In the weekend "What are you looking forward to?" post Earl wondered aloud when Portland would get another honest-to-goodness Blazer song like Bob Miller's in the old days. If and when we do get another one, here's my suggestion, just for Earl.
The song is AM Radio by Everclear. It's a natural match because you could get Art to come back and help with the song and the video, him being a Blazer fan. (And Damir, let me cut you off right now by saying, "HUSH!")(C= This should absolutely be a video too. You could show it first at a game or two and then release it virally via YouTube. This should be a pattern...there should be three or four songs/videos released during the year. It would be a cool way to draw attention.
Anyway, I assume most are familiar with the song. The line rhythms here pretty much match up with the Everclear lyrics. There are some performance notes in the lyrics themselves and a couple after.
A.M. Radio (Blazer style)
You could hear the Blazers on the AM radio
The DVR and DVD
There was none of that crap back in 1970
Couldn't get the feed off world wide web
Was a whole different game being played back when I was a kid
Wanna get down in a cool way?
Picture yourself on a Blazer game day
A bunch of kids, growin' up fast
Just enjoying their subscription to NBA League Pass (No!)
You would listen to the Blazers on the AM radio (AM radio)
Yeah, you could hear the Blazers on the AM radio (AM radio)
Flashback to '72, all the people in Portland getting used to something new
Geoff Petrie strokin' the "J", not too many wins but we loved them anyway
Home games at the Coliseum...we were too damn poor to buy the tickets to see `em
But we had a good time...list'ning to the Schonz rhyme,
"Bingo Bango Bongo through the Cyclops" every night
I'd be in bed with the radio on, I would listen to it all night long,
just to help the team along
You stayed up late so you could hear it on the AM radio (AM radio)
Yeah, you could hear Bill Schonely on the AM radio (AM radio)
I can still hear momma say, "Boy turn the radio down!"
(Bridge: In the song they have "All in the Family" theme, I suggest replacing this with famous Schonely calls "Rip City! Red Hot and Rolling! Lickety-Brindle up the middle!" and the like.)
(Turn it up! Turn it up! Turn it up!)
Things changed back in '75 with Walton and Hollins from the in and the outside
We got Luke from the ABA, Twardzik and Davis in the backcourt ready to play
I remember 1977, that's the year Blazer fans got a little glimpse of heaven
Yelling out loud on a bright June day, "Momma! Momma, come watch, they're gonna go all the way!" (All the way... All the way... All the way...)
All around Portland people danced, we all yelled and cheered when we got the chance, everybody grooved on Ramsay's pants...
If the game's at the Garden but you just can't go...you can still be happy, just listen to the Blazers on the the AM radio (AM radio).
(Insert Brian Wheeler calls in the background here.)
You can hear the Blazers on the AM radio (AM radio).
I liked Kermit, I liked Carr, I liked Buck but I never liked J.R. (repeat)
(Fans storm the stage here, chanting)
We liked Kermit, we liked Carr, we liked Buck but we never liked J.R. (repeat ad nauseum)
Other Performance Notes:
In addition to Schonz and Wheels voicing their parts I think Rice, Barrett, and Harvey should be in the background playing the bongos or something. Pritchard should be there shaking some maracas too. (Notice I didn't say they should have live mics on any of those percussion instruments.) Seeing all those goofy guys doing that would be hilarious. Also they should throw a couple of the young players in there singing, "A.M. Radio" if nothing else. (Brandon? Lamarcus? SERGIO???) Best of all, there should be a guy playing guitar throughout, seated with his back to the camera. During the big guitar solo in the middle the camera should swing around him revealing...Paul Allen playing his very own axe. There ought to be game film clips, old and new, interspersed throughout, of course.
I don't believe something like this would be too hard. It'd be one day on stage for all of the Blazers participants. The band/vocalists/producers would have to do most of the work. It'd hopefully cool/funny enough for the Gen-Y people while, if done correctly, bringing fond memories to the old timers and establishing a connection to the heritage.
There ya go, Earl.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)