heartedly while in a chat with some friends. Some of Graham's stuff was pretty wild and he is still endorsing ayuahasca and talking about that realm of esoterica. There was some nice historical stuff at the beginning of the interview, as well, when they re-hashed "Fingerprints of the Gods". Bell was, obviously, excellent throughout the interview, interjecting at the right points and keeping a loose reign on the evening which allowed for some nice flow.
While Hancock was pretty entertaining and some interesting insights, the true star of the evening was Bell. Along the lines of how I waxed nostalgic last week, a full unfettered Open Lines would have been excellent. I suppose we'll have to wait until Halloween for that, though.
Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash ... 10.12 & 10.13
At this point, I am about 75% sure that I will be attending this esoteric double bill in a couple of weeks in nearby Watertown, MA, which is a stone's throw from BoA headquarters. The UFO show, obviously, features UFO related speakers and discussion while the Mass Monster Mash focuses on cryptozoology, which has a surprisingly rich heritage in Massachusetts. Both nights look to be pretty well put together and should be a lot of fun. Info on it all can be found either at @ Mass UFO Show or @ Mass Monster Mash.
I'll probably do a proper preview next week as we get closer to the festivities. Suffice it to say that the two day affair ought to be a nice mix of a few strong names from the national scene alongside a plethora of regional esoteric talent. Having only really met a few of the local New England folks who delve into the esoteric arts, like the ultra cool Chris Balzano, I'm looking forward to seeing what the people in attendance will be like.
I expect to tape a few soundbites and short cuts over the weekend for use in a future BoA : Audio episode. And, much like last year's CRC IV special, I'm sure that there will be connections made for future BoA interviews down the line later in Season III.
So if you are from the New England area, this is one of, if not the only, big esoteric weekend of the year and you ought to try and check it out. As noted, I'll have a more in-depth preview next week, once my attendance is assured.
End Notes and Pop Culture Thoughts
Despite my claims last week, no Fall TV thoughts just yet. I've only watched a few of the new shows and don't have enough to say about them just yet. I've still got to see the Tivo'd pilots of "Chuck", "Reaper", and "Journeyman". Plus, "Cavemen" and "Pushing Daisies" haven't premiered yet either. So, we're kind of in the hump week of the Fall TV season as well. I've already given up on one show : "Kid Nation", but I'll say more about that next week.
A slight follow up on the BoA : Audio, Baseball Special predictions. Attentive listeners may recall that my preseason pick was, aside from the obvious Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, who made the playoffs alongside the Sox this past Friday. I can't recall exactly who Greg Bishop and Adam Gorightly picked, but I do recall that Paul Kimball picked the Detroit Tigers, who did not make the playoffs. Sorry, Paul. I'll go back and dig into the episode again and find out who the other guys picked and try and update that next week as well.
That's about it, so we'll call it a night here. Have a nice week, my friends.
- TB
Labels: binnall report, BoA : Audio, C2C, Television