Yesterday afternoon in the store picking up supplies as the Will Smith Summertime song goes: “cause you’re invited to a barbecue that’s startin’ at 4!”

(Yesterday was deeply incredible…that heat was totally bbq inspired. As I driving I had all the windows down and stereo up cranking like Bowie’s Modern Love and MJ’s Off The Wall. Summer is beautiful and wonderful in that order.)

I picked up ketchup chips and was debating which gummies to pick up for the kids/myself when a young lass…maybe 13 or 15 sneezed.

It was like a shotgun went off and people froze like they’re bringing back the Mannequin Challenge.

Her face went all red…looking down at her faded red Cons she mumbled: “I’ve allergies.” Poor kid. She was instantly lepered.

I guess people with allergies now hafta start carrying that Joker “medical condition card” just to participate in our society. That sucks. Hang in there Red Con Kid (and others like her.).

Oh, and I went with sour patch kids.

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Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

Sports, Comedy and Comic Books…this week is packed with the good stuff.

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Wow! Found Ghostbusters the good one…the original 84 on a movie channel (almost right at the start!!).

And I just noticed that the comedy/vibe of this movie mirrors the Beastie Boys Sabotage video with a dash of Intergalactic’s uniforms.

The vibe/style overlap:

Mike D is Bill Murray/Venkman

Ad-Rock is Dan Aykroyd/Stantz

Adam Yauch is Harold Ramis/Spengler.

Right?!

If you wanna toss in Kate Schellenbach you got Sigourney Weaver. (I am not in any way suggesting Rick Rubin is Stay Puft though he has been a giant in music.)

It’s the same humour; same sarcasm, same foolishness…Ghostbusters is a 2 hour Beastie Boys video. Yo! Think about this and get back to me.

Today Quibi released more full episodes on YouTube including the first episode of Blackballed. Sigh. Set in 2014 Blackballed begins when audio of NBA owner Donald Sterling who was recorded…in his home making racist comments was irresponsibly given to the media. The doc follows the challenges the predominately black NBA players and coach (Doc Rivers!) faced as they formulated a response.

However, as you’ll see in this first episode…it starts off by criticizing Jordan for the whole “Republicans by sneakers!” thing…basically committing the “crime” of not speaking up which is contrasted with LeBron/DWade’s “modern activism.” (Muhammad Ali lost his Championship and years of his prime fighting time…LeBron put up a hoodie for Trayvon Martin. It’s really not the same inspiring athlete activism.)

My issue isn’t what Donald Sterling said/did: there was already plenty of evidence to suggest a pattern. I didn’t need the tapes and his recorded comments which of course were still wrong. My issue is that we comfortably glossed over how the comments were recorded.

Donald Sterling was recorded in his own home without his permission. Yo…we’re ok with that?! Nobody in the media…nobody in the NBA said anything. Really? I’m not comfortable with that at all.

I hope the doc eventually addresses that: because flat out that’s wrong. Why are we glossing this over? The ends do not in any way shape or form justify the means. There’s no way I’m willing to bend on this.

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Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix, Arizona is closing as another coronavirus casualty. (Kinda…the mall was already dying.

This is one of the few shopping malls we’ve all visited: it’s where Bill and Ted took all the historical figures for an Excellent Adventure.

?No word if the Circle K is still there or not (hopefully it is…strange things will be happening again when Bill and Ted 3 opens in August.)

After 47 years in business the mall closes on June 30. That’s not…excellent.

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Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: well…watching good tv. Maybe get some Vitamin D and take the tablet outside? (Bonus Story: I walked into the living room to find my Mom dozing on the couch with The Manchurian Candidate unfolding on the tv. Is that a Sunday afternoon nap or irony?)

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Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

More like a Sneak Peek than a proper “Coming Soon” trailer…

After months of being separated, the Library and I reunited. And it feels so good. Cause we understood.

Only now the experience is like a cop TV show/Colombian cartel movie drug deal.

At the appointed date and time—you get a time and a date when the deal is going down. When your shipment has come in.

I step up to the table, make eye contact and wordlessly place my library card on the table and take 2 steps back.

She takes 2 steps forward, looks down at my card and she looks up at me: scanning. I’m not carrying a wire or heat: either a gun or coronavirus fever.

She nods. I nod back.

We good. She has the stuff and is willing to give it to me. Which is a deep relief because I’ve been jonesing since I quit cold turkey back in mid-March.

I step up to the table, make eye contact, and wordlessly place my library card on the table and take 2 steps back making eye contact the entire time.

It’s not said but I know: Make. No. Sudden. Movements.

I’m nervous. I wanna make a “joke” to evict the tension. I can feel a drop of sweat slowly sliding down my back like a lover’s gentle one finger caress.

I take two steps forward maintaining eye contact, in one sweeping motion grab the bag and grab the card turn and walk briskly to my car. In the car, I tear open the bag and yep…that’s the stuff.

Smells so good. I exhale. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath this whole time. I start the car thinking this should tide me over but the Library and I know…that’s not true. I’ll be back.

They got the stuff I want.

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My Summer Lair Chapter #160: Of The Many TV Shows That Make Up The Children’s Television Revolution…Which Are Your Favourites?

History lesson kids! David Kamp latest book is Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution That Changed America.

To recap some of the children’s TV shows covered in this book and our conversation…
Sesame Street which premiered on November 10, 1969.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood started right before the Street on February 19, 1968.

The Electric Company powered up on October 25, 1971.

Finally:
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Hey, Hey, Heyed on September 9, 1972 while Schoolhouse Rock debuted on January 6, 1973. Shoutout to Three Is a Magic Number. Yes. That’s my jam.

I consumed all of those shows and I adored all of them. And I mean that’s an impressive run and it’s not even a full complete picture: the book mentions so much more. Kamp astutely calls it an Era of Enlightenment Jr.

And what’s amazing about Sunny Days is that it’s not a shrine to nostalgia. It doesn’t just look back for the sake of looking back. What makes the book relevant is that it looks ahead. This is about our future as much as it is about our past. It is the sobering recognition we were once good coupled with a tantalizing invitation to be good again.

Think about this for a second: Sesame Street…Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS got federal funding. We invested in the emotional well-being of children and equipped at-risk kids teaching them how to read, understand their emotions and the value of imagination and play. Can you even imagine that happening now with our political landscape? We’re barely feeding them right now.

So…if we were good once…it’s entirely possible for us to be good again. Sunny Days are here if you want em…John Lennon is right: War is over! If you want it.

David Kamp @ W • T • F

Host (& Photography) by Sammy Younan

Recorded: Wednesday October 14, 2020 at 1pm (EST)

Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

This week we look back so we can look ahead. Sweet: a little zen philosophy with your tv recommendations.

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