Author Archives: skip

About skip

I'm the Operations Manager of WBLS/WLIB, New York City, a company founded by the late, Percy Sutton. Kind of weird finally getting to work for company who's station, WBLS was a major reason I chose this wonderful, but often insane business of radio! I still have no regrets.

“TAKING IT TO THE STREETS”

Posted on by
     Back in Mid-September, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a comment his weekly radio show that America could face riots in it’s streets.   His comments, which received much media attention, referenced recent uprisings in Cities ranging from Cairo to London.  Given where we are at the beginning of October, the Mayor appeared to be glancing into a “crystal ball”.
     Fast forward two weeks and we see almost 700 persons arrested in New York after ongoing “Wall Street” protests expanded to include a traffic-snarling march to the Brooklyn Bridge.  
     What’s most interesting here is unlike those “tea-party” activists, these “Wall-Street” protesters range from college students to baby-boomers and come from a variety of backgrounds and races.   And, while these protestors lack the focus of a leader, political party, or organization serving as an umbrella for a group of organizations; there are plenty of points that unite them;
     *As Mayor Bloomberg noted, there are far too many recent college grads unable to find work.   At the same time, many Americans with years of experience are still unable to find jobs or are underemployed.  
     *The financial sector seems to have rebounded very well, in fact, better than most other industries, yet it’s harder for the “average” American to get loans, re-financing for their homes, small business or other financial assistance that was all too available just several years ago.
     *The President is now calling on wealthy corporations and individuals to pay their “fair share” of the tax burden. In the 80’s much of the economic basis of “Reaganomics” involved the “trickle-down” theory; “give the wealthy folks and their businesses big tax breaks and they’ll create more jobs”.   We saw then, as we see now, this formula doesn’t exactly work as planned.  And today, those with money fight to make more and keep all of it if possible.
     *The cost of food, healthcare, education and other essentials continue to rise.   A New York Times Article on September 28th says health care premiums are up 9 percent in 2011 with the average premium cost for a family through an employer hitting an all-time high of $15,073 in 2011.   The article also states that most employers expect premiums to rise another 5 percent on average before many of President Obama’s heath-reform items go into effect in 2012.  
     In Detroit Michigan, residents took to the streets for the start of October as Reverend Jesse Jackson joined Michigan Congressman John Conyers for a protest of a new bill authored and signed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder putting an immediate cap on “welfare” benefits paid by the State.  This “cap” comes after a March 2011 bill the Governor signed making Michigan the “shortest” unemployment benefits State in the Nation cutting jobless benefits by 6 weeks to 20 versus the National Average of 26 weeks.  
     The new “welfare cap”, limits a Michigan resident to total of 4 years of “cash” benefits paid by the State during their lifetime.   According to the Detroit Free Press as of this writing, 41,000 residents (29,000 of them children) in Michigan were scheduled to lose their cash payments.   In a State that’s seen a virtual “meltdown” of the American auto industry and it’s suppliers over the past 20 years, the impact to a State struggling to retrain it’s workforce could be devastating.  
     Are we seeing some kind of threat to capitalism?  Or course not!  Even with our problems, there’s still a far better chance of living a decent life here than we’d have in Cairo, Tripoli, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg or even London for that matter.   But it doesn’t mean we Americans are going to necessarily stay quiet either. 
     Since the election of President Obama, we’ve seen the rise of the mostly right-wing “tea party”.   Perhaps the time has finally come for a much larger, moderate, and more sensible group of voices to be heard as well.  
     Let’s hope the President’s “jobs bill” and numerous other “stimulus” plans are put in place now.   The protests locally on Wall Street show no sign of ending soon and with many out of work with little hope of finding employment in the near future, New York and may Cities across our great Country could be in for a long winter.  

A Prayer for the 9/11 Generation

Posted on by
     It’s truly amazing how fast 10 years can fly by.   And it’s amazing how after 10 years the pain still lingers on.
     The 10th anniversary of one of the worst acts of terrorism in World History leaves a lot of wounds that show no signs of healing.   A good reminder that life forever has changed for me was just getting home from work tonight.   Both the FDR and West Side Highway were a virtual parking lot, littered with flashing lights, cars, cabs and trucks forced to the side of the road for random searches.   This, a day after authorities received “threats” made against New York City and Washington DC, served as a stark reminder that as much as we’d like to believe we’re safer and perhaps done with such insanity (President Obama did hunt Bin Laden down and kill him didn’t he?), there are still those in this world who feel so hopeless, so miserable and are so angry, they’re receptive to “distorted” interpretations of our great religions, promises of salvation and dreams of having their names remembered, revered and feared by many for years to come.
     My point?   This sounds like a lot of the promises our children receive from gang members, drug dealers, hustlers and conditions including poverty that continue to lead our young people astray.   While we remember 9/11, let’s not forget just last week we were trying to make sense of the numerous Labor Day weekend shootings that seemed to serve as a wrap up to an unusually violent summer.    This is a great weekend to spend with our children.   What are they thinking about these days?  Perhaps we didn’t spend enough time with the children who witnessed 9/11/2001. When one thinks of the mass horror and violence that took place on that day, it’s not that hard to envision why a 24 year old in present-day South Bronx or Newark, sees “violence” as little more than a necessary part of their existence.  
     By reaching THIS generation of children, perhaps we can begin to make amends for the damage inflicted upon the “9/11 Generation” and truly honor the memory of those who lost their lives on what began as a uncommonly warm, sunny, September morning, 10 years ago.   

WE REMEMBER HURRICANE KATRINA

Posted on by

The following is a copy of a press release sent to me from Congressman Charles Rangel

August 29, 2011

Congressman Charles Rangel

Congressman Charles Rangel

RANGEL: WE REMEMBER HURRICANE KATRINA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Charles Rangel issued the following statement in remembrance of the 6th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, August 28, 2011:

“This past weekend, we saw President Barack Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Director Craig Fugate, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg lead millions of people into safety as Hurricane Irene hit whirled through the East Coast and New York City. Thanks to their leadership America was able to mitigate potential catastrophe by applying the important lessons we have learned from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Even as we celebrate the successful response of our government to Hurricane Irene, America cannot forget that tragic day on August 28, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, tearing through homes, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods and leaving behind a massive trail of destruction in its wake.

We saw the nation come together prepare for Irene. We will come together to repair the damages it has caused. As we emerge from the experience and continue our daily lives, we will also stand stronger in support of the people in New Orleans who have lost their livelihoods and loved ones from the trauma caused by Hurricane Katrina.  We will never forget you.”

Skip Dillard: This is a well written message reminding us of a city and people still feeling the effects of a hurricane long gone.

Music From The Soul

Posted on by
Ashford and Simpson

Ashford and Simpson

The passing of Nick Ashford on August 22nd at 70-years-old brings back memories of the days of great songwriting from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s that artists built their careers on.

     Nick Ashford along with his long time writing partner and later wife Valerie Simpson, wrote songs that did more than become “hits” of the moment; these songs became standards of R&B and Pop still sung over and over from re-makes and commercials, to American Idol.
Although Ashford & Simpson began writing independently, it was a chance to join Motown and their amazing roster of artists that gave them a chance to jump into the history books.
     Here is just a partial list of what these two amazing individuals wrote together and the artists who made them famous:
  • Glady’s Knight & The Pips:    Didn’t You Know You’d Have to Cry Sometime, Taste Of Bitter Love, Bougie Bougie.
  • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles:       Who’s Gonna Take The Blame
  • Marvin Gaye/Tammie Terrell:     Your Precious Love, Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing, You’re All I Need To Get By,
  • Diana Ross:    Reach Out And Touch Somebody’s Hand, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
     The Duo eventually wanted to record some of their own music but Motown Execs weren’t receptive to the idea (surprising given both had great looks and would eventually develop excellent stage presence) so they eventually set out on their own.
Into the 70’s and 80’s Ashford & Simpson adapted well to the changing sound of R&B.   Their own hits included “disco” flavored songs like Found A Cure and It Seems to Hang On.   Love Ballads were a specialty including Send It, Is It Still Good To You and Happy Endings.   But it was probably the early 80’s that best proved this “dynamic duo” worthy of inclusion among the greats.  The songs Street Corner and chart-topping crossover hit “Solid” were favorites of not only radio and clubs, but street DJ’s who mixed and remixed those two records at a time when the sounds of the streets including rap were beginning to influence R&B.
     Ashford & Simpson’s songs were unique in that they went deep into love, long-term commitment and human emotion.   There were catchy hooks, but also a sense of purpose, structure and redemption, a far cry from the “quick sex/quick break up/no good man” songs we’ve become all too used to from many of today’s popular song-writers and producers.   And Ashford & Simpson were not afraid to make a statement in their songs with one of their finest examples, I’m Every Woman, performed by both Chaka Khan and later Whitney Houston who’s rendition wound up on the soundtrack of the box office hit, “The Bodyguard”.
     Nick Ashford was born in South Carolina, raised in Michigan and attended college for a short time at Eastern Michigan University before moving to New York to earn a living as a dancer.   In 1964 after hitting hard times Mr. Ashford wound up seeking help at Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church where he first encountered Valerie singing in the choir.   They sold a batch of songs together later that year, kicking off a long career including a marriage in 1974 and numerous ventures including hosting a daily top-rated radio show for several years and ownership of two club-restaurants including NYC’s popular “Sugar Bar”.
     These two seemed to find success at every turn and we as music lovers were the better for it.
     Rest in peace Nick Ashford. Thank you!

When Nothing Seems To Be Going Right

Posted on by

Over the past several weeks we’ve seen it all come to a head.   A last minute “debt ceiling” agreement is reached, only to have Standard And Poor’s, downgrade it’s own Nation’s credit rating.   MTA says it needs to now “DOUBLE” the fees we pay at our bridges, tunnels along with commuter transit in order to maintain our region’s “infrastructure”.   And, it goes on and on.

Something’s got to give.   Commuting in to work every morning, there seems to be no shortage of newly released Porche Sedans, Audi A7’s/A8’s, AMG Mercedes and 7 Series BMW’s passing the bus I take to the station.   And there’s not a weekend where I look in the real estate section of the Times and don’t see pics of someone’s recently purchased 15 million dollar Manhattan Apartment or Brooklyn Brownstone.   Fact is there are many people living far beyond the average our wildest dreams and it’s not only America.  In the UK, a British designed Super-Yacht  was just completed adorned with 100 tons of GOLD (not making this up, just Google)!   This beyond-luxury boat is listed for sale at over 4 Billion Dollars!   And, a recent article in the Washington Post reviewed a new over the top hotel in IRAN of all places that features an ice-cream dessert in one of it’s penthouse restaurants adorned in “edible gold” for $250.00 per person.

On the other side of the income gap; our public schools continue to lay off teachers.   Once proudly employed people from Newark, New Jersey to Baltimore Maryland struggle to find work.  Food banks in our region continue to see record numbers of un-employed and under-employed added to their already swollen ranks.   And banks struggle just to keep up with the paperwork for the number of homes and condos they’re attempting to foreclose on.

It’s tragic and hard to fathom that as bad as things appear these days that many companies continue to report record profits, pay record bonuses to top executives, while those that make it all possible share in none of that success.

The good news is people are fighting back.

This August in Wisconsin, voters went to the polls in historic elections to “recall” politicians from top to bottom that worked to cripple the power of unions in their State.   And, if you can’t get support for a problem with your Verizon internet or smart phone service, it may be due to the fact that 45,000 Verizon employees are out on strike.

It’s more important that ever that we blog, march, write/call our politicians and unite to ensure not only we, but our children have a chance at the basic human rights and opportunities our parents and ancestors fought so tirelessly to obtain for us.    I believe these times, as Jesus Spoke of in Luke 11 is our, “Knock At Midnight”.    Just when we were content in our existence, comes a time where we ALL have to speak out.    We can no longer believe others will look out for our best interest.

Let’s raise our voices (and votes) in unison!    It’s time to get back on track!

Push Back from the Table

Posted on by

We eat a lot in America.  In fact we eat so much the rest of the world is taking notice.

As a young child in Queens we were welcomed to our new apartment by a friendly Jewish family who lived upstairs.  We’d share meals during each others Holidays and I well remember watching our meals prepared by hand from appetizer to desert.  And there were generous servings of veggies and a starch or two to offset the meat.  While there was plenty of fast food, it was more of a “sometimes” thing. And I have to admit, I appreciated that juicy burger every couple of weeks.

In the mid-70’s when we moved to North Carolina the difference in food and eating were immediately noticeable.  There was more food for dinner (it was cheaper but less variety was available), fried foods were the norm and fast foods played a much larger role than we experienced in New York.  And during Holidays it was not uncommon to find four meats on the dinner table in which three of them came from various parts of the pig!

Flash forward to 2011 and we seem to be eating more than ever.  In fact, Americans throw away more food in a day than most people in many Countries consume in a week. We super-size everything from our morning coffee to our evening meals.  America has an eating problem and it’s getting worse.

A Canadian physician Dr. Kevin Patterson, recently published a book called “Consumption” inspired in part by his work in an emergency combat hospital in Afghanistan.  In the book Patterson describes his experience operating on persons of various cultures.

“Typical Afghan civilians and soldiers would have been 140 pounds or so as adults. And when we operated on them, what we were aware of was the absence of any fat or any adipose tissue underneath the skin,” Patterson says. “Of course, when we operated on Canadians or Americans or Europeans, what was normal was to have most of the organs encased in fat. It had a visceral potency to it when you could see it directly there.”

Dr. Patterson also goes on to note that many diseases such as type II diabetes didn’t exist 70 or 80 years ago.  He blames their rise directly from obesity, especially the accumulation of “abdominal fat”.

What’s frightening is people of other Countries are beginning to emulate our eating habits with results that are causing concern. The magazine “New African” recently reported on Countries with emerging middle-class populations including Nigeria and South Africa.  In these and other emerging economies people are shunning their “indigenous” millets and grains for imported rice from places like China.  This is becoming a problem in many areas because the local foods contain properties that build up resistance to regional diseases.  By importing foods, they’re actually opening themselves up to illnesses that would normally not affect them.  And with “meat” a sign of status, Africans are consuming more flesh with their meals than at any time in their history.  This has ushered in high blood pressure, gout and other ailments that were formally rare in many areas of the African Diaspora.

It should not take our President and his wife to beg us to eat and feed our children better.  In researching my own eating habits and talking with those who study eating as it relates to our health there are a few pointers everyone seems to agree on.

*Lower your portions (eating less is the hardest part but pushing away from the table is important).

*Eat more raw and lightly cooked veggies.

*Your serving of meat should be no bigger than your first (provided you have a normal sized hand).

*Make fried foods and deserts a “sometimes” treat.

*Cut your salt intake and remove the salt-shaker from your table today!

*Limit alcohol consumption. (if you must, red wine or sangria are the healthiest).

*Exercise daily even if it’s just a walk.  You can join a gym but your eating habits must change as well or your results will be limited.

*As grandma used to say; “the whiter the bread the quicker you’re dead”.  More whole wheat and grains including your pastas, pancakes, etc will make a difference.

I can’t stand the thought of losing another friend or colleague to a stoke or heart attack in their 30’s.  It’s time we get this eating problem under control (yours truly included).

 

 

Alicia Keys-A Decade of Greatness

Posted on by
Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

Back in March I was invited to make a cameo appearance along with our own Legendary Hal Jackson for a DVD being filmed in celebration of the 10th Anniversary Debut of Alicia Key’s “Songs in A Minor”.  Had it really been 10 years?

The Anniversary collection of Alicia’s debut smash features unreleased tracks, remixes and the DVD, which tells her amazing rise from Hell’s Kitchen to World Wide acclaim.

The new wife and mom has much to celebrate.  Originally signed to Columbia Records, Keys went to work with then little known producer Jeff Robinson.  Upon delivering her very original, acoustic tracks to the label; she was told her project wasn’t acceptable for release.  In a world of record labels reeling from the deaths of mega-selling rap artists Biggie Smalls and 2Pac, along with declining sales from the new wave of free “downloading” sites like Napster, record companies were looking for “quick hit”/“formula” songs and artists inexpensive to market.  And Alicia was anything but the “usual”.

Alicia Keys completely breaks the mold of artists 10 years ago and today.  She’s one of the few A-level R&B/Pop singers who play an instrument on stage.  This hails back to earlier generations of artists including Prince, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder.  And Alicia preferred traditional pianos.  This meant arranging for high-quality, half-ton, concert grand instruments with piano tuner in tow for most venues and important appearances along with a full band.   Alicia was also hard to classify.  She was “hip” but not hip-hop.  She was certainly R&B but not one to be paired with the “producer of the month”.  She wrote and composed her own songs.

Needless to say the deal with Columbia Records was not to be.  A meeting with the legendary visionary Clive Davis, then head of Arista Records changed everything.  Davis understood that once and awhile true artists come along that are so original they must be allowed the freedom to create on their own.  A settlement was worked out and Keys joined Artista. But, there was one more hurdle.  Arista was in the process of being bought by a German conglomerate with their management pushing Davis towards retirement from Arista upon taking over.  It soon became clear Davis would leave the company before accepting a “time-line” for retirement.  Davis was offered a deal to create his own record label.  He offered Alicia a chance to come along.  For an artist that just signed a second deal with a major label, the thought of picking up again and venturing into a new start-up that didn’t even have a name at the time must have been something to lose nights of sleep over.  But Alicia made the decision to follow Clive Davis to what would eventually become the mega-hit powerhouse “J-Records”.

“Songs in A-Minor” hit stores with it’s #1 hit “Fallin’” on June 5th 2001.  The album won 5 Grammy’s and sold over 13 million copies World-Wide.  10 years later, Alicia Keys is a household name selling out venues around the World with awards and accolades spanning every corner of the globe.  And Mrs. Keys has become a notable humanitarian.  Her continued fundraising and support of efforts to rid Africa of HIV and AIDS has impacted over 300,000 Africans across the Continent.

Congratulations Alicia!  It’s been an amazing decade!  And we’re all the better because you’re here!

For more information on the 10th Anniversary Edition of “Songs in A-Minor”, visit her website at www.AliciaKeys.com/us

The Madness of March

Posted on by
by Skip Dillard, originally posted Mar 20 2011
After this insane winter, March is a little extra special for me this year.   However March has always been my favorite month after December. Why? NCAA Division I College Basketball!Perhaps it’s about growing up in North Carolina after my family moved out of Jamaica, Queens in the mid 70’s.  North Carolina had just disbanded it’s old ABA Carolina Cougars a year before we arrived in Greensboro and there would be no professional teams in the region until the NBA and NFL’s arrival in Charlotte until after I’d moved away.  I grew up in the world of Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball.  Duke, Carolina, Wake Forest, NC State, etc.  And most of the ACC teams had pretty mediocre football teams leaving basketball as our focus.  For NFL fans in North Carolina, the Washington Redskins were the closest team worth following (the Atlanta Falcons were the same distance but beyond pitiful in those days).Today, college basketball is among the worlds most popular sporting events.  Multi-Year billion dollar TV contracts, mega sponsors and sold out arenas across the U.S. from regionals through the Final Four.  And the NCAA Basketball Tournament including the Final Four is now well into the top 10 most valuable sporting events in the world alongside the World Cup, Superbowl and Olympics.That said; this week in the name of March Madness, I’ll run down my favorite 10 NCAA Championships in order since I first started watching them as a kid in 1979;

10. Duke Vs. Butler 2010.  Who would have thought a school few had ever heard of (Butler’s a small private College in Indianapolis) would destroy everyone’s brackets and come within’ a basket of beating college basketball superpower Duke.  Not to mention, Butler had no really notable players or NBA bound stars.  This game summed up what makes college basketball so great; anything can happen!

9.  Duke Vs. UNLV 1990.   The sports world (and many say the NCAA) did a great job of making Nevada, Las Vegas along with then future NBA star Larry Johnson and controversial coach Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian look like a “thug” team playing a bunch of “good guys”.   This fired up UNLV and they beat Duke like they’d stolen something from them.  Perhaps the first “hip-hop” college team 2 years before the “Fab 5” of Michigan!

8. North Carolina vs. Michigan 1993.  After coming back to the Championship after a 1992 beating from another NC college (Duke) in 1992; Michigan’s Chris Webber calls a time out with a few seconds left.  Only problem was, Michigan was OUT of time outs!   A technical foul was called and the North Carolina Tar Heels sealed their victory.

7. Florida vs. Ohio State 2007.   The Florida Gators made history winning back to back championships and proving they were among the very best teams in NCAA history.  Current NBA stars Corey Brewer and Jakim Noah showed true dedication by putting the NBA on hold and returning to Florida for one more year.  They easily dispatched a very strong Ohio State Team and star center Greg Oden.

6. Arkansas vs. Duke 1994. Another David vs. Goliath story.  Duke and their golden child Grant Hill seemed unstoppable until they met Arkansas’ coach Nolan Richardson and a team made up of no “stars”, but solid players.  The game went down to the wire with Arkansas Scotty Thurman hitting a crucial 3 pointer that put Duke away.  Sadly, Thurman used that 3 point shot to bolt early for the NBA but wound up fading to black (the lesson learned by many afterwards is one shot doesn’t make a pro career).  Thankfully his Arkansas team mate Corliss Williamson enjoyed a decent NBA stint afterwards.

5. UCONN vs. Georgia Tech 2004.  Call it the year of the “Big East”!  UCONN and their stars Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor represented the Northeast in spectacular fashion ousting a “Cinderella” Georgia Tech squad led by current NBA player Jarrett Jack for a National Championship.

4. Michigan vs. Seton Hall 1989.  How short our memories are!  Yes Seton Hall from South Orange, New Jersey played for a National Championship.  They lost the title by one point to a Michigan team anchored by soon to be NBA great Glen Rice.  Seton Hall was led that year by 6’8 standout Ramon Ramos who sadly suffered a career-ending auto accident shortly after joining the NBA Portland Trailblazers. After several months in a coma, Ramos moved home to Puerto Rico to recover.

3. Michigan State vs. Indiana State 1979.  The first NCAA Championship I watched due to the urging of my dad (I liked the NBA).  This Championship game should have been named simply Larry Bird (Ind. St) vs. Magic Johnson (Mich. St).   Nuff said!

2. Houston vs. North Carolina State 1983.  Houston’s “Phi Slamma Jamma” team led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler gave basketball fans an entire season of highlights that rivaled the NBA.  This Houston team ranks among the very best for both dramatic excitement and a relentless style of playing that’s been seldom duplicated.  Olajuwon had recently arrived from the African Continent as a soccer player turned basketball center who even the best teams hated having to face.  Meanwhile North Carolina State surpassed even fan expectations with arguably the biggest “Cinderella” year in NCAA Tournament History!  Houston played hard but NC State played close.  With time ticking out, NC State’s Derreck Whittenburg’s short shot was caught mid air and dunked in by State’s Lorenzo Charles giving NC State the tie-breaking win.  Who will forget NC State’s Coach Jim Valvano running around trying to grasp the reality that his team of long forgotten players had won.  The young Valvano would live only 10 more years before dying of cancer.  Valvano’s career and fight during his illness continues to inspire both players and coaches to this day and the “Coaches for Cancer” Classic has become a yearly college basketball tradition raising monies for cancer research.

1. North Carolina vs. Georgetown 1982.  Both teams were stacked with players who would make their mark on the NBA, some more than others.  Even the coaches; Carolina’s Dean Smith and Georgtown’s John Thompson were stars.  Both schools dominated the tournament but Georgetown’s Patrick Euwing was considered the player to beat.  A well-rounded North Carolina team kept the game close limiting Euwing’s effectiveness.  With time running out, Carolina freshman “Michael Jordan” hit a crucial shot to put the Tarheels back on top.  Georgetown’s Freddie Brown drove the ball down court and then without looking behind him literally handed the ball to Carolina’s James Worthy, thinking he was a Georgetown team-mate.  Worthy was fouled and Carolina won one of the most legendary games in college basketball history.  Both teams gave a lot to the NBA with Euwing, Jordan, Worthy, Carolina Center Sam Perkins and Georgetown’s “Sleepy” Floyd all enjoying huge post-college success.