Last Of The Mohicans... Err... Song Mirage Episodes
The final five official episodes of "The James Stricklin Song Mirage" from the Tape and Record Show Enterprises audio archives digitized and backed up this evening...
"James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 90. Broadcast Monday, February 10,1992 at 9:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin (as "The Bad Man"), Albert Sims. An episode recorded "live" at "The Dream Delicatessen". Songs include: Wait For You(Bohan), Stone Cold Crazy(Metallica), Jet City Woman(Queensryche), Lick It Up(KISS). Part One of Two.
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 91. Broadcast Monday, February 17,1992 at 9:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin (as "The Bad Man"), Albert Sims. An episode recorded "live" at "The Dream Delicatessen". Songs include: Edge of Seventeen(Stevie Nicks), If Loving You Is Right(Barbara Mandrell), Love and Understanding(Cher), What's Love Got To Do With It(Tina Turner). Part Two of Two.
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 92. Broadcast Monday, October 11,1999 at 8:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims. Songs include: Ray of Light(Madonna), Smoke On The Water(Deep Purple), New York Rap(Benny Hill).
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 93. Broadcast Monday, October 18,1999 at 8:30pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims. Songs include: Angel(Sarah McLachlan), Shout It Out Loud(KISS), Children's Fables(Redd Foxx), Separate Ways[World's Apart](Journey), Love Will Lead You Back(Taylor Dayne). [Final Broadcast Episode]
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 94. Previously Unreleased Episode Recorded on Monday, February 24, 1992. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims, and Paul Morrison. Songs include: Fever(The Neville Brothers), It's All These Things(The Neville Brothers), Drift Away(The Neville Brothers), Let The Good Times Roll(Dr. John)."
Episodes 90 and 91, the final two episodes from the abbreviated 1991-92 season is a two-parter taking recorded at the fictional "Dream Delicatessen". The restaurant "ambiance" was created in post editing, by dubbing in a looped recording of restaurant sounds from a sound effects LP in the TRSE archives. "Improvised" some microphone feedback during the music numbers, for "authenticity" sake. I rarely got James' alter-ego's name right in these episodes, calling him "The Bug Man", "The Soul Man", etc. instead of "The Bad Man". Apparently, I had something for actress Dinah Manoff at the time, because I kept bringing her name up. Thirty years later, certain remarks about the female singers in episode 91 wouldn't "fly" in todays "politically correct" environment (not really sure they would have even "flown" at the time). Luckily, the only actual "broadcasts" these shows had were being played at certain times in the house, not actually on radio anywhere!
Episode 92 was the first episode of the "Song Mirage" produced a couple years after my divorce, and had I decided to try bringing back Tape and Record Show Enterprises for new recordings. This time period was the shortest "comeback" the "company" had. I mentioned in the episode, if eight more shows were produced, the "Song Mirage" would reach its 100th episode. Couldn't "get the gang back together" after seven dormant years however (except James), so after a couple months or so, I finally said "F*ck it!", and abandoned the idea of a successful organization return. Guess you could say "RIP TRSE, 1979-1999".
Episode 93 was the last officially "broadcast" episode of the "Song Mirage", even though nothing was mentioned in the "broadcast" about being the final show, since it was a sudden decision to stop producing new material, much like network television show cancellations.
Episode 94 was edited to be a "broadcast", from a seven year old never before "aired" recording from 1992, with guest Paul Morrison(Paul was "unavailable" for the TRSE 1999 "revival recordings), yet, since there's no written record in the card files of a "broadcast date", it's considered an "unreleased episode". As a result, IF this episode had been "aired", IT would have been the final "Song Mirage" episode, not the previous episode... if that makes any sense to you. Slight off-topic interruption mid-episode from part of "A Prairie Home Companion" episode, since I was re-using tapes at the time, and didn't erase the tape previously used to record an actual radio show before recording the "broadcast" edited "Song Mirage" versions. In other words, the 1999 TRSE "revival" was a "mess" in more ways than one.
"James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 90. Broadcast Monday, February 10,1992 at 9:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin (as "The Bad Man"), Albert Sims. An episode recorded "live" at "The Dream Delicatessen". Songs include: Wait For You(Bohan), Stone Cold Crazy(Metallica), Jet City Woman(Queensryche), Lick It Up(KISS). Part One of Two.
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 91. Broadcast Monday, February 17,1992 at 9:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin (as "The Bad Man"), Albert Sims. An episode recorded "live" at "The Dream Delicatessen". Songs include: Edge of Seventeen(Stevie Nicks), If Loving You Is Right(Barbara Mandrell), Love and Understanding(Cher), What's Love Got To Do With It(Tina Turner). Part Two of Two.
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 92. Broadcast Monday, October 11,1999 at 8:00pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims. Songs include: Ray of Light(Madonna), Smoke On The Water(Deep Purple), New York Rap(Benny Hill).
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 93. Broadcast Monday, October 18,1999 at 8:30pm central. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims. Songs include: Angel(Sarah McLachlan), Shout It Out Loud(KISS), Children's Fables(Redd Foxx), Separate Ways[World's Apart](Journey), Love Will Lead You Back(Taylor Dayne). [Final Broadcast Episode]
James Stricklin Song Mirage: Episode 94. Previously Unreleased Episode Recorded on Monday, February 24, 1992. Theme Music: Turn Up The Radio(Autograph). Hosts: James Stricklin, Albert Sims, and Paul Morrison. Songs include: Fever(The Neville Brothers), It's All These Things(The Neville Brothers), Drift Away(The Neville Brothers), Let The Good Times Roll(Dr. John)."
Episodes 90 and 91, the final two episodes from the abbreviated 1991-92 season is a two-parter taking recorded at the fictional "Dream Delicatessen". The restaurant "ambiance" was created in post editing, by dubbing in a looped recording of restaurant sounds from a sound effects LP in the TRSE archives. "Improvised" some microphone feedback during the music numbers, for "authenticity" sake. I rarely got James' alter-ego's name right in these episodes, calling him "The Bug Man", "The Soul Man", etc. instead of "The Bad Man". Apparently, I had something for actress Dinah Manoff at the time, because I kept bringing her name up. Thirty years later, certain remarks about the female singers in episode 91 wouldn't "fly" in todays "politically correct" environment (not really sure they would have even "flown" at the time). Luckily, the only actual "broadcasts" these shows had were being played at certain times in the house, not actually on radio anywhere!
Episode 92 was the first episode of the "Song Mirage" produced a couple years after my divorce, and had I decided to try bringing back Tape and Record Show Enterprises for new recordings. This time period was the shortest "comeback" the "company" had. I mentioned in the episode, if eight more shows were produced, the "Song Mirage" would reach its 100th episode. Couldn't "get the gang back together" after seven dormant years however (except James), so after a couple months or so, I finally said "F*ck it!", and abandoned the idea of a successful organization return. Guess you could say "RIP TRSE, 1979-1999".
Episode 93 was the last officially "broadcast" episode of the "Song Mirage", even though nothing was mentioned in the "broadcast" about being the final show, since it was a sudden decision to stop producing new material, much like network television show cancellations.
Episode 94 was edited to be a "broadcast", from a seven year old never before "aired" recording from 1992, with guest Paul Morrison(Paul was "unavailable" for the TRSE 1999 "revival recordings), yet, since there's no written record in the card files of a "broadcast date", it's considered an "unreleased episode". As a result, IF this episode had been "aired", IT would have been the final "Song Mirage" episode, not the previous episode... if that makes any sense to you. Slight off-topic interruption mid-episode from part of "A Prairie Home Companion" episode, since I was re-using tapes at the time, and didn't erase the tape previously used to record an actual radio show before recording the "broadcast" edited "Song Mirage" versions. In other words, the 1999 TRSE "revival" was a "mess" in more ways than one.