KRAP in Cincinnati
Why do we celebrate a 29-year-old sitcom?
The first season of WKRP is released on DVD and we here in Rubetown act as if Broadway just moved to Fountain Square. Does Dallas celebrate "Dallas''? Nope. Dallas has better things to do. Does New York break out in spontaneous revelry on the anniversary of NYPD Blue? Honey, I Love Lucy just came out in boxed set!
Does Milwaukee fete LaVerne and Shirley? Yeah, probably. Do we want to be Milwaukee?
This is so Cincinnati. We have nothing going on, so we spend time honoring a TV show that lasted 4 years and was filmed on a sound stage in California. We'd rather look back than ahead.
This is why the Reds ballpark is on the river instead of at Broadway, why Main Street is withering, why Jefferson Hall is in Newport, why The Banks remains more of a punchline than a reality and why the '90 wire-to-wire Reds are a footnote in the book of Big Red Machine.
Bootsy Collins might be a heck of a fella. But the guy is so yesterday, he needs a time machine to get to 1985. We love him.
And so on. Look, I like living here. Been here 19 years. Had chances to leave. Great place to raise kids, easy place to live. But until we start trusting the future instead of worshipping the past, we'll lag. Celebrate a DVD release of a 29-year-old has-been sitcom? Cut the KRAP.
I'm going to talk about this tonight, on 700 WLW SportsTalk, 6-7:40 before the Reds game. Light 'em up.
posted by Paul Daugherty at 8:10 AM
20 Comments:
at 9:41 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 10:09 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 10:10 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 10:12 AM 
SolarAl said...
-
-
at 10:37 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 12:03 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 3:17 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 3:22 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 3:24 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 4:35 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 5:47 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 6:17 PM 
Chris S. said...
-
-
at 5:41 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 10:48 AM 
gonz said...
-
-
at 1:59 PM 
matty buckets said...
-
-
at 4:09 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 4:13 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 6:04 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 7:54 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 11:58 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
Post a Comment*Amen, Paul. As further proof, how many times do you hear people clamoring for the Reds to bring back Pete Rose as manager?
I live in Nashville now. Never came back to Cincy after school, except for holiday's and funerals. Read the enquirer every day, follow the teams, but this is why I never came back. I do Love the city, just don't want to live there....
If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later.
Will Rogers
Not to mention Frampton. When did that album come out?!? If he leaves, I'm sure the city will try to lure one of the founding members of Supertramp to fill the void.
Yea, we even got sports talk show hosts who talk about krap. What can you say? Next year I will celebrate my 20th year in Cincy. Love everything (especially the wife I met upon arriving) but the weather. My highlight is the 2 games I saw of the 90 series. NCIS is the best TV show now. No reason to worry about the Reds yet. 10-10 with great starting pitching. If Dunn rediscovers the clue he found in Spring Training but lost on the way North. Paul, we ought to start a pool as to the date that Bailey becomes the fifth starter. I would say late June. Everybody who wants a date send $5 to the Red's Community fund with 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice dates. Paul you administer the pool. Winner gets a night at GABP with you & Marty & Thom or Jeff (eating the spread too). Can this be a go?
If you care so much, sell your house in loveland and move the family to clifton. change it from within.
Otherwise, I don't understand why people who live in Loveland feel they have some say about what the city does.
And do you think this city will ever get over Bob Huggins?
Do you think people will ever stop whining?
Otherwise, I don't understand why people who live in Loveland feel they have some say about what the city does.
1) Like it or not, what happens in the city affects everyone in the region
2) People who don't live in the city, but who work in the city, spend money in the city, and pay taxes to the city, most definitely have a say about what the city does.
Mr. Pot, why don't you come on over here and meet Mrs. Kettle. Aren't you the same guy who felt compelled to call into Lance's show last week to fondly remember the teen movies of the 80's? As I recall, you spent a fair amount of time paying homage to the past yourself that day. I guess it is OK if it fits your interests, huh?
Anon 10:37...he is referring to the city as a metropolis, not the city proper. Duh.
Worth noting is how easily people settled for this DVD set. The people who put the set together didn't pay for the rights to most, if not all, of the great music the show was known for playing. They went el cheapo on it. Of course...that's Cincinnati.
Anonymous @ 3:24: nice try. Fondness for the past is one thing. Worship of the past is something entirely different, and that's long been a problem in this city.
Couldn't agree more, Doc. Growing up, burgs like Indianapolis & Columbus were seen as second rate to our 'major league' status. But after you stick your collective head in the sand for a few generations, this is what you get! What does it take to get people here to wake up & realize what so many others outside of town realize: this backass town has all the potential in the world, but as it stands now, it sucks!
Anon@5:47PM...
The music was not what made the show. It was the characters and the situations. The music doesn't matter as much. Yah, it's nice and captured the zeitgeist and all but saying that you'd buy the WKRP DVDs for the music is like saying you buy baseball cards for the bubble gum.
As for you, "Doc", was it a slow news day?
I love Cincinnati and all of its quirks. I love Music Hall, I love the parks, the museums, the baseball team, the football team, the hockey team and the people. I love that this city has a beautiful fountain right smack in the middle. I love that the city makes Opening Day a holiday. Sure, it's not Utopia. It's not even the most livable city. But it sure is one hell of an interesting place to live.
Trash it all you like, non-believers, it'll still go on.
Who is celebrating this show? How about some fact finding about how in this area the WKRP collection outsold Seinfeld, Sorpranos, Lost, Friends, or whatever other TV series to DVD collection? Here is a hint: You won't see it because it won't outsell those or many others. This seems like more Cincy generalizations from PD.
Everyone who disagrees with Paul's opinion on this issue is a prime example of why this city will never live up to its potential.
For all of those who harken so fondly to the past, maybe the reason Cincinnati was so great was because people here had the forsight and innovation to make it great. Whereas now, we are simply content to live on bygone glory days.
If being "hip" or "chic" are key virtues in life to pursue, y'all haters out there are right--Cincinnati is a horrible town. People who worry about this crap are insecure dweebs who don't like being made fun of by their brother-in-law who lives in NYC...Geeks.
I guarantee I could beat the tar out of all you nerds and then spit my snuff juice right down on you.
I really don't know what we'd do without the wise and worldly counsel of people like Daugherty and Pat Forde from ESPN to inform us of just what neanderthals and rubes we are here in Cincinnati. I wonder if either of them teaches a class on intellectual snobbery or would they be willing to dispense their wisdom for free. Where do i sign up? I feel smarter already and it's not even 10:00 am yet.
Hmm...
The past stunk eh...
Here's what I recall from the 70's:
1. The Reds were perennial contenders, went to 4 world series, won 2 of them. Many have argued that the 75 and 76 squads were the best ever assembled.
2. The Bengals were contenders--not Super Bowl by any means, but generally made the playoffs and had lots of memorable games in Riverfront--led by the great Paul Brown.
3. The Bearcats were competitive--Gale Catlett headed a solid program before being run out of town--I remember a bitter early round loss in triple overtime to a Notre Dame team--led by Adrien Dantley. Remember Collier, Big Bob Miller, Gary Yoder?
4. We had an NBA team in town--the Royals. Who received so little support that they had to move their playoff game against the Bill Russel-led Boston Celtics to Boston..why...THE CIRCUS WAS IN TOWN!
5. I think...UC football may have had a few winning seasons in there--some with coach Callahan and some with Tony Mason. We got to see a UC football player make Rookie of the Year in the AFL--Greg Cook (he played for the Bengals in case you don't remember).
6. I think XU even had a football program at that time!
Yeah--the 70's stunk, now we have...free agency--the city with the most cash buys the best team--whoopee!! Players come and go as mercenaries--you need a program to know who's on the team from year to year...Oh, and I almost forgot..you can take steroids to that you can hit a juiced-up baseball out of a tiny park in an over-expanded major-league with awful pitching....
SWELL!!
Just Sayin'!
* Our online blogs currently are hosted and operated by a third party, namely, Blogger.com. You are now leaving the Cincinnati.Com website and will be linked to Blogger.com's registration page. The Blogger.com site and its associated services are not controlled by Cincinnati.Com and different terms of use and privacy policy will apply to your use of the Blogger.com site and services.
By proceeding and/or registering with Blogger.com you agree and understand that Cincinnati.Com is not responsible for the Blogger.com site you are about to access or for any service you may use while on the Blogger.com site. << Home