This is where I will be making a virtual database for my vast collection of radio shows (Jean Shepherd, WWII Armed Forces Radio, etc...), model trains, and anything else that comes to mind.
I have always found it a bit odd that Shep so disliked Salinger and Vonnegut. The three seem to share similarly rotten outlooks about our human predicament.
I love how Shep exaggerates the "Lates" in the "Late Show." In the 60s it was just "The Late Show," which started, say at 10-11PM -Midnight, after the family prime time. Back then TV stations would stop broadcasting, say at midnight. Then late 60's early 70's the stations started broadcasting later which allowed "Late Late" show to start 1AM. It was a logical progression to satirize the number of "Lates."
The first time I heard Mr. Shepherd I was 15 year old boy. Late at night in the summer as I laid in bed, in a room without A/C. However we had a whole house fan that kept a fresh stream of moving air stroking across a night of shorts and no T shirt. The radio signal where I lived was 90 miles away. I discovered if I placed my hand over the bedside radio on the floor beside me that the station came in stronger. WOW! I thought had discovered something very new and scientific. I wondered if the magic was in my arm or my hand and thought if I cut off my hand and placed it over the top of the radio the rig would still work great. However, what if I was wrong. Never giving thought of all the blood and pain. It was then I also discovered positioning the radio from left to right and upside down my reception would come in stronger and weaker. I wondered did the radio engineers know of this phenomena? Those nights while listing to Jean on WOR I became interested in radio communication and electronics as we knew it then. From that time on I subscribed to magazines pertaining to the science, like electronics illustrated popular electronics and Radio-Electronics. I used to go trash hunting looking for old radios people through away, then try to fix them, but mostly blowing fuses in my parents house. Jean gave me my start with his bizarre philosophy and the science of Radio.
I equally love him and hate him. Many of the people and things that he passive-aggressively put down over the years (Rock, Beatles, Carson, Goldie, Barbara, women's lib, et al) would prove to have staying power and would eclipse him exponentially..... which brings me great joy. The "sour, angry white guy" stuff he did wasn't "part of the act".... he really was dissatisfied by these things he criticized..... and it's a part of his personality that, for me, that is just so tiring to listen to. To him I would want to say., "awww poor honey.... did America change on you? Awwww....poor baby.... bless your heart" That being said, I'll always listen to these clips.
"The Great Ice Cream War" is indeed funny as Shep tells it here, but I found that reading the story as Shep actually wrote it is an order of magnitude more enjoyable to me than Shep telling it here. Because in reading it myself, I relate to the story from my own innervoice funnybone, rather than relying on Shep "cheerleading" it. Although some of the original writing does not translate well to narration, Shep did indeed expertly embellish some parts here that were not part of his original story.
Interesting that Shep sensed a deep unrest among the youth, already in 1960. And no one’s ever explained why that arose after the most affluent and optimistic decade in world history - the USA of the 1950s. Was it the materialism of their parents ?
Around the time of this show, or maybe a few years before, Coke had a promotion related to collecting their bottle caps. There was the logo of an NFL team inside each bottle cap. You had to remove a cork covering from the inside of the bottle cap to see the team logo. My dad worked at a US government facility. He brought me to work with him a few times. He put a magnet on the end of a string, and I fished the bottle caps out of the Coke machines at his work. I completed a certain number of sets of those bottle caps, and I received an official NFL football! It was a real nice football, and I used it for many years.
Thanks SO much for your GS posts. This man was a genius-the Ernie Kovacs of radio? But beyond that . He was the heart of what became “free form FM” circa ‘66 in San Fran.
In Shep's written form of the "Ice Cream War," (and most all of his other short stories) there are even more hilarious vignettes that wouldn't translate well to radio narration, but are forever etched in my brain. Such as how Shep described one kid running towards the ice cream store with his knees flailing high, sobbing with each flat-footed step😂
*I haven't listened to this yet but it's the great Jean Shepherd, so how can I go wrong?! Bless you for uploading these masterpieces of American Radio Culture! (New Sub here)*
I remember listening to Howard Stern once who crapped all over Jean. What a POS! OMG he could spin a story. I seriously miss radio like this. Fantastic human.
Ahh, Shep! What a voice! What a storyteller! He told a story spontaneously every weeknight for years and years on WOR in New York! Jean Shepherd once organized a patriotic event called Operation Stomp! Anybody remember it? Hit like if you do!
I used to listen to this guy on WOR 710 on the AM side in New York as a kid! I remember the creeping hand of death segment that he used as a ad for his show.
Used to listen to him when I was a kid. Never would have heard The Armenian Jazz Sextet without him. Never would have had a 3" "Go fly a kite, buddy" kite either.
@@JumpingJesus4 I admit that I was introduced to Jean Shepherd by the Christmas Story movie. I didn't know about him in the 70's. I lived in South Jersey, so I didn't hear him on the radio. However, I found these recordings on RU-vid, and I have been listening to them for a number of years now. I'm trying to get caught up on all of these shows that I missed. He is a master story teller.
I love listening to Shep! Very interesting to listen to real news from this time especially since I have been studying in depth modern post WWII history…
The "traditional profession" Shep declined to name was "wrecker," and I don't mean the guy who drives the tow truck, either. If they could afford ships, they probably would've been pirates, but due to circumstances they had to make do. ='[.]'=
41:31 I can chalk up yet ANOTHER piece of education i get from these recordings of Shep's shows (side note although i appreciate the stimulation of learning, i am unfortunately sacrificing much needed sleep in the process😢). I thought i had heard the newscaster mention "Reddish Lion" meaning the UK. I thought that i has mis-heard that, so i googed it and turns out that "Red Lion" refers in general to the Pubs in the UK, but also Red Lion is a historic reference to attributes with the lion being noted for courage, strength, and valor and red symbolizing warmth, passion and hospitality. And wow, the newscaster chose to corrupt the term to "Red-ish Lion" Eee-Yo!😮
Hey, Dapper Gent: Thanks for not only downloading this but also providing a time stamped description. I was having trouble trying to follow Shep's thread. I came to the comments to see if anyone had the same reaction, but no one else seemed to care, but your Description reinforced to me that this segment is indeed a miscellaneous rambling but can indeed be chronicaled. I'm 39 minutes into this, and so far, the only part i liked was his "serenade" at the beginning, so at least there's that😂 Edit: Ha! Boy, did i speak too soon! 39:52 newscast contrasted that US Congress was working while Eisenhower played golf😂 Then 39:58 newsreported that both Houses of our esteemed Congress seemingly "got together" to pass a Bill to allow Eisenhower to cut sugar imports from 39:52 C * u * b* a. I'll bet today's congress might not have done the same. And wowee! 41:31 newscast said Reddish(?) Lion [England] said it was time for "SOMEONE" to take a stand against the "Bearded Bad Boy(😅)" of the Carribean for taking control of a Dutch oil company's facilities in the capital (H) and to try to stop another plan for said island nation for a potential defense agreement with an eastern block nation😮. Then woah, as for the "missing reconnaissance plane" : "anything can happen"😮. So, if i did find Shep's prose lacking here, the news made up for that😛
Gots ta gets me some McCleans toofpaste. Edit add: all kidding aside this was a deeply moving experience Jean shared. I was in tears at the end. Thank you, Dapper Gent, for again uploading a unique phenomenon, Shep, the one and only.
