Gene Godfrey

I grew up with Wibbage. WFIL didn’t do it for me. The Wibbage duses had something more… can’t put my finger on it… just more. I listened to guy on Sunday nights doing an FM thing on AM… His name was Rick Menapace. (sp?) Then I was an MMR listener… all by the early 70s. Then YSP came along in ‘74 with first-name-only DJs… who played our faculty in basketball, btw… for that matter, so did the Wibbage jocks! –Long John Wade made me laugh though! he signed my copy of The Wibbage Report, which I still have! But I digress… Rewind to summer of ‘72… in Ocean City listening to WMGM play ELP’s Trilogy… my favorite tune on the album… I’d call those poor guys up endlessly every freakin night asking for that song and Abaddon’s Bolero. And sitting on the beach with my radio… amidst the sound of the surf… would come the soft sounds of Keith’s synthesizer blending to piano and Greg… Trilogy! What a song! I bought it on the boardwalk… and we had no turtable on vacation! –WTF! Forward… ‘73… first job… Brain Salad Surgery and all of Karn Evil 9 being played on the radio!…Toccata… and… A new record and mammoth tour planned!! This kid saves up every penny and proceeds to hound the crap out of the local record store owner every day!… Is it in yet? Hi again… is it in?… Remember me? is it in?… I remember you… it’s NOT in yet! DAMN!?*&%$#@! One night I rode my bike up there as usual… and it was Christmas!!! Boxes all over the store! The guy looked at me and said… “It’s in!” Well… I bought TWO! Some friends, including one who could drive, went to see them at the Spectrum… holy crap!?*&%$#@! They toured again with the live triple disc and I went again… then to NYC to see them with the orchestra… and in Philly again witOUT the orchestra… My favorite band! =) I started a radio show Thanksgiving weekend 1979 and called it Classic FM… did some commercial radio and left those confines to do it right in the non-comm world. I’ve met and interviewed some of the biggest names and support the new artists here as well. Got to know Keith Emerson and did several phoners for various projects. Finally got to meet him last year when he played The Colonial Theatre… Great guy… Another nice interview and picture!… Life is good! –VERY good!