Radio Paradise

Back in 1980-1983 I worked at one of the most unusual stations to ever pop up on the FM dial. From the sleepy agricultural backwater of Gilroy (the "Garlic Capitol of the World" and, coincidentally, the place I grew up) KFAT beamed a crazy mix of country, rock, comedy, bluegrass, Hawaiian yodeling, cowboy poetry, and post-hippie weirdness to a major swath of Northern California, including San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey and elsewhere. KFAT bit the dust almost 30 years ago, but you can hear it still at www.kfat.com, and shop for KFAT memorabilia on eBay.

A lot of frankly weird and (in retrospect, anyway) embarrassing stuff went on behind the scenes there, and I assumed that most of those stories would fade away with the passing of time — but I'll be damned if Gilbert Klein (an old friend of mine & longtime KFAT talk show host) hasn't preserved them for all time in a book. If you happen to be a KFAT fan from back then, or if you have a keen appreciation of weird radio in general, you'll probably want to buy this book. It's laugh-out-loud funny in spots, a bit long-winded in others, but based entirely on Gilbert's own experiences & extensive interviews with KFAT staffers. Lots of beans are spilled, including a few from my own past.

Buy the book here (print or Kindle):

Fat Chance: We Were the Last Gasp of the 60s and the Birth of Americana Music But Was America Ready For Us?

Ordered it!

Will it explain the Dolby experiment that seemed to go on for hours in the middle of the night? {#Lol}

jagdriver

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Location: Now in Lobster Land
Gender: Male

Posted: Sep 20, 2012 - 4:03pm

BillG wrote:

Thanks, Bill.

And also for you historians:

Carson chronicles Detroit pop music between World War II and Motown Records' early-1970s removal to L.A., delineating loud, intense Motor City acts from John Lee Hooker to Bob Seger and drawing lines of influence between white and black acts. During the period, Detroit's gritty, high-powered, seemingly urban industrial music had national influence. ...Mitch Ryder preceded Janis Joplin in defining blue-eyed soul, the MC5 provided the soundtrack to the sixties revolution, and Grand Funk Railroad spawned the mullet era of arena rock. And then there's Iggy and the Stooges.

This book ends in 1970, which is quit fitting because the rock literally died around here during that time. There are various reasons for this, which are explored diligently within these pages. This book also goes into the importance of truly great freeform radio stations (yes they actually used to exist), like WABX (and WKNR), and how they influenced the growth of the culture. These radio stations in conjunction with publications like `Creem' helped to shape and permanently alter the musical landscape—not just in Detroit, but nationwide as well.

black321

black321 Avatar