A VOICE FROM THE WASTELAND

 
On Tuesday, July 30, 1996, I received the following anonymous email, which had its headers deliberately forged, although the IP revealed it to come from an ISP in Metairie, LA:

From User_Name@mailhost.accesscom.net
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 96 17:53:37 0000
From: First Last <User_Name@mailhost.accesscom.net>
To: gumbo@e55.webcom.com
Subject: (no subject)

Does an after midnite show on a non commercial (code word not picky 
about talent) radio station...  And creatively dubs his web page 
"Gumbo"....  Has virtually no mass media experience or meaningful 
education...  and yet has pronounced all commercial radio in New Orleans 
a "vast wasteland"...  My radio show takes in about 4 million dollars a 
year and has over a million listeners.  I would be interested in seeing 
the stats on your overnight journey into radio ecstasy.

God knows what you will find on the web.

Rex Tremendae

PS....  Fuck you  you fuckin fuck !
Pardon the language. It's a direct quote, from a supposed "respectable" broadcaster. Wonder if he uses that kind of language on the air. I hope so ... then the FCC could rid us of him quickly.

Well, this gobshite didn't bother to provide a valid email address so I could respond to him, so ... we'll just have to respond to him right here! Let's take this one line at a time, shall we?

First off ... why is he so threatened by lil' ol' me?

  > From User_Name@mailhost.accesscom.net
  > Date: Tue, 30 Jul 96 17:53:37 0000
  > From: First Last <User_Name@mailhost.accesscom.net>
  > To: gumbo@e55.webcom.com
  > Subject: (no subject)

Here, in the message header, he demonstrates the courage of his convictions by anonymizing his mail. How you see it is how I saw it.

  > Does an after midnite show

At the time of this writing, it was Sundays, 10pm to midnight, before that -- Sunday/Monday, midnight to 3am; before that Saturday and Sunday nights, 8pm to 10pm; before that Saturdays 5-7pm; before that Sundays, noon to 3pm; before that Sundays 11am to 2pm; before that Saturdays 1-2pm; before that Saturday nights 8-9:30pm; before that Saturday nights 8-9pm.

My former General Manager used to move things around a lot. Currently I'm on Saturdays from 2:00 until 5:00pm.

  > on a non commercial (code word not picky about talent) radio
  > station...

The station to which he was referring, KCRW, is National Public Radio's flagship station, winner of multiple awards for its programming; it is widely respected as being on the cutting edge of contemporary music, and is the only public radio station in North America to consistently pull in over $1 million during each of its semi-annual pledge drives.

  > And creatively dubs his web page "Gumbo"....

Yes, has a rather nice ring to it, don't you think?

  > Has virtually no mass media experience

Eleven years in public radio (radio that matters). Several CD compilations and liner notes as well. It's been fun!

  > or meaningful education...

Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Cum Laude, Loyola University, New Orleans, 1982.

Master of Arts, Communication Arts, Magna Cum Laude, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, 1987.

Aah, but I guess none of that was in any way meaningful. Waste o'time, really. Might as well have been digging postholes!

  > and yet has pronounced all commercial radio in New Orleans a "vast
  > wasteland"...

Yes ... I've listened to commercial radio, home and elsewhere. Ewwwww. Lotsa bad music, obnoxious DJs, and those awful commercials ...Just my opinion, though.

  > My radio show takes in about 4 million dollars a year

Cue Randy Newman's "It's Money That Matters" ... yeah, so? What's your point?

And me, well ... I don't care too much for money, 'cause money can't buy me love. (Apologies to Lennon and McCartney).

I do this show because I love music, and because I love turning people on to great music that they probably didn't know about before. I don't make any money off this show, but my soul is immeasurably enriched. Your soul, from the tone of this letter, seems ... well, missing.

  > and has over a million listeners.

De gustibus non disputandum est. (Latin. "There is no disputing taste.")

There's also a logical fallacy at work here, argumentum ad populum, the false assertion that because a million people say it, it must be right. His show is intrinsically "better" because it has X number of listeners, and mine has a lesser number? Wrong. Who cares, anyway?

  > I would be interested in seeing the stats on your overnight journey
  > into radio ecstasy.

Lots of happy listeners, from the calls and letters I get.

I don't count 'em (although the powers that be at the station do, and they've been happy enough with the yearly pledge totals to keep me on board for going on a decade now). I don't care about millions. I care about the one or two who get turned on to great music that in some little way changes their lives, makes them happier, turns them on to a new favorite band, gives them a fun break from their day, prompts them to take a trip to Ireland or New Orleans for Jazzfest or wherever.

But there have been lots more than one or two ... thousands, in fact. That's more than fine with me. :^)

  > God knows what you will find on the web.

Lotsa really cool stuff ... like The Gumbo Pages!. Folks and various media and internet types seem to like my site, to boot! What kind of meaningful content do you have on your web site, pal? Oh, wait. You don't have one.

But you'll find lots of jerks too, as the rest of y'all can see.

  > Rex Tremendae

A pseudonym, it seems (and a monstrously egotistical one at that) ... once again I stand awestruck at the courage of the writer's convictions.

  > PS.... Fuck you you fuckin fuck !

Wow, professional, isn't he? And mature, too! Not to mention touchy, and overly defensive. Methinks he doth protest too much.

Y'all ... when in New Orleans, listen to WWOZ (the greatest radio station in New Orleans), WTUL and WWNO. Trust me. :^)

And believe me, this man has nothing to offer you.

Love,

Chuck

ADDENDUM

On Friday, June 13, 1997, I received the following email ... about 100 times:

From friday@13.day 
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 97 12:14 CDT
From: friday@13.day
To: Chuck Taggart
Subject: Loser

Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
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OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Now you can make a page about this too.
OK, I am going to mail you more than just
one letter because I want too.
Anonymous, again. Mailbombed over 100 times. Forged header. And traced to an ISP in Metairie, LA.

Why is he so threatened by me? Why is that, particularly if he's as "tremendous" as he says he is? Perhaps it's really because he's a hideously insecure, talentless boob, with the maturity of a 10-year-old, who also apparently can't tell the difference between the words "to" and "too".

The "loser" in the subject line no doubt refers to himself. Some people really need to get a life.

 
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Chuck Taggart   (e-mail chuck)