This morning, my first IM-ed link o’ the day came from one of my favorite co-workers, that Synthesis Radio guy. Dain is goofy, smart as EFF with computers, and the quickest pervy-jokester in the West. He’s also seen a lot of different “looks” throughout the years. We call this one, the Chris Crocker look:

I can’t believe he hasn’t played on American Television before. UK heartthrob Ed Harcourt will be on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show this evening to promote his new album (well, that is to say his 2006 album that never got released in the States) The Beautiful Lie, which came out on Dovecote Records last Tuesday. Listening to The Beautiful Lie (and his back catalogue as well) it baffles me why he isn’t as huge in North America as he is in Europe. Last March during SXSW I ended up tagging along and filming Ed and his wife Gita as he got a sweet tattoo of one of his first songs, “Sing For My Supper” on his arm in Austin, TX. Enjoy our lil’ mini doc:

ED HARCOURT TO MAKE U.S. TELEVISION DEBUT ON THE TONIGHT SHOW JUNE 6, WEEK OF ‘THE BEAUTIFUL LIE’ RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2008 - Not long since wreaking havoc on Austin, Texas during SXSW, the illustrious Ed Harcourt will return to the States from his native England to perform on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Friday, June 6. Timed perfectly with the release of his fourth full-length album, THE BEAUTIFUL LIE, due June 3 on Dovecote Records, Harcourt will celebrate the arrival of this much-awaited LP with a national television debut.

The Mercury Prize-nominated Harcourt has been keeping extraordinarily busy on tour with the Gutter Twins overseas, where he has been joining Greg Dulli, Mark Lanegan and co. on stage following his own opening set. “Ed Harcourt’s songs are as close to cabaret tunes and 1960s pop as they are to current rock,” recently noted the NEW YORK TIMES while UNDER THE RADAR hailed ‘The Beautiful Lie’ as “his best work to date.” The WALL STREET JOURNAL was on hand for one of his acclaimed Austin performances, calling Harcourt, “a gifted songwriter in the mold of Karl Wallinger and XTC’s Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding” adding, “and thus a descendant of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.”

Lead radio single, “Revolution in the Heart,” mimics Harcourt’s larger-than-life personality, brimming with his exquisite piano playing, booming delivery, thunderous rhythms and bursting backup vocals, compliments of The Magic Numbers. The track is currently going for adds at radio, already receiving early support across the country from stations like Starbucks XM Café, KBAC and others.

This visit is a precursor to additional U.S. tour dates this summer, to be announced soon.

Dolly Parton is apparently not too thrilled about being the subject of one of Howard Stern’s trademark audio book remixes:

Country legend Dolly Parton isn’t flattered by a recent Howard Stern parody, in which the satellite radio host mashed up Parton quotes to make it sound as if the singer were spewing offensive and racist remarks. In a post on her official website, Parton is quoted as saying she has “never been so shocked, hurt and humiliated” in her life, and even hints and at potentially suing the shock jock.

Check out the clip in question below. I think it’s funnier than shit, but I’m also a fucking asshole.

Hearing all this BS about a Roger Clemens / Mindy McCready tryst amidst his defamation of character suit against former trainer McNamee, I realized that I have never sat down and watched a baseball game in a decade, and that I have never listened to one of Mindy McCready’s songs. So here’s to rectifying the latter.

Yeah… It’s fair to say that I like Nashville’s Pop Radio sensations as much as I like watching baseball. That is, this much:

Which I guess makes me Un-American. C’est la vie.

From Radiohead’s publicists:

RADIOHEAD CONFIRMS MAY 2008 U.S. DATES & VENUES
RADIOHEAD has confirmed the dates and venues to be visited on the first segment of its upcoming North American tour. They are:

May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Florida
May 6 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, Florida
May 8 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, Georgia
May 9 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, North Carolina
May 11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge - Bristow, Virginia
May 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St Louis, Missouri
May 17 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, Texas
May 18 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, Texas

Pre-sale for the above dates will begin February 14 via W.A.S.T.E. with general on-sales following on February 16.
The second half of the North American tour will follow the band’s summer tour of the UK and Europe.

The call letters KUNT have landed at a yet-unbuilt low-power digital television station in Wailuku, Maui.

Alarmingly similar to a word the dictionary says is obscene, the call letters were among a 15-page list of new call letters issued by the Federal Communications Commission and released this week.

The same station owner also received KWTF for a station in Arizona.

From Skokie, Ill., comes a sincere apology “to anyone that was offended,” said Kevin Bae, vice president of KM Communications Inc., who requested and received KUNT and KWTF. It is “extremely embarrassing for me and my company and we will file to change those call letters immediately.”

OHHHHHHH Bullshit he was shocked and embarrased. This is rad, and dude knows it.
I worked in commercial radio for 10 years, leaving the industry after being a successful Program Director of a rowdy rock station. There were many many times we would sit around and think up the ‘best’ call signs - KLIT (is actually a lite rock station, now KJLL), KOCK, KSUK, KCUS, KIKE, KOON, KCUF, KAWK, and every other racist-ass label; bodily function, fluid or part.
This made me smile a little inside to know that they got away with it, if only for a little while.. like the famous Florida license plate
A55 RGY(with the orange in the midde acting as a letter ‘O’)

No way this company tries for KUNT AND KWTF out of the blue. No no. These were the product of some bullpen humor.
Radio folk like to play dumb, and many (most) are. But one thing we’re not - is blind to a good bit of easy raunch.

If these stations are looking for someone to join their programming team - drop me a line
KCID signing off.

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