he trouble with television is, it's too graphic.
In radio, even a moron could visualise things his way; an intelligent man,
his way. It was a custom-made suit. Television is a ready-made suit. Everyone
has to wear the same one. Everything is for the eye these days: Life, Look,
the picture business. Nothing is for the mind. The next generation will have
eyeballs as big as cantaloupes and no brains at all. -Fred Allen
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Late Night Reggae Jam with Neita Michael
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Benjamen Walker's Your Radio Nightlight
2001, as Story Teller on "the
Night"
Before "The
Theory of Everything" Ben Walker produced "Your
Radio Nightlight" Freeman made one episode
with Ben and two of his old friends. "The
Night" contains
our true stories from a 'special' school somewhere in New Hampshire.
...stories about sadism, redemption, strange bathroom habits ...and
so much more. (60:00) -Listen!
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WMBR Programs
2003-04, Guest / Reporter / Producer
Chuck U. and Linda P. aired many of Freeman's special
reports on events in Manhattan, Washington DC, Boston,
Cambridge...
2004, Reporter / News Producer. Freeman produced several
reports for the Weekly WMBR News program
(2006-7, Live Performer)
Hosted by: Arthur Rainbowbeam, Lester Woods, & Pat Greenleaf.
"Strap yourself into the gliding waves of your life. Taste the flowers, they are your divinity."
(2006, Live Performer)
Hosted by Thadeus Morgan and Arthur Pede, The Most Merciful Thing isn't just another conspiracy show...It's an actual conspiracy!
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Darkbot "Music for Lonely Robots"
(2005, Media Contributor)
Freeman produced this reading of a Brautigan poem for Dark Bot (1:15). Listen!
Freeman questions WMBR's very
questionable practice of selling air time.
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WBRS Programs
(Producer, 1990-93)
Freeman produced this childrens' program for three
years. ...Played lots of Bill
Harley ...and
you should too!
(Executive Producer, 1990-93)
Freeman: "I produced this talk program for several
years. It featured the participation of Brandeis students and local
school-age boys and girls on both sides of the transmitter. We exposed Fat
Jack Burns' abuse of students in the Waltham schools, and I'd
often get an escort to the Waltham border courtesy of the Brandeis
Police. Maybe that was because of the threats on my life by a sleazy
campus Republican or maybe it was something else entirely."
(Producer / Artiste, 1990-93)
Not to be confused with dear friend Linda Pinkow's 2005 show on WMBR, this was a creative and truly anarchic multi-studio extravaganza where I realized the spiritual nature of Art through my favorite medium...ray dee oh.
(Producer/ Artiste, 1990-93)
Anything goes. Live calls and interviews, any style of music, triple-turntable vinyl orgies, open reel tricks, cart machines on acid. And sometimes I just played music.
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The Joint 10th Anniversary Celebration
(Performer, 1993)
I only played once on The Joint. This was
a live performance of glass-smashing with hammers accompanying Jazz
Drummer Lawrence Cook, radio guru Chimpy Tonearmeau and friends.
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WMFO Programs
(2005, Media Contributor)
Dean Wallace hosts this program founded by my Associate in progressive media Martin Voelker. No U Turn features progressive lectures, and airs my material.
(2005-06, Media Contributor, Guest)
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Allston-Brighton Free Radio
Freeman appeared on Allston-Brighton Free Radio as
a Guest of "The Allston Curmudgeon" (about
MBTA Police misconduct) and
also at "The Round Table "(about
local environmental
issues (See this website for more info.)
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WERS Programs
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Dispatches From The Future
Media Contributor
WERS's arrogance is it's worst handicap. The broadcasting
'school' trains 'Engineers' on top notch equipment they'll almost never
be using in the real world. Their recordists, when I've seen them,
haven't had a clue how to use their fancy gear. Their children's program The
Playground, has a playlist of about fifty songs, and they dare not
break the top-down protocol. When they had one of my favorite performers, Bill
Harley, as a studio guest, they played the only song of his they
ever play...over and over and over. Such "diversity! " THEY
CALL IT "MUSIC FOR THE INDEPENDENT MIND" If your mind is independent,
then why do you need to have this hammered at you? insipid.
Great Sounding signal, though.
Their claims of "musical diversity" are
a tremendous insult to the stations that actually practice programming
diversity. WBRS, for example, runs programs in, at last count, seven
languages. (English, Hatian Creole, Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, Spanish,
French and Modern Greek.)
When broadcaster Lee Noble decided he'd had enough of wers-radio, he did a lovely swan-song program which he dedicated to the guys at the Billerica House of Corrections and to yours truly. He railed on the 'banal' programming, and the attitude at this lame station, pointing out that "banal rhymes with anal ...which is where this station belongs...up my ass!" So long Lee.
Emerson University has a horrible administration that tries to micro-manage and control everything. This struggle is reflected in conflicts with the faculty and students that make the news. One of my friends from Emerson was kicked out because she got married. Read about it in her book.
WERS and Emerson 'U' ...Get over yourself!
"The Lost 45s with Barry Scott" began on Emerson College radio. After graduation, the show was picked up by a commercial radio station and has received #1 ratings ever since. The program recently celebrated 20 years on the air at Oldies 103.3/WODS-FM in Boston-- including 6 years in national syndication. The Boston Herald calls it "The most successful weekend show in the history of Boston radio!"
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NPR / PRI
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Whadya Know? (Nationally
syndicated Comedy Quiz)
Listen
Caller
Freeman called in to challenge some stupid white men
who ran the FCC. Instead of protecting the public interest, as they
are charged to do, they turned them over, auctioned frequencies to
corporations. Somehow these jackasses seem to think think they've done
a pretty good job. Or maybe they want us to think they've done a good
job. We're not buying it. ..are you?
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Narrative
(...Continued from top)
Freeman Z's "492 Cafe" recordings have
aired on hundreds of radio stations around the globe.
Freeman's own voice has been heard in Boston on
WBRS WSSH, WMBR, WZBC, KRCC (Colorado), WMFO and hundreds of PRI
stations, and occasionally on television, as well.
More of Freeman Z production is here.
More of Freeman's Voice can be heard here.
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Returning to his native Massachusetts
in 1990, Jeff became a fixture at WBR(i)S-FM at Brandeis university,
producing several weekly live programs (childrens, all-genre, and improv)
and a block of live talk shows that ranged from serious to silly. It
was at this time that he and Dennis Bergeron broke the infamous "Jerky
Tape" on Boston FM.
Freeman: "It was viral. The kids
on the streets were shouting the Jerky Tape gags! We'd crack up, cuz'
they had no idea we were the 'radio guys' who opened that pandora's
box. Within a few weeks WBCN had it, and it was making money. (The
terrible movie came later.) I saw this Jerky thing as encouraging,
because of how it spread (before it hit the air) ...it was recorded
and distributed person to person, not top-down or center-out. That's
like magic. That's how revolutions happen."
Hijacked to Appalachia for a few years,
Freeman returned in 2000 to Massachusetts with a vengeance. Within a
few years, he had become a major content provider for WMBR-FM and WZBC-FM.
In the pursuit of recording excellence, Freeman established a professional
sound company.
Freeman: "I was hindered by three
problems, lack of organization, lack or understanding, and lack of
respect for my efforts to bring events to a wider audience. I began
offering free public address services purely as a means to get better
recordings. It worked. Next thing I knew, I was managing bigger speeches
conferences, shaking hands with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Desmond
Tutu, ...and depositing checks with which our emerging team would expand
our tool chest. It all meant ...Better Recordings!"
Jeff's also learned a trick or twelve
from his senior ally in sonic revolution, Bill
Hanley, who says he came to this same point the other way round.
That is, his pursuit of live sound (He's worked with just about everybody
in music through the 50's and 60's before amplifying the big Vietnam
peace rallies.) lead him to record major label master tapes at Newport,
the Fillmore East and the original Woodstock. |