Today was our "Things that go bump in the night and/or other times of day as well" show. This theme has nothing to do with tomorrow's holiday. We would never deprive the Friday Drift show the chance to do a Halloween show on Halloween. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong; I reserve the right to call them a "stupid-face".
We challenged you to tell us what makes you "go bump", however you may want to "interpret" that, and we got some responses. Keep it up! One day Sam and I will make a show solely based on requests. We cannot play requests without requests, so you can see the need for me to request that you request some requests.
Request.
In other news, Bitman & Roban may be our favorite discovery of the week. To celebrate this, Sam and I are offering a contest. Whoever can figure out which dynamic duo of superheroes is an anagram of "Bitman & Roban" will win a wonderful prize from your tribute show hosts. (If you're sharp you may notice a subtle clue in the preceeding sentence).
Another contest is Biscuit Eat-Off 2008. Let us know how many biscuits you can eat. If you can beat the house record of 33 that's wonderful; but we want to know your own personal best no matter what it may be. Be advised, gravy is allowed. Prizes are possible, but that is strictly TBD for now.
Playlists will be up once we fix some formatting issues, and remember to watch this space for Rudolf Volz news.
May your Hoover repair skills win you many women.
--Ancient Irish Proverb
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Let Me Tell You About Captain Bottle Cap
Those of you who heard our October 23rd show, or at least a certain portion of it, heard a portion of the tale of Captain Bottle Cap. Captain Bottle Cap, or "Cap-Cap" as he was informally called, was the brainchild of little-known Norwegian TV writer Laars Kirkthun. Laars believed suburban youths in his adopted home of Central California were immoral, and needed someone to look up to. This perceived niche, along with his natural fascination with the soft drink industry, led to the creation of Captain Bottle Cap.
Laars first attempted to pitch his idea to comic publishers, but they were less than receptive. His personal diary claims ethnic discrimination was to blame, but this claim has been disputed. Undeterred, the story was re-written for television, a medium Lars had already made a small name for himself in. After quite a bit of persuasion, ABC commissioned a pilot for "The Captain Bottle Cap Show". It was produced on a shoestring budget, but the cast and crew were enthusiastic.
Unfortunately, ABC wasn't at the end of the day. The pilot was shelved for many months and forgotten by everyone except Laars. One day, in June 1978, there was a sudden hole in the network's Saturday morning lineup. Programmers scrambled to find something to fill the slot. Luckily for Laars, he had been having a secret homosexual affair with an ABC executive that remains nameless to this day. He agreed to keep it a secret if "The Captain Bottle Cap Show" was finally broadcast. This successful blackmail plan was first revealed in a sealed note opened upon Laars' death according to his will.
The episode was given moderately poor reviews at the time, but did gain a small following. It introduced The Captain and his nemesis, The Flattener. The plot followed Cap-Cap as he prevented the Flattener from squishing the local farmer's market. This included a remarkable chase scene that was re-edited to be made into the opening credits. This song has recently been re-recorded by Black Bear Combo, but even their fans are largely ignorant to its true history.
After its one and only screening, the show and character fell into obscurity. Captain Bottle Cap was so obscure, Laars Kirkthun saw no need to renew his copyright, and his intellectual property fell into public domain. In the mod-90s, known to some as "the age of irony", independent publisher Image Comics took advantage of that fateful mistake. Years after Laars' death his dream of Captain Bottle Cap gracing the pages of a funny book would finally come true. Image gave Captain Bottle Cap an unfortunate origin story, which we won't expand on here for decency's sake, but they did stay true to his spirit otherwise. In one famous issue, Cap-Cap had a crossover with forgotten marketing mascot Pepsiman, a move that would make Laars truly proud. The book was canceled suddenly after 13 issues that have since become very rare and eagerly sought by collectors, especially the Pepsiman team-up.
Today Larrs' vision lives on in his fellow Norwegians music. We here at the Power Hour Theme Show have also done our part to spread the word. As Cap-Cap would say, "Do your part to keep the fizz in life!"
Laars first attempted to pitch his idea to comic publishers, but they were less than receptive. His personal diary claims ethnic discrimination was to blame, but this claim has been disputed. Undeterred, the story was re-written for television, a medium Lars had already made a small name for himself in. After quite a bit of persuasion, ABC commissioned a pilot for "The Captain Bottle Cap Show". It was produced on a shoestring budget, but the cast and crew were enthusiastic.
Unfortunately, ABC wasn't at the end of the day. The pilot was shelved for many months and forgotten by everyone except Laars. One day, in June 1978, there was a sudden hole in the network's Saturday morning lineup. Programmers scrambled to find something to fill the slot. Luckily for Laars, he had been having a secret homosexual affair with an ABC executive that remains nameless to this day. He agreed to keep it a secret if "The Captain Bottle Cap Show" was finally broadcast. This successful blackmail plan was first revealed in a sealed note opened upon Laars' death according to his will.
The episode was given moderately poor reviews at the time, but did gain a small following. It introduced The Captain and his nemesis, The Flattener. The plot followed Cap-Cap as he prevented the Flattener from squishing the local farmer's market. This included a remarkable chase scene that was re-edited to be made into the opening credits. This song has recently been re-recorded by Black Bear Combo, but even their fans are largely ignorant to its true history.
After its one and only screening, the show and character fell into obscurity. Captain Bottle Cap was so obscure, Laars Kirkthun saw no need to renew his copyright, and his intellectual property fell into public domain. In the mod-90s, known to some as "the age of irony", independent publisher Image Comics took advantage of that fateful mistake. Years after Laars' death his dream of Captain Bottle Cap gracing the pages of a funny book would finally come true. Image gave Captain Bottle Cap an unfortunate origin story, which we won't expand on here for decency's sake, but they did stay true to his spirit otherwise. In one famous issue, Cap-Cap had a crossover with forgotten marketing mascot Pepsiman, a move that would make Laars truly proud. The book was canceled suddenly after 13 issues that have since become very rare and eagerly sought by collectors, especially the Pepsiman team-up.
Today Larrs' vision lives on in his fellow Norwegians music. We here at the Power Hour Theme Show have also done our part to spread the word. As Cap-Cap would say, "Do your part to keep the fizz in life!"
Friday, October 24, 2008
On WNUR 89.3 FM Evanston/Chicago!
Listen to the Sam & Grant Power Hour on Northwestern University's own WNUR 89.3 FM Evanston/Chicago every Thursday from 12:30 P.M. until 2:00 P.M., during the Continental Drift block of music.How to listen in? Two ways.
- Tune your radio dial to 89.3 FM.
- Listen online here.
Every week, we do an hour and a half-long show paying tribute to something we love that we think you love, too. And, if you don't, you're wrong and we're okay with that. Each show is filled with facts and anecdotes about that week's subject, all of which is one-hundred percent true. Do not try to question us -- our 'round-the-clock research team understands that the punishment for factual inaccuracy is fifteen years' hard labor in remote uranium mines.
In terms of tributes, so far we've done Marlon Brando, World Food Day and Facial Hair (Beard Team USA). On the roster for future shows: Cyborgs in Cinema, Anniversaries and Beatles' Cover Tunes.
Each week, after the show, we'll be uploading that day's playlist of tribute tunes. You will also be able to find our playlists here: http://drift.wnur.org/playlists/.
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