Hey Dialophiles…
It is with great sadness that I must comment on the passing of a true radio legend, Mr. Casey Kasem. As has been widely reported, Casey passed away the morning of June 15, 2014 at the age of 82.
My wife informed me of the sad news that morning, just as Casey was introducing Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I be Loved” as the number one song in the nation on a repeat of a 1975 American Top 40 broadcast. I instantly felt that an important part of my childhood was gone, which needed to be addressed on the Radio Dial.
As you all know, I became fascinated in learning the chart positions of hit songs at an early age (see my review of “Shine A Little Love” by Electric Light Orchestra for more), and Kasem’s AT40 show quickly became my source for the charts and great stories about the artists and songs. But my draw to the show was more than just the music and numbers. It was Kasem himself.
Whenever I heard Casey’s voice coming out of the radio, it seemed like he was an old family friend, dropping by to spin some tunes and regale me with his vast music knowledge. Even though I knew he was addressing a nationwide radio audience, his warm and enthusiastic delivery made me feel like he was speaking directly to me. This meant an awful lot to this introspective, quiet Maryland boy who couldn’t get enough of the music of the day, and any related trivia and tidbits. I’m sure Kasem’s tales of singers, songwriters, producers, and tours largely inspired my current fascination with trivia, especially for pop culture and music.
By the mid 80s, I was listening to Casey’s AT40 show every Saturday morning, using it to tape songs I wanted on my double cassette deck boombox, hoping that the radio signal wouldn’t get disrupted by static or C.B. interference during a particularly great song or story. He was a part of my routine… Saturday wasn’t official until I had heard at least some of Casey’s countdown.
I was also quite fond of Kasem’s work as a cartoon voice-over artist. Of course, he is universally known as the voice of “Shaggy” from Scooby-Doo, “Robin” from Superfriends, and many other primarily Hanna-Barbera characters, but he also handled three voices on my favorite ‘80s cartoon, The Transformers. My 8-year old son and I recently watched a classic episode in which Kasem’s Autobot character “Cliff Jumper”, commented on lining up a perfect shot on the evil Decepticon leader by saying…
“I’ve got Megatron dead center in my viewfinder!”
I told my son that I always expected him to follow that line up with…
“But first, it’s time for a long distance dedication from a lonely ‘bot back home on Cybertron.”
He laughed, because he got the reference, and agreed that would have been pretty awesome.
Speaking of the Radio Dial Kids, they both really enjoy listening to the rebroadcasts of the 1970’s AT40 shows, played on a local station on Sunday mornings. My son has loved ‘70s and ‘80s music for quite some time now, and when introduced to a song that’s new to him, he’ll run to get my Billboard Top 40 charts book to learn where it peaked. Now that Casey is part of my routine on a weekly basis again, my son will usually listen along with me with that very book nearby. Just like me, he loves hearing the backstories of the big hits, and also the songs that have been abandoned by radio since the countdown originally aired.
Even my 2 ½ yr old daughter knows Casey. Before I turn the radio on, I’ll ask her…
“Do you want to hear Casey Kasem?”
She’ll enthusiastically nod and say “YES!” with a big smile on her face! Then, bop her head to the beat of the next chart hit Casey introduces!
So, much love and respect to you, Mr. Kasem, for years of indisputable quality entertainment, all the great memories and of course, the music!
I will continue to enjoy and champion your work, and thank you for having such a positive effect on my formative years. And, if I may echo what you taught me (and all of us) at the end of every AT40 broadcast…
I’ll keep my feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
I’m sure all my loyal Dialophiles will do the same.
It is with great sadness that I must comment on the passing of a true radio legend, Mr. Casey Kasem. As has been widely reported, Casey passed away the morning of June 15, 2014 at the age of 82.
My wife informed me of the sad news that morning, just as Casey was introducing Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I be Loved” as the number one song in the nation on a repeat of a 1975 American Top 40 broadcast. I instantly felt that an important part of my childhood was gone, which needed to be addressed on the Radio Dial.
As you all know, I became fascinated in learning the chart positions of hit songs at an early age (see my review of “Shine A Little Love” by Electric Light Orchestra for more), and Kasem’s AT40 show quickly became my source for the charts and great stories about the artists and songs. But my draw to the show was more than just the music and numbers. It was Kasem himself.
Whenever I heard Casey’s voice coming out of the radio, it seemed like he was an old family friend, dropping by to spin some tunes and regale me with his vast music knowledge. Even though I knew he was addressing a nationwide radio audience, his warm and enthusiastic delivery made me feel like he was speaking directly to me. This meant an awful lot to this introspective, quiet Maryland boy who couldn’t get enough of the music of the day, and any related trivia and tidbits. I’m sure Kasem’s tales of singers, songwriters, producers, and tours largely inspired my current fascination with trivia, especially for pop culture and music.
By the mid 80s, I was listening to Casey’s AT40 show every Saturday morning, using it to tape songs I wanted on my double cassette deck boombox, hoping that the radio signal wouldn’t get disrupted by static or C.B. interference during a particularly great song or story. He was a part of my routine… Saturday wasn’t official until I had heard at least some of Casey’s countdown.
I was also quite fond of Kasem’s work as a cartoon voice-over artist. Of course, he is universally known as the voice of “Shaggy” from Scooby-Doo, “Robin” from Superfriends, and many other primarily Hanna-Barbera characters, but he also handled three voices on my favorite ‘80s cartoon, The Transformers. My 8-year old son and I recently watched a classic episode in which Kasem’s Autobot character “Cliff Jumper”, commented on lining up a perfect shot on the evil Decepticon leader by saying…
“I’ve got Megatron dead center in my viewfinder!”
I told my son that I always expected him to follow that line up with…
“But first, it’s time for a long distance dedication from a lonely ‘bot back home on Cybertron.”
He laughed, because he got the reference, and agreed that would have been pretty awesome.
Speaking of the Radio Dial Kids, they both really enjoy listening to the rebroadcasts of the 1970’s AT40 shows, played on a local station on Sunday mornings. My son has loved ‘70s and ‘80s music for quite some time now, and when introduced to a song that’s new to him, he’ll run to get my Billboard Top 40 charts book to learn where it peaked. Now that Casey is part of my routine on a weekly basis again, my son will usually listen along with me with that very book nearby. Just like me, he loves hearing the backstories of the big hits, and also the songs that have been abandoned by radio since the countdown originally aired.
Even my 2 ½ yr old daughter knows Casey. Before I turn the radio on, I’ll ask her…
“Do you want to hear Casey Kasem?”
She’ll enthusiastically nod and say “YES!” with a big smile on her face! Then, bop her head to the beat of the next chart hit Casey introduces!
So, much love and respect to you, Mr. Kasem, for years of indisputable quality entertainment, all the great memories and of course, the music!
I will continue to enjoy and champion your work, and thank you for having such a positive effect on my formative years. And, if I may echo what you taught me (and all of us) at the end of every AT40 broadcast…
I’ll keep my feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
I’m sure all my loyal Dialophiles will do the same.
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