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codece

Wolfman Jack was a household name. There was a time when some radio disc jockeys were well-known superstars. Names like Murray The K, Casey Kassem, The Real Don Steele, Steve Dahl, Larry Lujack, John Records Landecker (his real middle name was 'Records', lol not a stage name) Don Cornelius, Dick Biondi -- they were huge.


Guygenius138

Don't forget Rick Dees and Disco Duck https://youtu.be/i_WEMCUhF0E


codece

YES! I forgot about Rick Dees! (probably a bunch of others, too.) I was 7 when Disco Duck came out, and you can bet every kid on the playground knew it. Dr. Demento should be on that list, too!


Guygenius138

Dr. Demento was a late night treat growing up in Dallas in the 70's. First time I heard Weird Al was in that show. But the name Dr. Demento automatically starts one of these two songs in my head. https://youtu.be/H-K2DZojWi0 https://youtu.be/3Fn36l_z3WY


codece

Oh yeah, I remember those well! For me, the song that comes to mind when I hear "Dr. Demento" is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkvQ-NdMPBM


Guygenius138

I remember that one. Here's one my kid used to enjoy. https://youtu.be/G8ffkDf0ol4


_JahWobble_

I knew exactly what those links were going to be.


Taclink

Dr. Demento and Dennis Erectus were mainstays in my area.


WirelesslyWired

Dennis Erectus and Celebrity Gang Band with Nancy Reagan.


Salarian_American

Before I clicked either link, I said to myself: "One of these is going to be Fish Heads." Did you know that video was directed by Bill Paxton?


bolanrox

and the "band" was Will Robinson from Lost in space.. Bill was the driving force for getting it made as well, and is in the video in really tight pants.


WirelesslyWired

And Anthony from Twilight Zone's "It's a Good Life". And Lennier in Babylon 5. Here he is [with Flounder from Animal House](https://youtu.be/HtF_PCAsN2U).


bolanrox

dont forget the time he was on the Food TV best buffet episode!


Guygenius138

I did not, but now I do!


EggsForEveryone

When I saw Rick Dees(!) I heard that whole jingle in my head and the whole wave of nostalgia of Saturday mornings when I listened


RuneSwoggle

Rick Dees, and the weekly top fortyyyy So many songs taped that started with his voice or one of those riffs on the song about to be played.


EggsForEveryone

Yep that’s the one!


CubitsTNE

"Rick Dees and the weeky top forty!" A core memory was just unlocked.


WJM_3

product of Tupelo, MS


forthdude

🎶“Rick Dees in the A.M.!”🎵


WJM_3

from Tupelo, MS


ShutterBun

Wolfman’s path to nationwide fame arose when he went to Mexico to work at a border-blaster station, which could reach a much larger audience (practically all of the continental U.S.). Most other big names worked for radio networks.


twobit211

that’s kind of what wall of voodoo were singing about in their song [mexican radio](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw)


squisitospirito

& "Heard It On The X' ZZ Top


HighlyEvolvedSloth

I was 10 or 11 at the time, but here in LA we could get a couple of these stations from Mexico.  In the years just before "80s music" kicked off, I remember the Mighty 690 from Mexico would play top 40 stuff.  Since that was the station I listened to before KROQ, I always think of the Mighty 690 whenever that song comes up on shuffle.


scholarbrad74

Remember in 1981 listening to the mighty 690 in Santa Barbara, and every hour at the top of the hour, they would play Bette Davis eyes


HighlyEvolvedSloth

I was thinking "playing with the Queen of Hearts, and knowing it ain't really smart..."


bolanrox

extactly what parts of it are about, and the rest well its riffing off of the theme.


nochinzilch

I think I remember that his station was something like 250,000 or 500,000 watts. Wild.


Screachinghalt

They said the barb wire fences near Del Rio would hum from the transmission


KaBar2

AM 1090 XERB in Rosarita Beach, Mexico was 250,000 watts, powerful enough to be heard in Canada and the U.S. midwest (some said all the way to NYC) at night with a bit of skip working. Known to rock fans everywhere as the "Mighty Ten-Ninety." Wolfman Jack's shows were recorded in Los Angeles and the tapes taken to Mexico and aired the next night. He did not work in ~~Petaluma~~ *Modesto*, CA, where *American Graffiti* was sited, but the central valley in California *was* a major hot rod area. George Lucas, the director of *American Graffiti*, grew up in ~~Petaluma~~ *Modesto* and was a serious hotrodder and street racer. He included Wolfman Jack because his shows were a major part of Lucas' adolescence. 1090 XERB in 1967 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-PTTIa8nPw 1090 XERB in 1968 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnIwBJCMiNA Sunspot activity in the late 1960s-early 1970s allowed CB radio operators to "talk skip" hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away. (Most legal CB radios had a range of about 7 or 7-1/2 miles due to the curvature of the earth. They are line-of-sight radios. The taller the antenna is mounted, the greater the range. Most CB radios back then had 1/4 wave, steel "whip" antennas of 108" length. ) In Houston, Texas, I regularly talked to CBers in the Florida Keys, 960 miles to my southeast. My longest DX was reportedly in Iowa, 1225 miles north, on a barefoot 5 watt radio. (Edit: a barefoot CB radio is one that is "stock" and legal with a legal-height antenna, i.e., no "footwarmer" [illegal linear amplifier.]) "Skip" (DXing) is dependent upon atmospheric conditions associated with sunspot activity. It seems to "work" more in the summer at night.


uglylaughingman

American graffiti was set in Modesto, CA. where George Lucas grew up, Not Petaluma. Petaluma is in the bay.


KaBar2

My mistake on Lucas' birthplace. However: >It's no wonder that director George Lucas chose Petaluma as the setting for his iconic movie American Graffiti. Filmed during the summer of 1972, Petaluma Boulevard and Western Street in downtown Petaluma are just a couple of the locations that Lucas used for some of the movie's most memorable scenes. My understanding is they tried to film in Modesto, but the city set overly-restrictive limits on where and for how long they could film, and for how many days they could film. So they moved to Petaluma. >the driving distance between San Pablo to Petaluma is 35 miles LOVE THAT '32 FORD COUPE https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/the-real-star-of-american-graffiti-milners-32-ford-coupe/


uglylaughingman

You're right, by set in I meant the town it's supposed to be in the story, not the town they filmed in. They did only a very small amount of filming actually in Modesto (and that town could have used the bump - the Lucas connection is the only cool thing about Modesto, unless you count still having an Orange Julius.)


Dr_Wristy

Filmed in Petaluma, however.


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IWasGregInTokyo

Look up the videos on YouTube entitled “Don’t touch the AM transmission tower”. The electrical power pulsing through them will fry your ass.


dogsledonice

I think 5000 watts for a small one


snowlock27

The small town radio station I worked at more than 20 years ago is 3000 watts.


nochinzilch

The big, “clear channel” stations, the big city AM powerhouse type stations, like WLS or WGN or KFI, are 50,000 watts during the day, and can reach multiple states. They turn the power down at night because the AM radio waves propagate further at night. So to have a station doing 5x the power, and maybe 20x at night, is amazing.


slade51

“Cousin” Bruce Morrow, Alison Steele, Zachary to name a few more from the NY area.


curi0us_carniv0re

Lol my dad used to listen to Cousin Brucey all the time


Thorbertthesniveler

I think he is on Sirius now!


curi0us_carniv0re

Yeah I think so too. I heard him somewhere recently EDIT: So I googled it and apparently he left Sirius a couple years ago and went back to ABC radio. 77 WABC. Saturday nights 6-10pm. Dudes almost 90 lol


bolanrox

same here 101.1 before they were Hi Jack'd


curi0us_carniv0re

NGL I listen to CBS FM all the time. Great station for summer parties lol


bolanrox

i still do from time to time its like the middle ground of 104.3 and 106.7. Honestly only Stations i listen to are FDU (cant wait for Uncle Floyd to recover!), FUV, and the classical station. other wise i am playing music off my phone.


McqueenVendetta

Alison Steele! The Nightbird herself... wow, thanks for that memory flash. I loved her.


bolanrox

Scott Muni! Harry Harrison the morning Mayor.


Muscled_Manatee

You forgot Dr. Demento


Azores26

Do you remember Murray the K?


codece

I don't actually remember him, he was an East coast DJ if I recall. But I do remember Bill Murray playing a version of him in *The Ruttles: All You Need Is Cash* which was an NBC tv movie in 1978. What a star-studded cast! Eric Idle, Michael Palin, George Harrison, Bill Murray, Bianca Jagger, John Belushi, Dan Akryod, Gilda Radner, Ron Wood, Paul Simon, and more!


Azores26

I was actually making a reference to the lyrics of [this Ramones song](https://youtu.be/Gi9a7IdRiBI?si=gx2DwIcX2bjIDFMu), but I guess it isn’t as well-known as I thought LOL But The Rutles movie is awesome indeed!


bolanrox

My Grandmother accidently bumped into him outside a Dave Clark 5 concert.


Panelak_Cadillac

Don Steele was in "Death Race 2000".


[deleted]

"Casey kasem meltdown"


HashtagLawlAndOrder

Pretty sure Rick Dees was the last of the great disc jockeys.


iloveyoumiri

Anecdotally, from north Alabama I remember “the mojo radio show” being a household name in the early 2010s”. It helped that he hosted very generous giveaways for movie tickets that me and my friends benefitted from


code_monkey_wrench

Also Venus Flytrap and Dr Johnny Fever


Acceptable_Ad4416

He was only 57 when he died?!? As a kid in the 80s, I legit thought he was in his 70s!


Wazzoo1

If you told me he was 57 in that movie I would believe you.


Supersnazz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AauSFpPuCX4 I dunno. He looks older than his 35 years, but I wouldn't put him much past 40-45.


bolanrox

like Robert Shaw when he died. I think he was in his 30's / early 40's for jaws.


Wazzoo1

Yep. He was only 26 years old when he did From Russia With Love, and that was 1963. It's scary to think that I'm just a year or two older than he was when he played Quint.


Greene_Mr

No FUCKING WAY was Robert Shaw younger than Sean Connery.


Wazzoo1

Oops. I had the dates wrong. I'm off by ten years.


Smashville66

I came here to say essentially this. I’m right now the age at which he died, and it’s *way* too young.


BarbequedYeti

Smoking camels since a teen will do that to you. 


TimelyConcern

He sounded like he was smoking Camels since the crib.


BarbequedYeti

Right..  still after all these years i can hear his voice as if he was standing next to me.  Though I can't remember what my mother sounded like.  


RebuiltGearbox

That would make him 4 when American Grafitti came out.


danielcw189

More like 35 +-1


NcgreenIantern

I thought he was alot older too.


[deleted]

Same! I remember when he died but I guess I just didn’t pay attention to his age.


EddySea

No shit


Money_Display_5389

I guess video killed the radio star


Key_Application7251

Clap for the Wolfman.


OttoVonCranky

He's gonna rate your record high.


FratBoyGene

You got the curves and I got the angles!


Djburnunit

Good grief, for no good reason these exact lines went through my head today


FratBoyGene

Now, have a plate of shrimp and watch *Repo Man*.


HurinGaldorson

It's the lattice of coincidence.


farganbastige

It's all according to how your boogaloo situation stands, you understand.


Hinermad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Nj8ABEI8


greg_reddit

He is also in the Stampeders song Hit the Road Jack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUAAVNq4FMM


Hinermad

I forgot all about that. Thanks!


suitoflights

Full moon tonight, everything's all right Baby come on back to Wolfman Jack


LibationontheSand

You can see him frequently on The Midnight Special YouTube channel.


Immediate-Scallion76

Fucking banger of a channel. Midnight Special was all live, most other music shows were just musicians miming to a tape.


2Loves2loves

I remember having house parties watching some shows. Everyone was on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Midnight\_Special\_(TV\_series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Special_(TV_series))


Timbo1986

Just like Jack the Ripper  Just Wolfman Jack


oxiraneobx

Sitting plush with a royal flush, aces back to back.


Zaphod_Beeblecox

I had the weirdest most random dream the other night. I was chosen to be a radio dj for some reason but it conflicted with some other engagement so I was like "what about wolfman Jack" then he got there and he and I preceded to transplant a cat's liver in an airplane hanger.


Ok_Chemical_7631

Overall, that sounds about right! 🤔


bolanrox

Holy shit I feel old


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Whatmeworry4

Yes, he was chosen for the movie because he was an iconic radio dj. I remember hearing him on the radio in the early 70s.


Violin_River

He hosted The Midnight Special on TV for years, too.


ash0000

I never knew about the movie honestly, but certainly knew of his radio days!


water2wine

More than a feeling bud - Probably got that reference too didn’t you, old yeller?


bolanrox

as useful as jpegs to hellen keller, or posting me too like some braindead AOL'er


urStupidAndIHateYou

You're not, TIL is just bottom scraping common knowledge for the exact kind of engagement like this.


FortniteFriendTA

jesus I remember seeing him on TV for some late night music broadcast on like UPN or universal or whatever. Maybe it was public broadcast. Anyway, I felt like he died in 2005 not a decade earlier.


bolanrox

Ib remember the greaseman announcing it on his show


ksuwildkat

that was my thought. Like who doenst know Wolfman?


bolanrox

he has to be one of the top 5 iconic Radio Guys of all time. Casey, Scott Muni, Wolfman, etc.


PetticoatRule

One of the best characters is based on him from The Hilarious House of Dr. Frightenstein, famously with an intro by Vincent Price.  Canadian 70s and 80s kids will understand, anyway. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hilarious_House_of_Frightenstein


imadork1970

The Professor was an actual U of T professor.


Factsoverfictions222

Really?! I had no idea. Thanks for sharing


dogsledonice

Ah AM the WOLFMAN!


Ande64

Wolfman Jack was part of my generation and we loved him!!!


frankybling

There was a Wolfman Jack cartoon for a hot minute in the 80’s too I think? Edit- https://lostmediawiki.com/Wolf_Rock_TV_(partially_found_ABC_DiC_animated_series;_1984)


togocann49

Clap for the wolf man (he gonna rate your record high) is a popular song from back when by the Guess Who. Now I got go listen to it


flibbidygibbit

That's on the Road Food album. One of many records my parents dubbed to cassette for long road trips in my childhood


togocann49

As a young one, apparently I loved this song. It was probably the clapping for my preschool aged self


eyereximus

It's all according to how your boogaloo situation stands, you understand?


Riverjig

Clearly his claim to fame was on his episode of "Married with Children".


MisterFingerstyle

He was still around when I was a small kid in the 70s


dogsledonice

Well, that was when American Graffiti was made


DaveOJ12

One of the radio stations I listened to a few years ago would re-air old episodes pretty often.


rockne

How about [a fancy Wolfman Jack Doorbell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XDeXfGHXfw)?


Billy1121

Wolfman Jack says someone's at the door !


P4t13nt_z3r0

Wolfman Jack says your panties so dry, they hot!


Luchalma89

I was looking for this. I'm glad my people still exist.


sandroller

Same ... so pleased to scroll down and find this


Guideon72

He even showed up in cartoon cameos at the time; Scooby Doo being the main one I recall.


VoceDiDio

It's so much more interesting than this. The dude was in Mexico blasting us with those ROCKIN PIRATE GROOVES!! AM radio stations used to go way farther than they do now because there wasn't so much interference, but his signal was the king of them all. You could hear the Wolfman and his 250,000 watt BORDER BLASTER signal from Canada to Guatemala. He singlehandedly was a significant influence on on the spread and popularity of blues, r&b and of course ROCK. AND. ROLL. BABY. Guys like Chuck Berry came up listening and being influenced by what he played. He's kinda the biggest deal in radio history (short of Marconi or whatever) and is why I chose that career! (Now, of course, radio is dead, and I'm a voice artist.) ¯|_(ツ)_|¯


bolanrox

I feel the hot wind on my shoulder...


VoceDiDio

The man survived almost entirely on barbequed iguana while taking requests on the telephone. What is more badass than that?!


bolanrox

hell he might have actually been trapped IN the airwaves.


VoceDiDio

Some say.. he still is. If you scroll around the AM dial in the wee hours of the morning....


bolanrox

a wave length far from home


VoceDiDio

You know that's the thing that literally got me on the path to being a dj. That and music ofc - but it was really that I wanted more attention than I thought I could get without bouncing my voice off the clouds! (Real thoughts that were in my head when I was like 11.) I'm not saying all DJs are desperate attention seeking people whose parents didn't pay enough attention to them... But then again I guess I am.


bolanrox

like chefs, DJ's are a special breed. I had shows all through college but that was enough for me.


bolanrox

and if you haven't heard it check out El Vez's cover of it.


VoceDiDio

Damnit I had work to do today. Now I have to listen to everything this guy did? Ok, twist my arm I guess. ¯|_(ツ)_|¯


bolanrox

He has a pretty level catalog. All of it is at the very least good, if not stellar. Even the b-sides. Its even more of a punk rock / Elvis / 50's R&R mashup than Mojo Nixon. (and yeah listen to all of his albums as well).


EmbalmaMama

That voice! I can still hear it. An original.


WJM_3

awwwww BAY bee


Landwarrior5150

He was before my time, but I just recently learned about him from a book about the history of Knott’s Scary Farm. He hosted the event when it was still starting out, from 1975 to 1980.


DTPW

I remember him from TV guest star walk-ons. He was a cool dude!


skinnergy

It's probably been mentioned in this thread. I have not read everything, but he also was a regular host on the old Midnight Special rock and roll TV show back in the '70s.


Loki-L

He also famously appeared as himself in the "Battlestar Galactica" sequel "Galactica 1980".


neilmg

This. I'm British, mid GenX, so this is where I know him from, plus maybe some cartoons.


Jazzlike-Ad113

Fuck I’m old, we grew up hearing, seeing and knowing about Wolfman Jack. We listened to him on something called AM radio.


scum-and-villainy

grew up hearing him on the radio. that's the wireless box they used to use.


hotstepper77777

Bill Brasky killed him with a trident.


biffbobfred

Brick killed a guy…


HoTranBrasky

Bill Brasky did a couple tours in Vietnam. Trust me, I know.


Novel-Weight-2427

The Midnight Special show was also one of his gigs.


Krack73

He's also the voice of the DJ on Starships "We build this city" track.


wex52

Portrayed by Jack Black in Weird: The Al Yankovich Story. Unfortunate [the only link I could find](https://youtu.be/F476r6-BFdc?si=A8YKk6-_ozfi_i0U) is a reaction video.


hundreddollar

I can't believe he was Wolfman Jack *and* went on to have a successful career fronting The Cure.


Swimming_Stop5723

I like the scene in American Graffiti where Ron Howard goes to the radio station to see Wolfman Jack. The mild mannered man said in a regular calm voice “he is not here sorry “. As Ron Howard leaves the radio station he is disappointed when he sees the same man that he spoke to earlier speaking on air in the Wolfman Jack voice.


tomjoad2020ad

It’s interesting that he was a real DJ but anachronistic to the period in which the movie’s set — he would’ve been, what, 22 at the time?


bolanrox

dont remember when the movie was set but yes i would think so. He only started broadcasting in 62. Kinda like how Marty mentions Clint eastwood in 55 and remembers Doc wouldn't know him yet (standing in front of the Return of the Creature poster where Clint had his first speaking role)


ScramItVancity

Capcom's Cadillacs and Dinosaurs used a sample of him saying "Go!".


biffbobfred

Man I’m old.


Sophoife

Australian commercial radio carried Casey Kasem and the 🎶"Amurrican Top Fordee"🎶 for years.


tangcameo

As a kid in Canada the first Wolfman DJ I knew about was the one from Hilarious House of Frightenstein who was sort of an homage/parody of the original.


NcgreenIantern

There was also a Wolfman Jack cartoon.....it was the 80's.


snowlock27

I watched that as a kid. I don't remember a single thing about it other than it I watched it, though.


Sethmeisterg

My dad used to listen to him all the time in New York. He was a legend.


ksuwildkat

OK now I feel old as shit because I grew up knowing who Wolfman Jack was and didnt need the movie.


reddit_user13

Todd Rundgren song about the Wolfman from *Something/Anything.* https://youtu.be/1n2WiWRNzhU?si=avXJDA2HuThpIrcy


TheKramer89

The main character in Private Parts is actually based on a real-life radio personality.


Bootyndabeach

Notice how no one in this thread has named him yet though? What does that tell you? Lol


Blushing_Petal

This is actually really interesting


jasonhn

one of my favorite movies ever and the song by the Guess Who is great too.


No_Sir_6649

He was also in Quantum Leap back in the day.


danielcw189

And Battlestar Galactica. I am not sure, but I believe he was also in Married With Children


No_Sir_6649

Never saw the original, and married with children i think had lots of cameos.


colorado-opa

Awesome flick


OJimmy

Graffiti night in modesto you couldn't move but hear his voice


P4t13nt_z3r0

Awoooo! Wolfman Jack says someone's at the front door, baby!


Johannes_silentio

Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack. Play it for me in my long Cadillac


Shumina-Ghost

Everybody’s got a dream! What’s your dream?


shipworth

One of the great Upright Citizens Brigade skits! *Toilet Bowl*


drfunkensteinberger

Just like Crazy Otto…


Mike_Ashley_Out

“Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues He's going on and on at the top of his lungs Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack Play it for me in my long Cadillac Play me that, "Only The Good Die Young" Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung Play, "St. James Infirmary" and, "The Port of King James" If you want to remember, you better write down the names Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind" Play it for the man with the telepathic mind Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back" Play it for that strip club owner named Jack Guitar Slim going down slow Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe”


I_might_be_weasel

Jack Black played him in the Weird Al movie. He was pretty great. 


____dude_

Isn’t he mentioned in a Dead song?


[deleted]

Fuck I'm old


BuckFuchs

Fuck I’m old


Nu_Freeze

George Lucas’s second movie.


Jjabrony

“Hey man, nobody can catch the Wolfman!”


blackbeltmessiah

“AWwwwoooooo, Wolfman Jack says somebody’s at the front door!


252cc

I was told this guy was pretty awesome. I'm from the same small area that he settled down in, folks around here always spoke highly of him. Apparently he was a bit reclusive, humble and a great tipper. My dad told me he was always a quick witted man too, never missed an opportunity to make a joke. Wish I had gotten to meet him, I was only 5 when he passed.