last night a DJ saved my life

While watching my new favorite train wreck on TV "Rock of Love" I saw Richard Blade! :::squeal::: I *heart* Richard Blade!

Richard Blade used to be a DJ on KROQ 106.7 FM back in the days of Poorman, Dusty Street (remember Lady & the Doorknob?), Katy Manor, Freddy Snakeskin, Swedish Egil and the Romando & Blade morning show. KROQ was THE place to hear all the cool music! I owe a huge 'thank you!' to Richard Blade for introducing me to all of my favorite music. He played b-sides, went deep on albums and played incredible re-mixes (to this day I wish I could find It's a Mug's Game, Everybody Wants to Run the World and Should I Should I). Tons of great music was introduced to me by Richard Blade: The English Beat, Dramarama, "Don't Argue" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Kiss Me" by Tin Tin, "World Destruction" by Time Zone, "Dancing in Heaven", "Politics of Dancing", Bronski Beat, the Motels, King, Fishbone, the Untouchables, New Order/Joy Division, the Clash...a list that goes on and on and on...

Then, Richard Blade moved into TV as a host of MV3 (basically, American Bandstand with 'new wave' music) and Video One. It was the first time those without MTV were able to see the bands whose music we listened to on KROQ - Spandau, The English Beat, Yaz, Haircut 100, Bow Wow Wow, Psychedelic Furs, Face to Face, Tin Tin, Oingo Boingo, another list that goes on and on and on. MV3 had live performances - Boingo, the Bangles (performing 2 songs I can't find anywhere - Real World and I'm In Line), Berlin, Romeo Void...another list that goes on and on.
With the music shift in the 90s and 00s, Richard Blade was relegated to an hour at lunchtime "Flashback Lunch" where he played the good 80s stuff.

Then, he was gone. :( He left KROQ...he left radio. Ohh, sadness prevailed! More than the music he played, Richard Blade told great personal stories of his friendships with a lot of the bands whose music he played (I wasn't the only one who gasped when he said he'd dated Teri Nunn, was I? Who else squealed when Duran or Depeche phoned in?). All you have to do is watch a few episodes of VH-1's "Bands Reunited" - he's the one lunching with the targeted band member! It was a huge loss to radio when Richard Blade left.

A few years ago, while driving home from a visit to Riverside, I flipped stations to Star 98.7. Some 80s tune was wafting out...and then that familiar English accent: "This is Richard Blade..." SHUT UP! NO WAY! Caller after caller: Welcome back! I love you! Will you play...I couldn't get my cell phone fast enough! Yes, I called the radio station. Duh! I asked him to play "Everybody Wants to Run the World" but he didn't have it. So, I asked if he would play "Should I Should I" - which he did have and which he did play. :) :)

I think Richard Blade is now on XM Radio, but I don't have that. I do know he's been hosting the Spazmatics at Universal CityWalk (he sends bulletins from his myspace)...but I've never been to one of the shows.

Thank you, Richard Blade! This is for you :)

show and tell

When I got to work this morning, I stopped off in the kitchen to get my morning mocha. A fellow employee, TP, was in there.

"Oh, Rissa - you're so tall!" She sidles up next to me, doing that hand measuring thing short people do when standing next to a taller person. TP is 5 feet tall. With tennis shoes on. "Give me some of your height!" I offered her my 2" strappy sandals. She laughed. The 'you're so tall' comments continued for 3 minutes.

I'm not unusually tall. 6'2" is tall for a woman, I'll give ya that. With my cute bronze strappy sandals, I'm around 6'4". Fairly normal for my everyday work wear. But, it's not gargantuan. I'm not Shaq or Yao Ming or anything.

Around 10:00 a.m., L delivers our mail. TP happened to walk by. It's show and tell time! She asks me to stand up. I oblige (my bad). Again, TP sidles up to me, talking about how tall, doing that hand measuring thing short people do when standing next to a taller person. Then invites L to do the same thing! Oh, did I mention L is about the same height as TP? Uhhh...hello! They laugh and walk away - "...she's soooooo tall..."

Later in the day, I encountered TP in the kitchen. There was a 6' guy in there as well. Again, it was show and tell time! She sidled up next to me, doing that hand measuring thing short people do when standing next to a taller person. "Look how tall! Look how tall!" She walked away laughing.

There I go again, entertaining the masses.

4.5 at 12:58 a.m.

There really is nothing like being jolted out of a restful sleep by rumbling noises and movement. Nothing, I tell ya.

12:58 a.m. - an earthquake, measuring 4.5, had me wide awake. My first thoughts are a jumble of 'I hope it's not the BIG one', 'I hope it doesn't last long', 'Where's the cat?', 'Where's my emergency stuff' and 'Did any power go out'; 'My family...' ~ how disturbing to be so clear-minded a) at one o'clock in the morning and b) during an earthquake.

This morning's earthquake seemed to have lasted for 15-20 seconds, I guess. I really worry when the earthquake isn't a rolling one...the ones where the plates shift scare the crap out of me! What if our building is on a plate that shifts under? For the rest of the day I will be very jumpy...

So, 4.5 at 12:58 a.m. centered 4 miles north of Chatsworth, near Northridge (about 20 miles from my house).

And how was your morning, dear?