Slog Comments
Dick Clark
1
he was a large part of my childhood. "american bandstand" saturday mornings, and "where the action is" weekdays for several years. RIP, Mr. Clark, and thanks for the music.
4
"American Bandstand" had a profound effect on anyone who was growing up between the years 1957 and 1987. First television appearances of Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, and Madonna.
I thought we'd lost him back in 2004 when he had the stroke, but somehow he hung on.
Bye, Dick, and thanks for all the great memories.
I thought we'd lost him back in 2004 when he had the stroke, but somehow he hung on.
Bye, Dick, and thanks for all the great memories.
5
Thanks Dick...LOVED you in Bowling for Columbine. Thought you showed your true corporate colors to Michael Moore!
6
Dick Clark was a dick. Yeah, American Bandstand -- on which black teenagers, back when it was in Philadelphia, were not allowed after Clark took over -- which he did after framing the guy who ran it on a bogus sex scandal.
He also threw Alan Freed, one of the great figures of American pop, under the bus in the payola scandal, but skated clean around his own involvement, which included not only payola per se but the more sophisticated process of refusing to allow records on Bandstand unless he was cut in on the songwriting credits for records he had nothing to do with (songwriting royalties are where the real money is made). He did this LONG after payola was supposedly eradicated.
Dick Clark was no Morris Levy, but he wasn't Mr. Clean either.
He also threw Alan Freed, one of the great figures of American pop, under the bus in the payola scandal, but skated clean around his own involvement, which included not only payola per se but the more sophisticated process of refusing to allow records on Bandstand unless he was cut in on the songwriting credits for records he had nothing to do with (songwriting royalties are where the real money is made). He did this LONG after payola was supposedly eradicated.
Dick Clark was no Morris Levy, but he wasn't Mr. Clean either.
7
@6 I knew there was something about the guy I had heard years back. He just wasn't a very nice person. I'm surprised he had such success.
9
@6 Beat me to it. I shed no tears for that man. He drove a far better man than he to his death. May Alan Freed be celebrated, and that awful man's name be forgot.
10
Uh oh! Does this mean that he's no longer needed for New Year's Eve because ...*gasp*...the world is ending before New Year's Eve?!!
13
I'm pretty sure he died a few years back, and they were testing out that Tupac-hollogram thing with him on NYE for the last three Rockin' Eve shows.
15
@5 I remember that.
Never liked the guy. He seemed to me to represent the neutering of rock n roll presented to make money off conservative suburbans. I'm too young for American Bandstand to mean a thing to me, but didn't he just have milketoast rock and pop that was acceptable for Grandma? Not challenging, not rock and roll. He didn't create anything. He was just a suave party host aiming to please middle-of-the-road people. He was just about looking good. That just made me suspicious, and it's nice to have those suspicions confirmed.
Never liked the guy. He seemed to me to represent the neutering of rock n roll presented to make money off conservative suburbans. I'm too young for American Bandstand to mean a thing to me, but didn't he just have milketoast rock and pop that was acceptable for Grandma? Not challenging, not rock and roll. He didn't create anything. He was just a suave party host aiming to please middle-of-the-road people. He was just about looking good. That just made me suspicious, and it's nice to have those suspicions confirmed.
16
thanks fnarf...seriously, this guy rarely spoke of his love of rock and roll but often spoke of his love of making money from his working around rock and roll.
dick was a dick indeed.
and for the record, still bummed about don cornelius passing. that guy truly impacted my life.
dick was a dick indeed.
and for the record, still bummed about don cornelius passing. that guy truly impacted my life.
17
Yeah, greedy little emperor.
But a big part of my youth, I grew up in W. Philadelphia near the 46th & Market studio where they did American Bandstand. And Hershey bars cost a nickel, and....
But a big part of my youth, I grew up in W. Philadelphia near the 46th & Market studio where they did American Bandstand. And Hershey bars cost a nickel, and....
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