Iconic Houston DJ Mark Stevens, R.I.P.

 

Mark Stevens, left, and Jim Pruett

 

He had the greatest laugh I ever heard. The kind of laugh that caused you to laugh even if something wasn’t funny. Mark Stevens, half of the greatest morning show team in radio history, died today from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 76.

I used work overnight at KTRH Radio in Houston, right down the hall from 101 KLOL, where he along with one of the best straight men ever, Jim Pruett, did their morning show.  I would see Stevens and a bevy of naked ladies that used to roam the hallways just about every day. He was sometimes pompous, but most of the time cordial and even complimentary.  He once told me he liked a story I did on Joe Walsh, who said, I’m guessing in a drunken stupor, that he was running for vice-president. I remember feeling good all weekend.

Stevens and Pruett, aka the Radio Gawds, along with the great Brian Shannon, Martha Martinez, my good friend Laurie Kendrick, the late Kevin Dorsey, Lanny Griffith and a host of others were as good as it gets on radio from the mid-80s to 2000. You never wanted to miss a show. Skits like Uncle Waldo and classic lines like “Have you ever keister saluted the fudge sergeant?” and “Hi, my name is Abdul Kissmedick” have had me laughing for years.

I’m not sure Stevens ever got the credit he deserved. However, reading some of the comments from former colleagues and listeners today, you could feel his impact. He was a huge talent and I personally don’t think we’ll ever hear anything like Stevens and Pruett again. Howard Stern may have started the shock genre, but when I listen to his past shows on Sirius/XM Radio, Stevens and Pruett blow him away. Rest in peace, Mark. You are now in the land where there are no corporations to ruin radio and and no program directors who selfishly break up the greatest team in radio history for their amusement. Keep laughing, brother, and say hi to Big Bruno.

Stevens and Pruett Facebook page

“Thanksgiving Uncle Waldo” by Stevens and Pruett

Review: “Y Not,” Ringo Starr

As he approaches his 70th birthday this summer, Ringo Starr emerges with a new album, his 15th studio set since the breakup of the Beatles.  More than Paul McCartney – and much like John Lennon and George Harrison, when they were alive – Ringo has embodied the heart of the Beatles’ mystique and 1960s message of peace and love.  Y Not, the new album, steps up with that charming message and shares Ringo’s ideas on how to hold on to those attributes in a world that seems to have long forgotten them.

“Peace Dream” is Ringo’s version of “Imagine,” and he even name-drops his old bandmate John as he dreams of a world that’s “a better place for you and me.”  “Who’s Your Daddy” is a laconic rocker powered by a sultry guest vocal from Joss Stone, while “Fill In The Blanks” allows Ringo to rock out with the song’s co-writer and his brother-in-law Joe Walsh.  And Paul McCartney sings backup on the affecting “Walk With You,” co-written by Ringo and Van Dyke Parks.

Of course Ringo would get a little help from his friends – but the A-list guest stars actually enhance the offhand charm that is Ringo’s trademark.  With its shrug of a title, Y Not is a warm invitation to open your heart to a simpler era, when Beatles walked the earth and all you needed was love.

MP3: “Who’s Your Daddy” by Ringo Starr (with Joss Stone)

Ringo Starr official website