(somehow similar to an incident at the 1972 Academy Awards)

Hello, my name is Ambrahl Redleatherjacket of the Hopi Nation, bringing you greetings from your brother Buffalo Bob who shared time and space with you at WUVT AM/FM from the fall of 1974 to the summer of 1977.

Buffalo is no longer with us, his demise brought about through a series of poor choices in his personal life, yet he still lives here in the West.

I shall now read from a statement Buffalo has written that he has asked me to read to you hear at the honored Tom Twine website.


Hola! Mi estimado amigos y amigas!

First of all, high salutations respect and love to Tom Twine for establishing this fine website, but most of all, Tom, for you, for giving me the opportunity to get into radio professionally, an occupation I continue to work in, much on the same level as I did when I was at WUVT…on the air and communicating.

Oh, don’t get me wrong…I climbed the ladder and climbed back down. The stress level at the top was far more than I was willing to accept…so unnecessary and fake…so I work as a communicator, at places that still don’t care about demographics and all that bulls--t…that is until the corporate behemoth raises its ugly head, gobbles it up, turns it into another piece of automated, homogenized broadcast facility of pablum to the masses…then I move on.

But Tom, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And you got that part-time gig for me at WJJJ/WVVV the winter of ‘75-’76 while you went home for the holidays. It was you, Tom, who urged me to study for and get my Third Class ticket.

Blessings to you Tom, and all your relations.

And your website is a joy to see.

It uncapped remembrances from far back in my memory banks:

The rivalry between AM and FM, so much so that members of both staffs were vigilant about the other taking music. I remember one guy, all I can remember is that his name was “Bill,” he was a bit on the calorically challenged side, he had curly blond hair and glasses and he worked on the FM, he was actually quite condescending and snotty about it. That seemed to subside by the fall of ’75.

Of course how can I forget long lost brother Ernie Kyger and his loathing of all things FM!

Blessings to you, Ernie, all your relations.

Paul Shugrue introduced me to da blues and may still have the only copy of “Longbranch Pennywhistle,” the pre-Eagles duo of Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther on Amos records, the last LP I continue to search for, but then, maybe when I find it my existence on this plane will end…hmmm. Thank you Paul, wherever you are (last bit of info I had on him is over 15 years old, he was MD at [was it] WRVQ [?]).

Then there was Matt Eakle. Matthew the Music Director, Matthew the cool. Matthew coming into the door of the FM studio one spring day in 1976 telling me that there was a waitress at some diner on east 460 that wanted to kick my ass because I had gotten on the air and done a bit (tongue in cheek, as always) that alleged that women only came to

"I work as a communicator…that is until the corporate behemoth raises its ugly head, gobbles it up, turns it into another piece of automated, homogenized broadcast facility of pablum to the masses…then I move on."

college to get that coveted MRS degree. Matt told me to stop. Matt and his cool ads for Books Strings and Things, including the one that was done entirely backwards and at the end simply said “Books Strings and Things.” He knew I would put it on another deck and listen to what it really said…he was reading from some classic literature (if memory serves me right) and at the end said, “f--k you, Buffalo” (with a smile) ‘cos he knew I’d listen to it to try to figure out what he said. Last I heard of Matthew, and this is, like, 18 year old info, he had left radio for the entrepreneurial world to work with promotional stuff like company pens and stuff with his bride.

I can still see Matthew’s cool smile. Blessings to you, Matthew, all your relations.

Matthew had a crush (as a lot of us did) on Keitha McKillip, who, I understand, disappeared into suburbia. Keitha was the quintessential post-Woodstock, pre-disco, jeans clad, hair down object of affection of much of the male staff of WUVT AM/FM (maybe with the exception of Graham Wilson).

Does anyone remember the crude and crass Mike London? The guy was on the AM circa ‘75-’76.

He DRANK cologne, fancied himself a ladies man. He posted a note on the bulletin board one time, inviting ladies to “join the Mike London fan club,” “come to the studio during my shift, must bring your own towel.” One night he brought a date to the studios to “show her around,” I was there and I took him aside and said, “Mike, you know I think I better tell ya but you have a big booger hanging in your nose.”

“Oh wow, thanks Buffalo.”

Where is: Sue Halpin? Wendy Snapp? John DePaola (the Springsteen freak)? J.J. King? Bill Brideson? Dave Landers? Tom Banks? Jeff Kashurba? Dave Garst?

Speaking of Garst, I remember the time that we were doing the fundraiser for the stations and he said he was broadcasting naked.

"WUVT holds a special place in my life; it was my TRUE college education."

I was taking over for him and I said (on the air), “Why Dave, what’s that on your leg?” “That’s a zit, Buffalo.” “Let’s pop it on the air,” says I. “Okay, Buffalo.” Then I gave a narrative, “okay folks, for those of you with your special WUVT televiewers you can see that we are zooming in on the zit on Dave’s leg, he IS squeezing it, it IS bulging, OH! There it goes, all over the camera lens.” Phones lit up (this was like at 2am) and people wanted to donate to get me off the air.

Oh, then I remember Animal! (Robert Edmunds). What a kind spirit. “Animal stories” on the FM. Animal and, who (?), was it Tom Banks (?) lived in a trailer east of Main Street and it caught fire.

Both guys showed up at the studio that day with singed hair.

Who had “The Outrage?” Was it Rick Garrigues? (That was co-opted from the “Tennessee Midnight Rambler” out of Johnson City, Tennessee, but then, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, eh Buffalo Bob? [I think as I look to the sky]).

Bruce Kelly Grimes doing bong hits on the air (last I heard he was in Phoenix at one of that hellish city’s top 5 stations “Power 92”).

Leslie Plummer, where are you now? In quantum physics, in another time-space continuum, Leslie and I are married and we have a daughter!

Me?

I worked at WSLQ in Roanoke until December ’77. Went to Richlands, Virginia where I worked as morning guy and news guy at WRIC (AM 540) from 1978 to 1983.

Ron and Edythe Brown ran gospel music station WGTH there. Now I look on the internet, Ron is still listed as GM and WRIC (AM 540) no longer exists, the owners apparently sold it to Ron now it’s WGTH AM/FM.

I was at WJSY/WKCY in Harrisonburg from 1983 to the fall of ’84 as a salesman and from there went to WXVA AM/FM in Charles Town, West Virginia as an announcer after I lost my car in a one car accident and could only take a job where I could walk to work.

I got back on my feet and was General Manager of WWOO (later WAPP) in Berryville, Virginia from the fall of ’85 to the spring of ’88. Then I went on to be sales manager at WBLB in Pulaski.

In 1988 I went to a WUVT reunion weekend where the old jocks were on the air, boy was that weird, and I met Robyn Lankford, a young Wooviteer who I remember and sent her her favorite, a bottle of scotch, on special occasions.

By 1989 I was in Fort Myers, Florida and from there I left on a walkabout and disappeared into the friendliness of small markets.

So, blessings to all who remember.

WUVT holds a special place in my life; it was my TRUE college education.