Back to the Blog! And Very Very Important Subjects!

Howdy, Radicals!  It’s been a long time since I posted here.  I took the end of my show pretty hard and every time I thought about posting here again it just made me sad.  Thank you so much for all the emails and comments expressing your love for the show and missing it.  I miss it, too.

Many people have asked if I am returning to the air anytime soon.  Probably not.

Here’s the deal: Not only was I the host of the show, but I also had to produce it, engineer it, record it, write it, sell it, promote it… basically aside from Stevie doing a fantastic job with answering phones and running the live engineering, everything about The Russ Belville Show was done by me.  I won the talk radio contest and they put me on XM with no budget, no staff, no advertising, and no promotions.  In fact, they were going to dump me six months into the deal when I rose a stink about being promised “a year-long contract” for winning the contest.  As it turned out, being on for twenty months was 14 months longer than they expected and 8 months longer than I expected.  Every show I put on the air actually ended up costing me $67 by the time you work through all the income vs. expenses.

(You want an idea why progressive talk radio is in the shitter?  Do you think it is the talent of the hosts, or… y’all discuss it; any speculation from me would be seen as ’sour grapes’.)

Now, if someone from a progressive talk radio network called up and said, “Hey, we found your old shows and thought you’d be a hit.  We’ve got a studio for you, a producer, and an engineer.  We’ll begin a big ad campaign and we can start you on five of our network’s stations right off the bat.  Interested?”, I’d be in the air faster than freeway chase in LA.  But doing it all myself?  No, never again.

So, what after three months has inspired me to return to the Radical Writ?  Is it Obama backing away from nearly every campaign pledge?  Is it the not closing Gitmo, not prosecuting torture, bringing in the insurance industry to ruin health care talks, giving money hand over fist to Wall Street thieves, snickering at the marijuana legalization question, not ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and tacitly endorsing every right-wing fraidy-cat terrists-gonna-kill-us FOX talking point?

Yeah, sure.  But first, I want to talk about something REALLY important: the embarrassment that was the selection of Kris Allen as the next American Idol.

Michael Glitz writes at HuffPo:

But for a theory about how Kris pulled an upset over the wildly popular Adam Lambert, the Christian vote is a pretty good one. It’s certainly one factor. (So is talent, Tiger Beat ready looks and viewers who get tired of being told someone is a lock when they haven’t even voted yet.) In fact, look at seasons past and where there’s a clear Christian vs secular showdown, the Christians have been winning handily. Take that, Charles Darwin! Sometimes the survival of the fittest goes to the person with the best telephone prayer chain. Check it out. (And please keep in mind I’m not talking about their personal faith, just our perception of it from what we told on the show at the time they were competing. Someone I describe as worldly might be exceptionally devout while the contestant prominently sporting a cross might be at the juke joint on Saturday and never even make it to church on Sunday.)

Season One featured wholesome Kelly Clarkson vs the worldly, media savvy Justin Guarini. Clarkson won big time and set the standard for Idols to come.

Season Two: Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard both held forth on their faith. Ruben had an edge perhaps from the tight-knit black churches that came out strong for him. But this was a Christian vs Christian finale so you can’t draw any conclusions from this one.

He continues on through the current season, pointing out how the contestant with the most “God cred” wins the Finals.  (However, for Season 2, while both Ruben and Clay had the God card, don’t forget that Clay was “teh gay” for those Christian viewers.)

But I think the true theory is the Southern AT&T Text Messaging theory, only with the Christian vote acting as tiebreaker. In Idol voting, you’re allowed to call or text in ten votes per line. However, calls get you busy signals and you have to keep redialing to get just two votes, much less ten.

Text messaging, though, gets no busy signal and you can send in ten of them in the time it would take to get through one Idol phone call. Now, understand that anyone can call, but only AT&T subscribers can text, and AT&T’s subscriber base is largest in the South.

So when watching Idol Season 9, ask yourself, “Who would a 13-year-old girl in Mobile vote for?”

Evidence?

Allen (Arkansas) vs. Lambert (California)
7) Cook (Missouri) vs. Archuleta (Utah)
6) Sparks (Arizona) vs. Lewis (Washington) (Religion wins tiebreaker)
5) Hicks (Alabama) vs. McPhee (California)
4) Underwood (Oklahoma) vs. Bice (Alabama) (Religion breaks tie)
3) Fantasia (North Carolina) vs. DeGarmo (Georgia) (Religion breaks tie)
2) Studdard (Alabama) vs. Aiken (North Carolina) (”Not gay” breaks tie)
1) Clarkson (Texas) vs. Guarini (Pennsylvania)

What are the chances you’d get three finalists from Alabama and only two from California? Or that ten of sixteen finalists would be from former Confederate States and zero from the Northeast?

The Russ Belville Show is CANCELED

It saddens me to report that I have just received a call from the VP of Original Talk for the newly-merged XM/Sirius Satellite Radio to inform me that, effective immediately, The Russ Belville Show will no longer air on satellite radio. This will also mean no more replays on AM 620 KPOJ as well.

It has been a fantastic experience, from entering the local KPOJ contest and winning to visiting Washington DC for the first time to win the national contest. I’ve met Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Bill Press, and other behind-the-scenes radio professionals, all of whom have been extremely generous in helping me to become a talk radio host. I’ll never forget it.

In a way, this is a blessing. As many of you know, I am the Associate Director of Oregon NORML , a non-profit dedicated to ending adult marijuana prohibition. Since April 21, 2007 (debut of the show), I have been unable to participate in our twice-monthly Saturday meetings where we help desperate medical marijuana patients acquire medicine and plants. Those meetings were a big spiritual part of my life – cannabis church, if you will – and it lifted my soul to help sick, disabled, and sense-threatened Oregonians find free alternative health care and learn about political activism. Now I will be able to return to those meetings just in time to help patients fight discriminatory legislation currently in the Oregon statehouse .

Also, time demands on my life have been stretched to the breaking point. I continue my work as the blogmaster/podcaster for NORML (http://stash.norml.org ), producing a 45-minute news/music/interview show that is downloaded by tens of thousands of listeners per day. My reporting is read by 5,000 per day, with traffic doubling week after week. I anticipate this job to continue to grow, and I was already trying to figure out how to balance the podcast, the blogging, my marriage, and a radio show. That decision has now been made for me.

To my current engineer, Stevie: We’ve been sacked!, but cheers, mate, all is tickety-boo, despite Sod’s Law biting us in the knickers the past couple fortnights. You’ve truly been the dog’s bollocks and I was a jammy bastard to get a chum like you engineering the sounds coming our of this Yank’s cake hole.

To my first producer, Woody: thanks for believing in my talent and teaching me the Prime Directive of Talk Radio (”Be Good. Don’t Suck.”)

To my first engineer, Peter: thanks for throwing the Bill Press substitute gigs my way and riding herd over a newbie talker.

To my mentor, Thom: thanks to you and Louise for all the advice – you’re still the top talker in my book and the smartest man it has been my pleasure to dine with.

To all my listeners: Thank you for your calls and emails and appreciation. I have actually noted every single call I have received on the air, by name and location, and I will post the Google Earth map of it soon. It’s amazing to think of all the people across this continent whom I have spoken to in 21 months! And now Dave in Chicago has to call someone else on Saturday mornings.

To my current engineer, Stevie, again: I apologise again for the end of the radio show. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked. The rest of this email has been completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute.

On to the next adventure…

“Radical” Russ Belville
Host – NORML Daily Audio Stash
Associate Director – Oregon NORML

Special assistance from “Ralph” the Wonder Llama.

January 24th – Not wanting to be a Best of…

Hey, Radicals, if you’re listening now and thinking, “Bummer, it’s a repeat,” then join the club.  I was ready to go on air when a critical piece of communications equipment over in Stevie’s studio in Washington DC gave us an “error”.

Stevie’s on the job trying to fix the botch and take the spanner out of the works, and hopefully we’ll be on live later in the show.

I deeply apologize, listeners, and really wish I was talking to you for my first show of the Obama Administration… you’re going to love my take on John Roberts administering the oath… –”R”R

“Radical” Russ at Artists for Obama Rally

Road Trip to the Democratic Convention

My odyssey began last weekend with my six-hour road trip from Portland to Seattle for the Hempfest. (Yes, I know, it’s only a three-hour drive, but you’ve not driven I-5 on a sweltering Friday with traffic backed up for a brushfire in the median about thirty miles into the trip.) I spoke on three stages and moderated a media panel before thousands. It’s always amazing to speak to crowds that big. I even got to lug my bass onstage for the Sunday opening set on the main stage.

Then back from Seattle to Portland (three hours, as we drove at night) for a day’s worth of consulting work that fell into my lap at the most opportune time to provide the last infusion of cash that settled the “convention road trip” vs. “next month’s rent” argument. It’s funny how things can work out sometimes.

Next day, back on the road, Boise to Denver (12 hours). Coolest site: Bigelow Canyon Wind Farm. There is a point where you’re climbing up the hillside and the tips of the blades of one of the windmills are slicing through the rising ribbon of freeway. That’s the future, baby.

Here I have friends originally from the Twin Falls, Idaho area who live in Lakewood. They are huge Green Bay Packers fans, much like me. In ‘97, they lived in Vegas and I visited to see the Pack lose a Super Bowl to Denver (I ended up on the local evening news). In ‘00, they lived in Phoenix and we caught a Cardinals/Packers pre-season game (GB 29, AZ 3).

So I arrived here Friday to tailgate with these friends and some real ‘Sconnies. We drank a few Leinie’s, roasted beer brats on the grill, served ‘em on hoagies with potatoes, and played lawn bolo. We posed for pictures (I am one of “those” kind of fans) and trudged up to Mile-And-A-Half-High seats in the stadium to enjoy the Pack beat the home Broncos 27-24. Go Pack Go!

Today has been chock full of activities with my Twin Falls friends. I performed my XM satellite radio show remotely from my friend’s home office. It is remarkable that we have technology for satellite radio broadcasting that fits in a large laptop case. Not my best show – way too tired and not able to follow news while driving through Idaho-Utah-Wyoming-Colorado – and halfway through it I got a hateful email calling me a pussy. Great way to top off an afternoon.

Queen B, the female Twin Falls friend (yes, my entire world is full of people with nicknames) took us to her warehouse; she sells recycled rack and forklifts and steel and stuff, going a mile a minute with a cigarette in one hand and a Bluetooth in her ear. She’s not a Type A personality, she’s a Type A+.

Spud (B’s husband) took us up to Black Hawk for a gambling junket, which I refused to attend, because I’m poor and good at math. He then reminded me that he’s rich and hasn’t seen me in eight years. I did my duty and gleefully lost his money alongside him at the card tables until they closed the casino. I’d never been to a casino that closed before. Even the casinos we visited in podunk Jackpot, Nevada, with our Twin Falls friends stayed open all night, much to our wallet’s chagrin.

I take it back. B & Spud aren’t rich. They’re doing well, but they worked hard for it and moved all over the country to get it and probably pay more taxes than they could get away with not paying. They are where so many more hard-working Americans should be.

I’m already three days worn out and the convention hasn’t even started yet!

Guest Hosting on Cannabis Common Sense

YouTube – Cannabis Common Sense 456

My OCTA Encounter with Mr. Toothy

As my local fans know, I am very involved in the signature drive for OCTA – The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act.  We’re proposing to the State of Oregon to tax and regulate the production and sales of cannabis to adults 21 and over through state liquor dispensaries.  It’s been all over our local news and I got quoted extensively in the local weekly, Willamette Week.

I went out to Saturday Market on my way to an errand, just to spend 90 minutes gathering signatures.  I only got 27.  I had my notebook with the big OCTA logo held out for all to see, plus my seven-second “Tax Marijuana to fund the State – sign my petition” announcement to any who I approached.  Most people either eagerly signed, weren’t from Oregon, or politely refused.  I had only one aggressively-opposed person, and it was a guy I didn’t even approach.

I’m sitting on the MAX, with my OCTA logo visible (and my Oregon NORML hat), minding my own biz (I won’t solicit on the train, I think it’s rude and I think it may be against their rules), when this older dude with severely f’ed-up teeth approached me, saying something.  I couldn’t make it out, because I was transfixed on the massive overbite of his bottom jaw and its eight millimeter gap.  Seriously, this guy had gargoyle teeth.  Oh, and a huge distended alcoholic seven-days-from-cirrhosis-death belly, disheveled white hair, and dirty clothes.

“We don’t need to have marijuana killing more people in Oregon!”  I finally deciphered he was saying.

Now, before I can go into full-blown encyclopedic “Radical” Russ mode, a handsome young twenty-something dude sitting across from me say, “Man, marijuana’s never killed anyone in history!”

I asked the toothy one, “Do you really believe marijuana is killing people?”
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Our new phone number – 888 7 RADICAL

Our new toll-free number is in effect.  To call the show, dial 888 7 RADICAL (that’s 888-772-3422).

Barack Obama draws 75,000 to Portland, Oregon Waterfront

Today the next president of the United States, Senator Barack Obama, spoke at the bowl at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon. The steep amphitheater of grass is on the banks of the Willamette River right off of downtown Portland.

And it was completely packed with people. Obama mentions 30,000; I think it may be more. (Confirmed count is now 75,000.)

My wife and I began the day listening to the rebroadcast of my radio show from yesterday (Portland does not play me live) and then at 10:00am, walking four blocks to the MAX station to take the train into downtown.

We got off at the SW 1st and Oak stop and walked to Waterfront Park.

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After the long walk, guided somewhat by helpful volunteers, we reached the end of the line at the bus stop at SW 5th and SW Salmon. There stood a young girl in a pink dress.

More and more people continued falling in line behind us. But then a couple came up and hugged the young girl and stayed there in line. Ah, must be parents, I thought.

Then another couple of people came up, friends, it appeared. They stayed and talked with the young girl in pink, too. My wife noticed this growing rudeness of cutting in line, but I told her to chill, it really wasn’t going to keep us out of the event.

Then a couple of young guys came walking by. Girl in pink calls out to them, they come over and stand in front of us, too. Now I’m paying attention. Girl in pink is calling on her cell phone telling somebody that she’s in the line near 5th and Salmon and come on down.

Next, three young women come up and join the expanding bulge in this line and that was when I lost it. “Is there some sort of limit on how many people you’re going to have cutting in this line,” I said loudly, more to the rest of the line than to them. “I got in this line about an hour ago and this girl in the pink dress was in front of me, now there are nine more people in front of me!”

(More ranting and raving, plus video of Obama speaking, follows in There’s Moreville below…)
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I’ve Been Cheneyed!

As you may know, today is the first day of the self-produced Russ Belville Show.  So, of course, I have the worst technical difficulties all happen on one show today.

Thanks to you listeners who stick through it all.  I had one of you write in with some very nice things to say about the show, but lots of complaints about the technical difficulties.  Believe me, I hear you, and I’m working hard to fix it.  If you’re interested in the techie details, click below…

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