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John Leslie - Signing Off
On Sunday, January 16, 2000 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, Steve Crowley wrote:
In John Leslie's obituary, published in the Saturday January 15th edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune, there's a quote that's a classic. No, not classic rock. More like something that echoes classic tragedy. What comes to mind for me is Brutus shifting from his assassin's role to deliver a stirring eulogy for Julius Caesar. "The KGB family really misses him," Little said. "John and KGB were the perfect marriage." The reason it bugs me is that "Little," as in KGB-FM Program Director Tod d Little, is the same guy who fired the John Leslie he now praises lavishly .. Et tu, Todd? Is this post-mortem hyperbole? Plain old hypocrisy? Or could it be that t he head of "the KGB family" really is dumb enough to file for divorce from a "perfect marriage?" That kind of painful "Pretzel Logic" could go along way to explain the 3 share. But dealing with the way it ravages radio is why I've had to spend way too many hours listening to a single Steely Dan cut on infinite loop: "When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more .. Any major dude will tell you." Right now that CD is still very warm, and though the world feels much colder, I am thankful I can play the song as many times as each new outra ge requires. John Leslie and I shared four sets of call letters on our individual long strange trips: KGB-FM and KPRI San Diego, KLOS Los Angeles, and KTYD Sant a Barbara. He was brilliant at what he did, but when no longer allowed to d o it John lost more than just a job. Any specific medical cause the coroner could write on his death certificate will fail to note that being thrown away by his last radio station is what killed his spirit. And God help us , we all face that same demon at our door. The periodic unemployment which accompanies "Life In The Air Age" forces every would be talent to take a hard look at who we are, and how much of our self image is tied up in what we do. For those who wrestle with non-media dependencies, as John did, involuntary withdrawal from radio complicates questions of self esteem. If, as the slogan John Leslie pasted on his locker door read, "You're onl y as good as your last show," what are you when there is no more show? John's answer, distorted as it was by drink, denial, depression and despa ir, was "grim enough to make a robot cry." Deprived of his daily dose of air time, the man who believed the bumper sticker found it was all too short a journey from being "a holy man on the FM radio" to sliding "down, down, d own the dark ladder." If only he'd found the truth in Kate Bush's angelic reassurance: Don't give up, 'cause you have friends Don't give up, you're not the only one Don't give up, no reason to be ashamed Don't give up, you still have us Don't give up now, we're proud of who you are Don't give up, you know it's never been easy Don't give up, 'cause I believe there's a place There's a place where we belong In a Spring 1997 interview with Radio & Records CHR Editor Tony Novia, "passion, intelligence and focus" were what then Jacor President Randy Michaels enumerated as qualities essential to stay afloat in the radio talent pool he planned to drain. John Leslie certainly had all three, but his intelligence told him the la ck of focus inherent in doing shows voice-tracked the day before and shipped hundreds of miles away to places he wouldn't be and couldn't see -- compu ter augmented with elements he'd never hear -- assembled for listeners he'd o nly talk at and never with -- was not something which could sustain passion in either announcer or audience. Of course such attitudes, not tolerated in the new order, are punished. F or in this age's version of the ancient tale, the emperor beheads those who don't share his opinion of the new clothes while stock market sector analysts cheer the executioner. Some giants are recognized too late. When given his chance to carve memor ies out of empty time, this one made more than a transitory impression. Those who heard him knew John Leslie as one who truly believed in the potential of an immediate and intimate medium, and proved its power daily. Those who point to the deep footsteps he left note with pride that he never crushed anyone in the process of making his mark. The loss (or perhaps more rightly the martyrdom) of John Leslie puts an a ll too human face on the true cost of this change, for he was far more deepl y loved than he was deeply flawed. Steve Crowley (KGB News Brother emeritus / disgusted former Clear Channel stockholder) Song quotes: "Any Major Dude" by Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic, 1974 "Life In The Air Age" by Be Bop Deluxe, Sunburst Finish, 1976 "Rainy Night House"by Joni Mitchell, Ladies Of The Canyon, 1970 "Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire" by Joni Mitchell, For The Roses, 1972 "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel, So, 1986 and below "Tears of Rage" by Bob Dylan, Basement Tapes, 1975 .... as previously posted to All Access Net Talk BB: "John Leslie" There was a time we'd turn to you, old friend, and you'd know what to do. We'd look for solace in a song upon getting this kind of news. You were there to voice what we could feel when heroes fell to demons real enough to them, 'though some unkind would claim, "They're only in the mind." Who's left to give voice to our grief now that the news is about you? If I reach back to FM's free form age and cue up Dylan's "Tears Of Rage" would it capture what was in your heart before that fall so final? I don't know. But if I didn't try there'd be yet another cause to cry, so pardon all the scratches folks... this one's on ancient vinyl: "It was all very painless When you went out to receive All that false instruction Which we never could believe. And now the heart is filled with gold As if it was a purse. But, oh, what kind of love is this Which goes from bad to worse? Tears of rage, tears of grief, Must I always be the thief? Come to me now, you know We're so low And life is brief." Goodbye, John. Steve Crowley - KGB News Brother 01/13/2000 3:18:14 AM, Message#24574 == Read all about it from other sources: RadioDigest-dot-com's John Fox - including quotes from our mutual first source at: http://www.radiodigest.com/san_diego...11300_fox1.htm ...very sad news to report. Former KGB air talent John Leslie was found in the shower of his home Tuesday 1/11. Apparently, he'd been dead about a week. Friends say John had been drinking heavily since being fired from K GB last summer... I took the initiative to confirm the story before Fox published. There wa s nothing available at the time on sites for San Diego TV stations, the Union-Tribune or KOGO whose "news radio" web page is dominated by links t o other sources. But more than three hours prior to Fox's email, KFMB's Mik e Berger said: No official word as to the cause, but those of us who knew attribute ( it) to alcohol abuse and lack of nutrition. He had lost an incredible (a)moun t of weight and was having physical problems we think coincided with poor nutrition. Worst of all, those that tried to intervene were rebuffed with denial. And the story as reported by Randy Dotinga in the "Static" radio column - from the North County Times "Preview" (Weekly Arts and Entertainment Magazine) January 14-20, 2000 edition - is available through 1/19 at -- http://www.nctimes.com/preview/radio.html -- under the headline: "KGB mourns a classic rock talent; San Diego has lost one of its best rad io voices." The major paper in San Diego finally caught up Saturday: http://www.union-trib.com/news/metro...m15leslie.html You already know how I feel about the Little quotes. -- rec.radio.broadcasting is a robomoderated newsgroup. Please mail messages to . The real issue here is that non of the voice talant to got in thier cars an d drove to Johns apartment to provide moral support and to just let him h ad known how talented he really was. Those of you who are reading this I h ope that you get out of the station with that kind of bad aura-I have been at many in my 50 year carraer and walked away before being consumed (and st ole alot of records on my way out the door) I, as a professional who has reached the top knew tha tmany KGB peers made little or no effort to vent, drink or whatever once he had been dropped ove r for moral suppor this may have not have happen...We Miss You John Leslie |
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