So, for the past three months I've been without access to cable television (Yea, I know. Woe is me...). It's been a difficult time. I suppose I have an addiction to a constant stream of information and stimulus that may or may not be healthy. I don't think it's adversely affected me. I mean, I would much rather be out with my family and friends, performing, going to concerts or other cultural events, or even riding my motorcycle than sitting at home vegetating to Fear Factor. But, I would prefer the option of tuning in to MSNBC, CNN, or even the Discovery Channel during the interim. No matter how flawed they might be, they are providing information to the community that should be considered and processed.
Since I've been sans-cable and sans-satellite, I have been able to find marginally adequate alternatives such at Netflix and Hulu (I still can't find any Mythbusters episodes!). However, I have to give the most credit to a website called Live Times - The Live News Chat Blog. On this fantastic site there are links to live streams of MSNBC, CNN, Current TV, Al Jazeera, BBC News, and half a dozen other television news organizations. Although it isn't perfect, (The feed frequently has pauses and hiccups that disrupt the programming, although that may be due to overloading the household bandwidth.) this site has allowed me to hang on to some sense of connection to the world. I still feel like I know a little about what's going on out there.
So I offer a big thanks to the folks over there at Live Times. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.
Imprinting is real, because I've been singing these to myself all my life (as I've mentioned a bit before here).
If you were born between 1978 and 1983 and your parents paid for cable, it's very likely you were imprinted the same as me. These brilliant Nickelodeon bumpers were the work of tv ad men Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman during their revamp of the Nick brand during the mid to late 1980s. Charged with the mission of rescuing the stalling network's market share, Fred and Alan developed the doo-wop sound to be one of the defining bits of vocabulary for the channel.
When we brought up the notion of a sound identity, Nickelodeon executives, still not fully understanding of where we intended to steer the channel, suggested a consideration of Raffi, then a recent phenomenon as a singer for young children. “He’s very popular; our research confirms it.” Fred/Alan tried a lot of arguments to bring them around to a doo-wop sound, but they fell on deaf ears. “Doo-wop’s 30 years old, no kid has ever heard of it.”
We won the day on two grounds.
Fred played on the executives’ liberal backgrouds. “We love all forms of African-American music, and using doo-wop will be a great way to educate American kids without anyone being the wiser.”
“What kid isn’t going to relate to that right away?” Alan asked.
Case closed.
It's fascinating to read about simple decisions made miles away such a long time ago, and how those decisions shaped our perceptions of the world. I mean, these guys were absolutely right. I hadn't heard doo-wop before I heard these, and I did relate to them immediately. So much so that I've given them enough importance to spend 30 minutes writing and researching them on my blog. They were inventive, artistic, and absolutely charming.
Other than learning lines and watching movies, I've been spending my evening looking over some of these.
It's funny what we remember as kids; what affects us. If you're between the ages of 27 and 31 and you're parents were fortunate enough to pay for cable, you'll be smiling for the next five minutes or so. Enjoy!
