Gobble Gobble

10/19/1993

Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting…reflecting on the good things that have been bestowed upon us in the past year. So before we sit down to cut our R&R, I mean, turkey, let me give thanks.

First of all, to the superstars who released hit records in the past few weeks. It’s amazing what hits can do for Top 40 radio.

To Madonna and Prince for being so prolific. If all superstar acts would release as many records as they do, Top 40 would be feeling a lot better.

To R&R and those who work there for giving me so much to write about.

To the people of radio in general who have been so responsive to the efforts of The Network Forty staff and who helped us created a new, innovative positive reflector of our medium.

To the people of the record community who have supported our efforts, even sometimes at their personal expense. Change, particularly in our business, is often talked about, but seldom acted upon. The Network Forty has created a lot of controversy in the past few months when we trumpeted change as a way to improve our industry’s prospects for the future. To back away from the controversy would have been easy. To stand and be a part of it was sometimes touch. We appreciate those who took a stand.

To particular friends in the radio and record communities who have worked with us to create a magazine that everyone is now calling special.

To Cher, for having the guts, sense of humor and intelligence to cut a record with Beavis and Butt-Head. And to Geffen for releasing it.

To The Network Group publishers for biting the bullet and letting us plow ahead against the advice of their lawyers. And for never once editing this space, even though I know at times they wanted to.

To Burt Baumgartner for all the obvious reasons…and many more not so obvious.

To Tommy Nast of The Album Network who helped me realize that in spite of everything, we would still get the magazine out…relatively on time.

To Bruce Tenenbaum for taking me to the fight.

To Mr. Ed Lambert for never saying anything negative about anyone…at least not for publication.

To Barry Fiedel for all those mentions at his last convention.

To Alternative Editor Karen Holmes for taking me to see Ministry…3^rd row, center stage.

To Lonnie Gordon for bringing out the freak in me. (Though it wasn’t buried too deeply!)

To Music Director/Crossover Editor Wendi Cermak for interpreting all the rap lyrics.

To Steve Kingston for helping to bring Alternative into the Mainstream and for being my first Network Forty interview.

To Kevo for The Chrome Lizard.

To The Chrome Lizard for getting all the gossip. It’s amazing what people will tell an animal.

To Scott Shannon for honestly sharing his thoughts and ideas for so many years.

For all the nekkid ladies who graced Page 6.

To Richard Palmese and Don Ienner for not staying mad too long.

To the dog that still won’t hunt.

To Keith Naftaly for taking my phone calls.

To Steve Wyrostok and the others who went public and wrote letters about the restrictive policies of R&R.

To Jerry Blair for sleeping through Page6…and to Iris Dillon for not.

To the moles at R&R.

To Jon Leshay for giving Bob Garland a job.

To Xscape and all the other  performers who “unplugged” in our atrium.

To all the night people who religiously phoned in their overnight requests.

To Barney, Kenny and the other thieves who participate in the poker games at my house.

To Marc Benesch for taking the time to explain to me how it works…again and again.

To Mark Gorlick and Marc Rather for their input and ideas.

To Brenda Romano, who gave me my first ad and who I would marry if it wasn’t for Miss November.

To Steve Leavitt for the stunning meal at the Conclave.

To Dave Sholin for giving me the gossip he won’t print.

To Ben Fog-Torres for calling me the “Prince of Pulp.”

To Michael Plen for the famous, “Double Buy.”

To Jeff Wyatt for the longest pool game in history.

To Butch and Skip for being from the South.

To Murdock for The Palm.

To Polly and Barb for helping me with the mugger in Central Park.

To Rick Bisceglia for “Ladies and Gentlemen…Jeffry Osbourne.”

To Burruss for five o’clock.

To Rip Pelly, Bill Richards, Justin Fontaine and Bill Pfordresher for not being good enough to beat me at golf.

To Blaylock for graduating from Ole Miss and to Fagot because the Bulldogs suck.

To Andrea for the gentle conversation.

To Satter for the Jive.

To Leach because he isn’t one.

To Joey cause we always work it out and we both work for lunatics.

To the loon.

To Craig Lambert and Ritch Bloom for being tall.

To “Please Advise” for not doing so too often.

To Rich Fitzgerald for the tequila.

To Barbis for not hiring me at Polygram and pawning me off to Bird.

To Les Garland, my life partner in a relentless pursuit of anything and everything.

To Gary Bird for signing me to a seven-year deal. (It was only after I read the contract that I realized they were “dog” years and I would be treated as such.)

To being single and semi-wealthy in Los Angeles.

And to my Grandfather, who owned several “real” newspapers, who taught me how to write quality journalism and who, at this very minute, is spinning in his grave.